She Can Read

The Bible, 'Tis, Gravedigger's Daughter, Cloudsplitter

2010-05-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Wooooow. It's been a long time. I'm restarting this in hopes that I keep up with reading and keep track of what I've read. When I try to think about what I read over the last year, I can come up with four titles. These means two possibilites: I've read four books in the last year, or my memory is really bad. How about an even split of the two options?

The Bible by God
How about the best? Last February I started a Bible-in-a-Year program. I took my little Bible everywhere in my purse. I read it on lunch breaks in classrooms while subbing, in my car while waiting for college classes to start (or waiting for nanny job to start), in a front room at our organization in Mexico, on planes, and in my house here in the city. I may have finished after scheduled, but I finished.

And I realized the best thing. That in my 20 years of being a Christian, I had never sat down to read the very foundation of my beliefs. I started at the beginning, that journey with the Israelites, followed through with the Messiah (and felt the joy at his appearance when I got to Matthew), and ended with the hope of the gospel spoken through all of us. How refreshing, how joyous.

'Tis by Frank McCourt
I read Angela's Ashes a few years ago, and enjoyed it, and 'Tis starts off just where Angela's Ashes left off. It also reads the same, and continues the Irish conversation. I'll admit, while I like Frank McCourt, and his anecdotes about teaching were really funny, I got a bit tired of the style of writing after a while. It's an endearing story, but I was ready for it to be over.

The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
The first half of this book was good. In fact, the first chapter was so incredibly good, I couldn't put it down and go to sleep. It played on all of my fears of assault, and moved into a complicated story. However, while the first part of the book was interesting, and the characters were rich, it eventually walked off the deep end of endless plot, and never seemed to connect again to that beginning chapter. Initially, that starter chapter seemed to set up the reader for a fascinating end where everything ties together, but instead, the reader was left with a meandering plot that just ... ended. I picked up this book because I enjoyed another one of Oates books so much, but this did not live up to that expectation.

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks
Well, if you ever want to learn more about John Brown than you wanted to know, start here. A novelized version of his life, Cloudsplitter takes you back to the beginning of John Brown and follows his ascent (descent?) into maniacal abolitionism and the attack on Harper's Ferry. If you're looking for straight facts about the Harper's Ferry attack, this is not your book. If you're looking for a book about the character and mind of John Brown, in a non-conventional way, this is your book. The latter half of the 19th century has become an area of interest for me (especially after reading The Most Famous Man in America), and this was a nice complement to reading about other social movements at the time. Although at times tedious, I was kept interested throughout the (very long) book.

Little Bee

2009-04-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Little Bee by Chris Cleave
I picked this up on pure recommendation by the bookseller. I do not normally buy brand new hardback books by authors I've never heard of. In fact, I don't think I ever have. I was not disappointed, however.

Little Bee follows the impossibly entangled story of a Nigerian girl and a British husband and wife (and son). In the book's dust jacket it says it can't give away what happens. I don't feel I can either, except to say that this is a haunting, fictional story based in a reality that we'd all like to assume doesn't exist. It's very, very good, and Cleave has a very strong ability to convey human emotion, need, and hurt.

Freedom of Simplicity, , Teach

2009-04-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

I should have written this blog over a month ago, and then I would remember the information from these books better. I know I read another book, but I can't, for the life of me, remember what it was. I've been staring at my bookshelf for the past five minutes, and that hasn't helped. Oh well.

Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster
Excellent. I think I went into this book knowing I would like it, but it really was great. Foster's writing is humble, attractive, and he writes without making the reader feel like he is being judged. This has become a favorite, something I will keep my shelf for years, and recommend to others.

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith
Well, there's nothing like reading about an outstanding teacher to make you feel inadequate and empowered at the same time. Rafe's sense of his student's worth and potential is amazing, and he is able to convey that to his students in a powerful way. A great read for anybody, a must for teachers.

Coraline, In Dubious Battle

2009-02-07T12:39:00.001-08:00

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I read this three (!!) years ago with my 5th graders while I was student teaching. They loved it, I loved it. I kind of forgot about it. A year or so ago I nannied for a guy who is an animator, and I went home to creepily read his blog and found him talking about the stop motion animation of the Coraline movie they were making (not him, but the actual animators). I got all excited, having read the book, and eagerly awaited the movie.

I bought Coraline at the book sale I worked at in December. I read it quickly, at a day of subbing, and remembered why I loved it in the first place. Gaiman creates this sparse environment for Coraline, his main character. A drab world where she cannot bother her busy parents, and where there aren't many things to do. She stumbles upon a parallel world where everything seems wonderful, but then slowly begins to show its true, evil reality. What most impresses me about Gaiman's writing is his ability to create creepy, scary visuals and situations, just perfect for the upper elementary age. Nothing actually gory happens, but the idea of a "better" world is familiar to children of this age. Excitement leads to horror and Gaiman does it slowly, but with certainty. What seems safe and unthreatening, even as the parallel world turns scary, carefully turns into a world you can't get out of, and you begin to root for Coraline as you feel yourself feeling trapped, just like she does.

The movie came out yesterday, and I went to see it in 3-D. It's visually stunning on its own, but when you take into account the work involved, it is simply mind blowing. Book and movie both highly recommended. Not appropriate for third grade and under.

In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
On to adult matters. I'm a Steinbeck fan, and I eventually want to work my way through his list of writings. I found this old used copy for cheap, and picked it up. Steinbeck is best known for (or should be best known for), his ability to see the social movements of his day and turn them, almost effortlessly, into works of fiction. Steinbeck's specialty seems to be the inner workings of the minds of working men, and it seems too easy for him to put that to paper.

In Dubious Battle finds strikers in the apple orchards, up against the three major business/farm owners in the area. Odds are against them, but the characters are more motivated by their work for the cause than the actual outcome of this particular strike. Following two main characters, Steinbeck captures their own feelings, and the emotions of a mass of workers. What I find most moving about Steinbeck's collection of works is that his works continue to be timeless. They were about his day, and about the struggles of the time, but they are still relevant now.

State by State, Where the Heart Is, Rumspringa, My Life in Orange

2009-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Whew. Another dry spell. I think it's because I was trying to read 'Great Expectations' and it was taking me forever, and I finally gave myself permission to take a break.

State by State edited by Wilsey and Weiland
This collection of essays got a lot of local press, and it sounded like something I would enjoy, so I put it on hold at the library before it was released. Essays by writers who live in the state or are native to the state, it offers a variety of perspectives. Of course, like with any book of assorted writers, there were some I cared for, and some I did not. I thought one of the most interesting was the writer who was originally from Africa, who came to study in Michigan (or was it Minnesota...? No, I think it was Michigan), and lived there and came to consider it his American home. Anyway, I liked it, even though I didn't make it completely through before it had to be returned.

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
I've been meaning to read this book forever. So much so, that when offered a copy by my mom, I promptly took it, brought it home, and realized I had the same exact copy and printing on my shelf that I apparently bought at the Goodwill. It was cute, and it was a good, short, fluffy distraction from Great Expectations.

Rumpsringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish by Tom Shachtman
A little obsessive right now about the Amish, the most captivating aspect of the Rumpsringa is their time of rebellion. Rumpspringa, generally between the end of their schooling and the time they decide to come back and join the church, allows the teenage Amish to do all of the things that the church blatantly forbids. Alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, cars, "English" clothes, etc. Eventually the teen or young adult makes that life altering decision whether to return to the familiar of the Amish, join the church, be baptized, and settle down into marriage, or whether to leave the church and their family behind. Shactman does a great job of intertwining the personal stories of Amish teens, along with the history and culture of the Amish, and gives a great synopsis of the whole state of affairs. This book was written after the movie "Devil's Playground" came out, a documentary about the same subject, which follows many of the same Amish teens.

My Life in Orange: Growing Up With the Guru by Tim Guest
I always heard about the Rajneeshies. Well, maybe not always. It seems to be a part of Oregon legend now, how a large group of orange-robed people descended on Central Oregon and took over the land, the government, and even poisoned local salad bars. When the religious group went defunct in the 80s, the large land and buildings on their "ranch" were left abandoned, and umpteen years later they were bought by Young Life, an Evangelical Christian outreach to teenagers. In college I went on a retreat to the "ranch" (now called Wildhorse Canyon), and thought it was rather eery.

Had I known then what I know now, from reading Guest's book, I would have been a little more creeped out. Guest's mother joined the group when he was around 5, and Guest was unwillingly a member of the Rajneeshies. Guest does a great job at explaining his feelings, and combining his own personal experience with the historical facts of the group's expansion and demise. His own mother was a teacher within the group, and her absence in his upbringing left a resounding mark on his life. This is a great retelling of the Rajneesh story, with a personal touch to convey the atrocities and puzzling questions left over after it all ended.

Water for Elephants, Edgar Sawtelle, I Was Told, The Revolution, The Road

2008-10-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. I don't know why. These are the only books I've read since my last entry. September was a bit of a dry spell.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
A quick, fun read. An interesting era in time and in this subculture.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
This was engaging and mesmerizing. I couldn't imagine what kind of story about a mute boy and breeding dogs could fill that many pages, but my imagination is obviously not in the same range as Wroblewski. A really great read. The narrative was so rich and so descriptive it was enveloping.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Essays by Sloane Crosley
I have a special admiration for essayists for some reason. I think that is mostly because their stories are true, and they find a way to tell a true story in a captivating way. This is what Crosley does. Now, I've read other collections of modern essays. In fact I read one this summer by someone who was quite like Crosley. Young, female, New Yorker, etc., but her essays weren't nearly as funny as Crosley's. Instead, Crosley's are laugh out loud funny.

The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
Well, let's just say that if I could vote for Ron Paul, I would. What a nice departure from the lines we are thrown from politicians seeking votes. Could it be that Ron Paul is actually looking out for the best interests of Americans? Shocking, I know. What a great read.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I had heard so much about this book, but never really thought about reading it. But then, a while ago, I heard it was being made into a movie, and not just a movie, but a movie filmed in Oregon. So I knew that I would have to see it, and I have this thing about reading books before seeing the movie. SO I requested it at the library and started it.

Except I started it and wasn't that into it. I picked it up again Monday out of boredom, and read about 30 pages and became enthralled. I read it again last night in bed. And at a very boring nanny job today, I finished it. HAUNTING. That's the word that comes to mind when thinking about this book.

There are fiction books that seem realistic because they are just stories about life. There are fiction stories that are unreal because they are so far out there. And then there are these kind of fiction books where it seems unreal, yet so plausible at the same time. And that is truly scary. I can't wait to see how it translate to the screen. In the meantime, this was amazing.

When I Was Puerto Rican, Middlesex, The Virgin Suicides

2008-08-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmerelda Santiago

I'm a sucker for a good memoir and Santiago delivers. While her story is not as crushingly depressing as Frank McCourt it certainly has its own dimension of strife. Raised in Puerto Rico as the oldest of a clan. The father is sporadically present and the mother struggles. The best part of Santiago's writing comes out in her memories of her point of view as a young girl. She remembers the way she perceived people and circumstances with innocence. At 13 her mother moves her to Brooklyn where she has to relearn life. That is the jumping off point for her next book Almost a Woman.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I've been meaning to read this for a looooong time. I finally got right down to it. What an amazing story. A family's secret history adds up to a modern child who, at the age of puberty, finds out he is a hermaphrodite. More than half of the book is all leading up to this discovery and the family epic plays out beautifully. Eugenides' style writing is wonderful. For such a long book, I was never bored.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

I've been meaning to read this one for even longer. I saw the movie in high school (a great film), and so have been wanting to see where the story came from. Again, Eugenides is a masterful story teller. The book is mostly descriptive. For myself I believe the sign of a great book is when you are surprised at how far along you are in the book because it has just flown by. Eugenides' books are like that. You are so engrossed in the story that you hardly even have time to think about the fact that you're reading a book. I think I found a new favorite author.

Prince Caspian, Someday This Pain..., Shortcomingsy

2008-07-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
I enjoyed this more than the first book. I read it quickly, starting it my last week in Mexico, and finishing it on the plane ride home. I actually found myself tearing up at the end during certain revelations, and that surprised me as I am not one to feel connected to fantasy characters. In short (because I can't remember REAL specifics about the book), I felt it was well plotted, the characters well developed, and I really enjoyed the back and forth of time as the story was told.

And let me just say that two days after finishing it I went to see the new Prince Caspian movie and I was highly disappointed.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
I picked this up on recommendation from the Powell's website. Teenage angst and all that. I thought this was well written, and good characterization of this 18 year old boy, but I had a feeling I'd heard it before. Or that the characters were a little out there. Or something. I mean, I was invested enough to care and I thought there were some great points and great writing. Overall enjoyable, but not entirely wonderful.

Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
I really enjoy graphic novels, but it's a whole genre that frankly kind of intimidates me in that I have no idea what to look for. I know I like Craig Thompson. I know I liked series that I checked out a few years ago. Ummm.. that's about it. So, a friend has been good about letting me borrow stuff. While I would have liked more from this novel, I did take pleasure in the Asian American experience and the questions brought up in the story.

Capote in Kansas, Irresistible Revolution, Glass Castle, Narnia, Jesus for President

2008-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's been too long! Life has been a little crazy so I haven't read much, and I've also been on the lazy side. But since the last post, I've read these.

Capote in Kansas by Ande Parks
A friend let me borrow this, I think based on the assumption that I like Harper Lee. Which I do. and I loved reading In Cold Blood. But this is a graphic novel, which means... well, for the uneducated it means it looks like a comic book, but isn't all superheroes and stuff. I do like graphic novels and have found a few I like (including Craig Thompson's stuff), but I rarely search out graphic novels to read. So it was nice to have this handed to me. I liked the story. The author admits to not following it all very factually, but it is about Capote in Kansas and his writing of the In Cold Blood. Nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable.

Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
I read this last summer, and I read it again to remind myself of all the things I loved about it. I believe it an essential for a Christian in the 21st Century. I go into detail, but more about Shane below.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls
If you thought your family was crazy, then this is the book to read. The daughter of an alcoholic dad, a self-absorbed mother, Walls lived a childhood of unrest and premature responsibility. It's amazing to think that these types of families exist, but Walls proves they do, and in turn requires you to rethink what you assume about families in poverty. Walls never asks for your pity, but rather writes to inform and I was impressed with her resilience and her motivation to fight for her siblings. She's a wonderful writer, I was never bored.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
I had a set of these books given to me as a child, but I was never into fantasy worlds like my brother was. I was more interested in real-life contemporary fiction such as the Baby-Sitter's Club or Anastasia books (as mentioned below), or even historical fiction by great authors like Lois Lowry or Hahn. Anyway, I was never into the same books I brother was (like his obsession with Brian Jacques or Lewis or Tolkien).

I think I had read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before, but I read it again after seeing the movie (I know, horrible). So I read it and I liked it, although I found some of the writing a little mundane and it's not exactly my cup of tea. However, I do want to finish the series, so that will be forthcoming. I cannot deny the allegories to Christianity and so I want to see where this goes. Yay Aslan.

Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne
Well, I like what Shane Claiborne has to say, frankly, so I liked this book and I recommend it and ... I don't have much else to say. Oh, except that the title is a little misleading. While Claiborne does explore the implications of serving two masters (nation and Lord), I found so much of the historical content very, very informative and interesting. How come I never learned any of this growing up? My God and my Jesus are incredibly more interesting and revolutionary than I was ever led to believe.

Bowerman, Girlfriend in a Coma, Anastasia

2008-04-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore

While I was perusing the running section of the library I found this book and decided it looked interesting. Bowerman was the track coach at the University of Oregon after Bill Hayward (who the Oregon field is named after). I don't remember his exact years of coaching there, but mid 20th century onward. He developed great runners, but not just great runners, he coached Olympic runners. Runners who were consistently breaking records. He had a funny way about him in terms of dealing with his runners. Phil Knight was on his team and Bowerman became the co-founder of Nike. He was Steve Prefontaine's coach. He was the first coach of his time to emphasize rest, or easy, days in training, which was contrary to what other coaches were telling their athletes at the time- that the more you put in to your workouts, the more you get out of them.

Not only all this, but Bowerman was an Oregon man, and I can't really fault that! Good read, I learned a lot about this history of running, many things I didn't know. I quit reading about the time Prefontaine was breaking some records, but simply because I had to return the book to the library.

Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
This was a re-read. I bought a used copy at Powell's because this is my favorite Coupland book. Somehow I had remembered over the years how much I adored this book, without ever cracking it open again. So i was a little afraid of how it would go over, the second time, years later.

I first read Coupland because an online group of people I knew were always fawning over him, and his book Life After God, but the only book I could immediately get from the library was Girlfriend in a Coma. It turned out to be a good choice, as I fell in love with the book, used it to read aloud a section in a humanities class, and have referred to it as a favorite ever since. I think i read it for the first time maybe 4 years ago. But that's a guesstimate.

So in reading it the second time I realized why I love Coupland's writing so much, and that is because he writes in a way that is so modern, yet seems so timeless. His characters are far fetched, but you feel connected to them. The plots are always a bit fantasy-like, yet attainable, and you feel that if the world were tilted just a little bit in another direction, it might all be true. And yet in all of that, Coupland always writes a message that speaks to the heart of what it means to be human, and that is incredibly present in Girlfriend in a Coma.

Anastasia On Her Own-Lois Lowry

I was in the library the other day with two girls I was taking care of, and while they were entertained by computer games I began to peruse the kid literature section, looking for those authors of yore that I loved. I remember spending so much time in this particular library growing up, and I began to remember all the books I had fallen in love with. I saw Lois Lowry speak a month or so ago, and I hold The Giver very close to my heart, as I'm sure a lot of others do as well. But what I recalled in that library were all the other books of hers that I loved as well, especially the Anastasia series.

I've always loved contemporary, realistic fiction. I thought the heroines of these stories were cool, funny and collected, their families interesting, their problems so real, yet solvable. I guess that's still how I am. I'll pick non-fiction or realistic fiction any day. That's what I gravitate toward.

So this is a cute book about Anastasia and her family (she's in 7th grade, her brother is 3 years old), and how she has to help run the house while her mother is on a business trip. Cute, funny, entertaining, etc.

The Omnivore's Dilemma, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2008-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
My cousin gave me this for Christmas, and it took me a while to get through because of the very dense topic. Pollan covers food production in America, or rather the way we can get our food. Industrial farming, organic farming, natural farming, and basically the DIY idea. The book was great. I think Pollan covered everything really well and left me with a lot of things to think about. It made me want to live on a rotational farm the rest of my days. Anyway, it's dense with a lot of science that I don't quite understand, but it's worth it to read through that to get to the good stuff. Highly highly recommended. I think every American should read it. I know I'll be trying to pick up Pollan's new book In Defense of Food soon.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
I originally wanted to read Sometimes a Great Notion, but they didn't have a cheap paperback at the store when I tried, so I picked this up instead. I had seen the movie, so reading the book didn't bring too many surprises. For some reason, it took me a really long time to get through this little book. It was interesting, but for some reason didn't hold my attention enough. That might actually be due in part to getting internet in our apartment for the first time. Hmm. I just finished it last night and realized how much I love Kesey's style of writing. It's descriptive but plain, and very well put together, especially the dialogue.

The Jungle, The Black Notebooks

2008-01-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

I picked this up at a school rummage sale, based solely on the fact that I knew it was about the meatpacking plants in Chicago at the turn of the century. Gah. Terribly gruesome, heart wrenching, and horrifying, I can see why upon reading it America asked for change. Not only does Sinclair hit at the stomach (I have a pretty strong stomach, and I had to take a breather during a few parts), but the struggle of the immigrant to survive despite the plants' greed for cheaper labor and conditions hits where it hurts. Even in this modern world, it seems the message is timeless, especially considering where we see ourselves presently in the immigration debate.

The Black Notebooks by Toi Dericotte

I requested this from the library because it was mentioned in Bliss Broyard's book. As a light skinned black woman, Dericotte writes this book almost as a journal of her constant struggle with racism, both within society and within herself. Not only is it about obvious racism, but the way things are perceived by others, and Dericotte's own conscience that seems to be riddled with guilt. I'm still trying to process many of her thoughts, which are deep, complex, and extremely valuable.

One Drop, Fugitives and Refugees

2008-01-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

One Drop- by Bliss Broyard
I was completely taken by this book. Written by a woman whose father was a famous literary critic. Two months before he passed away from cancer he told Bliss and her brother that he was black. Bliss had grown up completely unaware, having grown up in white suburban Connecticut. What follows is Bliss's story of her adventures in geneaology, discovering who her ancestors were, where they were from, and their personal histories. I was especially intrigued by this story, I guess because I really felt for this girl, who in her twenties has to re-examine what it means to be a Broyard. The extraordinary findings in her search paint a very interesting picture of modern day racism and prejudice.

Fugitives and Refugees by Chuck Palahniuk
I just picked this short book up at a place I was babysitting today and read it in two hours. It's essentially a primer on the weird spots/attractions/people of Portland. A behind the scenes. A not so family friend tourist book. I look at the grittier side of this city. I thought it was interesting and learned a lot, just a fun, short read. Even a good read for anyone who likes his other works.

Devil in the White City

2007-11-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Riding high on my recently acquired love for 19th century Americana, I got this book from the library because I started reading it at a nanny job (sitting on someone's shelf), and got engrossed in it. The World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 was hastily put together, but quickly lauded by its townspeople. It was a mish-mash, but somehow came together. The number of still recognizeable things that debuted at the fair, and the amazing list of people who built it, invented things for it, visited it is tremendous.

Underneath the outline of the fair, Larson introduces a truly horrible creature who built a hotel for the fair in hopes of luring impressionable young women to kill. The number of women he actually killed will never be known, but they know he killed at least 9 people. The amazing part is that they were actually able to convict him of the crimes. He was intelligent, charming, and nearly got away with murder.

The Most Famous Man in America, I am America (and So Can You!)

2007-11-13T14:08:00.001-08:00

The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate
I've realized, probably since taking my American History class in college, how much I love history and learning about how societies react and act upon what others do. I have no idea why I picked this book to read, as I bought it back in June, but I'm certainly glad I did.

Henry Ward Beecher is not quite as famous as his author sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, yet their whole family of siblings were big players in the religious and political scene in the mid to late 19th century. Their father was a strict Puritan preacher, and they were raised without a lot of happiness in their lives. Somewhere along the way, though, their ideas got changed, and the majority of them went on to become influential.

There were a few things that made me love this book. First, the writing is really well done and conversational. I'm pretty picky when it comes to books about history because a large number of them can become very dry and tedious with names and dates. Instead, Applegate wonderfully describes, and draws you into, a world filled with life. You begin to understand how people think, and how that affects their actions. Second, Applegate does a great job mixing Beecher's life story in with the stories of others, and with the political instability of his time. Inserted into Beecher's story is the story of an America truly divided over a number of issues. This sets a great stage for Beecher and his accomplishments and failures.

I think Beecher's story is a very timely one. In an America that seems religious, but doesn't want to embrace religion on the public forum, Beecher's life seems very familiar. It's humbling to know that the problems we have now seem to have already been dealt with. I guess what they say is true: history repeats itself.

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
On the light side, Colbert runs his own show as a spin-off of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I can't quite stomach Stewart, but I've fallen in love with Colbert, probably because his comedy is all in a character. On his show his plays a very straight-laced conservative, but does it so well, and with a great sense of humor, you can't help but laugh.

His book runs just about the same, and while some of the jokes are a bit over done, and a a little too obnoxious, you realize that that's the character Colbert is playing. It's just a fun read.

Perfect From Now On, Revolutionary Road

2007-09-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life by John Sellers
Okay, so I had to pick up this book because, well, it's obviously about music's affect on someone's life, and I'm all for that! It was a fun read, with a lot of sentiments I could relate to. I did, however, have to stop reading in the middle of it, and take a little break, because it was just so much personal information, overloaded with excessive footnotes (he explains why late in the book). I was glad I read it for all those little sentiments that made me feel not so abnormal, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't obsess about bands.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
I have to admit that I picked up this book because I heard it was being made into a movie. The plot piqued my interest, so I looked into the book, knowing that I always like reading the books before I see the movie (which explains why I haven't seen a LOT of movies).

It's the 1950s and a young married couple are trying to figure out who they are, as married life and children have almost sneaked up on them. Finding themselves in the suburbs, and living the normal working husband/stay-at-home wife life, they continually plot their out, while chastising the community they live in for being bland, boring, and passionless. Unfortunately things begin to compromise their plans to flee suburban life.

I loved the way Yates writes, and I was surprised to find myself in the middle of the book when I did- it's always best when you forget you read all of those pages, simply because the writing and the book were so good, that the pages fly by. The characters seemed so real, the plot so human, that I enjoyed it a lot.

A Long Way Gone, Irresistible Revolution, Gathering Blue

2007-08-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been too long, and sadly that absence was not filled with book reading!

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Baeh
This is the autobiographical story of a young boy in Sierra Leone who loses his family and continually flees from militias in order to escape becoming a child soldier. His efforts, although strong and consistent, end up being futile, and he enters into the scary life of killing. Killing to survive, killing to entertain, killing as a means to an end.

Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
I actually don't read a lot of Christian inspirational books. I think I've read two entire books in my lifetime that had to do specifically with Christian living. Luckily, both were good, and I'm happy to add this book to those two to make a grand total of three!

Even before finishing this book I was recommending it to my friends, glad that I was reading a book that made complete sense to me, that resonated a lot with my life and where I saw myself heading, what I longed for while I was in Korea. What a great read, but not as just a read, but a very encouraging book.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
This is said to be the companion for The Giver, even though the stories are not related. They both deal with utopian societies, but don't get confused: Jonas never shows up in this book, nor is the utopian society in Gathering Blue set up the same as in The Giver. Still, there are similarities, and Lowry again tells a good story of choosing between good and evil.

The one thing I love about what Lowry presents, both in The Giver and Gathering Blue, is a story that is both engaging and difficult. Yet, Lowry's audience is the pre-teen/early teen set, and she writes these stories with such wisdom for these kids, who, at this age, are beginning to see the world in more than black and white. Both of the main characters in these books are going through the same thing- beginning to see gray, just as the target audience is doing.

Gathering Blue took a while for me to get into, actually, and it doesn't seem to have the same pull as The Giver. It also doesn't seem to possess the same enormous issues, but the issues it does present are valid and worth reading. At a little more than halfway in, I felt the conflict and was finally really interested.

Reading Lolita, Memory Keeper's Daughter, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

2007-06-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
My friend Matt sent me this book while I was still in Korea, and I had to hurry and finish it before I left Korea, so I could leave it with my roommate, Stephanie. What an interesting read. How often we take for granted our liberties and freedoms when it comes to thoughts and ideas.

The basic premise of this non-fiction story is the small book group that Nafisi creates after the termination of her position as a professor of English literature at a Iranian university. But, along with how she applies the literature this book club reads to their lives, she also touches on her life under the fundamentalist regime at the time, living as a liberal academic, as well as a Muslim woman. At some points slow, but always interesting, Reading Lolita was a great book about reading books.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
I picked up this book at the bookstore in Korea for a few reasons: it was small, yet long, and wasn't too expensive. Edwards tells of a difficult birth and the decisions that come afterward that forever change those involved. The book was at least captivating enough and well-written enough that I cared about the characters so much that I finished the book, but I wouldn't count this among any favorites.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I had heard of this book before, in that category of 20th century American classics. And hey, I love a 20th century American classic just like everybody else. I was convinced then, to read it, when it came up as "recommended reading if you like..." when I looked at To Kill a Mockingbird on the Powell's website. Well, I think that got my hopes up a bit too much. Having just read Angela's Ashes, I might have just had my fill of poor Irish family stories.

However, the story is sweet, and I got attached to the characters. The story of the daughter's growing up is poignant for its time and place. There was a hopeful, yet not cheesy, ending, and I felt like the story came into a full circle, which I enjoy. I liked reading the book, but I probably had exceedingly high expectations, which left me a little disappointed.

The Thorn Birds, Eleanor Rigby

2007-05-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Well, I do love a family saga. I had heard about it from my mom. I decided it was about time to read it. I also picked it up because it was nicely priced. Most paperbacks here are priced between the equivalent of 8-11 dollars, and because the book is so long I figured it was worth it. On a side note: I still have issues in buying books. I like to buy them when I travel, or when it is a book I love, but I love using the library.

So, as I said, I love a family saga. That love probably started somewhere in middle school. I remember reading a Sweet Valley High family saga that started in the 19th century. I don't know why, but they get to me. While there were some parts of The Thorn Birds that seemed slow (mostly the descriptions of Australia and the working environment), I enjoyed the character development and the plot. Even at times when I thought I know what was going to happen, it turned out quite differently, and I enjoyed that. The story seemed quite real instead of a fantasy land. The characters fit into their environment and their lives and decisions seemed well written for the people that they were. I might try to find the mini-series this became just to see it in film form.

Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
I have admired Coupland for a while now. I feel in love with a couple of his books, most importantly Girlfriend in a Coma, which I even used as part of a college project. Coupland is a modern writer who understands and conveys a lot of the emotions and frustrations of his generation and of our current times. Coupland's stories usually mix those frustrations and fears with a sense of redemption at the end, and this story was quite a bit the same.

Having said that, I still enjoyed the story. Coupland writes his characters and plots well. He is able to put into writing what I think many people feel but are not able to express. However, I felt like this story had been written before by Coupland. I'll have to read more of his newer stuff to see if he is doing anything different.

Tom Sawyer, Angela's Ashes

2007-04-27T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Of the many great American writers, Mark Twain seems to stand out as one of the most recognizable and one of the great names of American-American writing. And by American-American writing I mean that not only is he from America and his stories take place in America, but they seem to really involve American things and talk and themes and places. So, I knew that on my list of things to read I needed to read some Mark Twain.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is small. It almost passes itself off as a children's book. It's about boys and their numerous run-ins with adults and the adventures they're off having. For some reason I found it hard to get through the book. I'm not sure why. The stories were interesting, the descriptions weren't bad. The boys were believable and fun. So I'm not quite sure what it was. But, I did finish it. I think I will have to read another Twain book before I really decide on whether I like him or not.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Now here's a book that was big, yet felt really short. I finished it in a week because I couldn't get enough of it. McCourt's upbringing is almost so unbelievable that you have to keep reading to find out what's next. I think I might have some sort of attraction to reading books about sad and poor upbringings because I had neither of those while growing up.

McCourt's writing, though, is what makes the story worth reading. While he tells us about all of the things that happened to him and his family, the way he phrases thoughts and dialog seems very natural. Somehow he has remembered what it was like to be such a small child and to feel the loneliness or the confusion. McCourt's presentation of what it was actually like to grow up in these surroundings is what makes the book. The stories are good and catch the reader, but the writing makes the reader stay.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2007-03-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, here it is. The holy grail.

To Kill a Mockingbird was assigned reading in high school. I did the high school student thing and didn't really read the first half of the book (Part 1). I scanned it and then took tests (sorry, Mom). But, I think I actually read most of Part 2, but didn't take an actual interest in it. Later, in the summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years of college, I sat down and read the book again and loved it. I absolutely fell in love.

I take a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird with me whenever I go somewhere for an extended amount of time (Mexico, Korea), and just re-read it a week or so ago. Reading it always makes me feel homey and comfortable.

While there are critics who say Lee's writing was not the best (switching from an adult voice to a child's voice and using vocabulary and thoughts that really are too advanced for someone of Scout's age), I absolutely love it. While I see the critic's point, it somehow makes the book a little more special. You have someone who is retelling the story of their childhood, while looking at it from the adult's perspective. The importance of lessons are emphasized and told with the wisdom that was obviously gained from the lessons that were taught.

There are several other reasons I love this book. It tackles a huge, incredibly important topic (the mistreatment of blacks by a small southern town) by seeing it through a child's eyes, which relates the story as more human and humane. The father's lessons for his children are timeless, and given as simply that: lessons for his children.

My favorite parts of the book, though, are the comments and actions by Scout. As a little girl growing up in a Southern town, and being quite ornery, she can be hilarious and inspiring. One of the best moments happens toward the end of the story when she, as a stubborn tomboy, watches her aunt and her neighbor continue to host a women's missions tea even when they have heard horrible, horrible news. Scout says "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I".

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Into the Wild

2007-02-25T00:46:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago my friend and pastor, Marcus, sent my roommate and I a couple of books, and although it took me a while to get around to reading them, I'm sure glad I did!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
For some reason, I thought Christie's language and execution of story was going to be over my head. I wasn't quite sure as to when or where her stories were written and/or set, and so I think that is why in my mind I had labeled her as a little unreadable. It is really amazing the kinds of misconceptions we have about things- any things, and how that shapes what we choose to do.

But that's off the subject. Murder mysteries have never really been something I've sought out. I used to read The Cat Who... series when I was quite a bit younger (middle school/early high school) and some Mary Higgins Clark, but never much else. Mysteries always annoy me a little bit because I'm so anxious to know the answer that I don't bother to try to figure it out myself. Instead, I rush through the book to find the answer and, in return, I think, end up missing a lot of the joy of reading a mystery.

Which, might have happened this time. I enjoyed Christie's book for the setting, and the different (to me) world it represented. I also enjoyed the complexity of the crime. I suppose the complexity is required, but I liked it nonetheless. It was a good, fun read.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The story of Chris McCandless's life is the kind you tell your friends about. The kind of folklore that is passed through acquaintances and family. Bravery, foolishness, mystery are all markers of the kind of tale that lures people in, and that, in essence, is Into the Wild.

It is, mostly, the story of the young man who left his family, traveled around the country, hitchhiking and making friends along the way, and ended his journey with the goal of surviving in the Alaskan forest. His ideals high, Chris tried to leave behind that which he thought entangled people: the lure of money and bad relationships. He wanted a simple life of exploration, loving the outdoors and constantly pushing himself to see what he could accomplish.

His life ended unfortunately, and Krakauer pieces together a wonderful look at his life. I was most impressed with the information Krakauer found, how he personally identified with McCandless, and the profile he painted. I see McCandless in a couple of young men I know, and I admire the desire for something beyond the ordinary, and the reverence for the outdoors that they have. McCandless read Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London, among others, and longed to live the life that was written out in these books.

I'd like to think that everyone, inside, has a bit of McCandless in them, a questioning of authority and expectations set upon us by society. I certainly related to some of the things he wrote, and picked out from the books he read, albeit in a different way. Still the most touching part of the book for myself was the account of McCandless's parents visiting the site of his death ten months after, and recognizing silverware taken from their home, jeans that stilled smell of their son, and his writings on the wall. Although McCandless died a somewhat foolish death, I still think his mind and his intentions were in the right place, especially toward the end of his life.

1984, Joy Luck Club

2007-02-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
I read the Joy Luck Club after Oliver Twist. I needed a bit of modern English to ease my brain. The book was actually a present from my friend Matt when I left for Korea, him saying that he didn't know any Korean books, but he went for an Asian theme. Good enough for me.

In the same vein as most of the books I've read lately, I really enjoyed it. Pairing mother and daughter relationships with expectations and history from a new world and an old world, respectively, is quite an undertaking, yet Tan does it with ease and a conversational voice that is easy to read and enjoy. I don't know how guys would feel about reading this book, but as someone who close to her mother and grandmother, I loved it. So many emotions, and those only get stronger when you couple in older Chinese customs up against new American daughters.

Quite a good read, and interesting for the perspective of immigrants, their reasons for immigrating, and the joy and heartache of raising children in country far removed from the cultural background you have been brought up in, as hard as that life was. The difficulty of trying to give your children a better life in a new country, while still instilling in them your Chinese customs, beliefs, and ethics, is astounding.

1984 by George Orwell
Orwell is another author that has scared me, just like Dickens. I've heard the phrase "Orwellian thought" (which I'm assuming came from this Orwell), so that makes me think of philosophy, and philosophy just scares me. Also, Animal Farm was an advanced reading for some of our winter intensive classes, and when our Head Instructor introduced it to us, I was embarrassed that I had never read any Orwell. I actually bought this book at Powell's before leaving the States, but it sat on the shelf until now because I was scared of it.

Which was ridiculous to think, because I loved it. I've never been a big fan of science fiction or fantasy books, but I've always been interested in utopia community books (which I guess this falls into that category?). One of my favorite books is The Giver by Lois Lowry, which is really a book for teenagers, but a classic story and well told, and is readable for adults (I highly suggest it). Now that I've read 1984, The Giver seems a lot the same, yet not quite as advanced, and much more geared toward children.

The one thing that surprised me about reading this book, was the flow of it. I flipped through and saw very little dialogue and freaked out. I'm a dialogue person, and large paragraphs that are neverending frighten me. But, I was relieved to discover that it all flows, and the descriptions are easy to read AND easy to imagine what they are describing. Although you might think the story will go slow, I was surprised at how fast it actually went, and halfway through the book I looked back and said "wow, I already read that much?", which I believe is a a mark of a good read.

So I enjoyed 1984. I couldn't wait to find out what Room 101 was. I was sad at the ending, yet relieved.

America and Americans

2007-02-01T03:02:00.000-08:00

America and Americans by John Steinbeck
This title might be a little misleading, but serves its purpose as an eye catcher. As I pick through Steinbeck's works I read a lot of fiction, but really wanted to find out more about him, as a person. While I was on a huge kick this summer (visiting his museum in Salinas), I picked up America and Americans.

Mostly it is a collection of essays. His thoughts on international relations. Some reporting he did during WWII. A letter printed in a foreign newspaper. In the middle was a quiet story of his relationship with his sons, quite comedic. I would be more specific, but it was about 6 or 7 months ago that I read it. However, it left a big enough impression on me to want to share about it. At the end lies his small collection of essays, altogether entitled America and Americans. It is divided into different topics, which Steinbeck tackles with a great ease of observation and eloquence. It is funny, and quite amazing, how Steinbeck can pick at his subjects with love and a common connection. Somehow, it's not nitpicking or negative when it comes from Steinbeck. Just like the time I asked my mom if I was uptight, and she said I was, I couldn't get upset, because it came from my mom, you know?

And in the end most of it is right. You feel Steinbeck gets a good sense of who Americans are, even as its population is so widely diverse. Maybe it's a warm-fuzzy book. But it made me fall in love with America in its own, very gentle way.

Oliver Twist, Of Mice and Men

2007-01-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Finally. I've been reading this for such a long time. I made the mistake of cracking an intense book right around the Christmas season. Mustering up the time and the motivation to read more complex sentences and descriptions was not easy. But I just finished it this morning, and I'm very happy about that.

Dickens has always intimidated me. He's one of those authors you hear about and you know adults read his work. My mom has a set of Dickens books that are leather bound and look so... scholarly. I opened one one time (I think Tale of Two Cities), and couldn't (and didn't want to) make it past the first page. I was too bogged down by what I didn't understand.

Unbelievably, I adored Oliver Twist. Maybe I'm a little older and a little wiser, but Dickens descriptions are point on and contain a lot of depth. For as much that actually happens in the story, plot-wise, I think there are 2 and a half times as many descriptions, which absolutely make his writing.

Besides the fact that it's an endearing story, and you just feel for Oliver, somehow the story is tightly woven together, which don't realize until the very end of the story. Even after having to concentrate so hard on all of the words and what they mean (which, at times, was difficult for me), and feeling a little lost in terms of plot, I was still hanging my mouth open at some of the revelations toward the finale.

As an aside: When a book is called a "thrift edition", and only cost $4 (even in Korea, where most English books cost a lot of money), don't buy it. It probably has some words misspelled, and if you don't know a lot of the words anyway, it confuses things. You might think it's a new word you just don't know, but it's probably misspelled. Aye.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
More on a Steinbeck kick, as a try to read all of his works. I remember reading this story in high school, and liking it. I also remember how the high school boys snickered because the story mentions Weed, California.

Nice short story. Steinbeck is good at developing characters, and I admire his gentle way with awkward situations and the way you feel for all of their characters in their own unique situations. Steinbeck is about working class America, and I like that.

A Few to Get Started

2007-01-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

These are some that I've read over the past couple of months.

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
I should have realized from the size of this book that only so much could be accomplished, but I still hyped myself up for something a little more profound. I loved the premise, and there are some really sharp observations that are still true to this day, but I ended the book feeling a somewhat short changed. But, I guess a guy can only cover so much of America in so many days.

Steinbeck does, however, have a gift for characterizing places and feelings that match perfectly to the type of people who exist there. Not only can he paint a vivid picture of a redwood forest that makes you feel incredibly small, but he can tell you all about the natural instincts of a Texan. His close proximity and outsider's objectivity to a civil rights moment he caught is telling of the differences Americans have. Worth the read, but don't expect an overly thorough portrait of America as a whole.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
I'll admit that I wanted to read this because I had just gotten done reading a biography of Harper Lee that talked a lot of her contribution to the investigation and story of the small town murders. I ripped through this book because of its combination of winning qualities. It's a true story which makes it interesting in its own right. Beyond that, the true story involves an extraordinary event (the killings of a family) in a very ordinary setting (rural Kansas, late 1950s). While reading, I had to keep reminding myself that what I was reading was real.

It's a captivating read not only because you want to know who committed the crime, but you want to know why (there seemed to be no motive), and you want to know everything you can about all of the characters involved, even the citizen bystanders in the town. Capote wrote a book that reads like a fiction crime novel, but could only be a true story.

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Conner
Okay, so going into this one I thought it was a no-brainer. I would definitely like it because of two things: mid twentieth century (check) and southern (check). But, my instincts failed me. Now, I've told this to a few people and they acted astonished. I don't think I have much tolerance for characters that wonder, seemingly without a purpose. When they end up here, and then there, and then again another place, all during the story, with no plot that I can distinguish, I get frustrated.

I also think that maybe I didn't quite understand the context of the character. I didn't understand his plight or his point, and when I don't understand, I get bored and don't care. I hear I should read some more O'Conner. We'll see.

She Can Read

2007-01-17T04:39:00.000-08:00

This idea occurred to me today while I was browsing through a bookstore - all of the books I want to read, and how quickly I forget which books I have read. I thought of how ordinary and average I am, but how I have not read many "classics" as my mother would deem them, or even a lot of the "must reads" of this time period.

A little background is this: I was always big on reading when I was a child. I remember a million trips to the library with my Grandma when I was younger. After I worked my way through the current Babysitters Club selection, I was on to what my Grandma was reading, which mostly included Lillian Jackson Braun (of The Cat Who... fame), and Maeve Binchy (of Circle of Friends fame). I still read quite a bit through high school and I remember falling in love with many stories that I read on my own, which included the aforementioned Binchy book. I hated assigned reading in high school, but I distinctly remember the anxious and trapped feeling that Poe's The Pit and Pendulum gave to me as I sat in Ms. Lathrop's classroom.

When college happened, so did a lot more assigned reading, and pleasure reading often got pushed to the sidelines, only making its way out for school vacations. But during this time I started discovering a lot more than I had before. One American Literature class, I believe, set me off on a search for those "classics". After reading a few excerpts I then started reading Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, and fell in love. My favorite kind of literature is probably mid-twentieth century American. I count To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as one of my favorites, along with East of Eden by Steinbeck.

So, that's the long of it, and the short of it is that I want to keep better track of what I read and I want to talk about it. My reviews will always be honest, even if they don't match what critics and fans says ("You can't possibly think that of Flannery O'Conner!"). This is what I like, and what I think, which is why I made a blog for it. Happy reading.