Tragic ending, to state the obvious

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo. I continue my quest to read the books that I should have read in my youth. Add another to the list. Quite simply, I enjoyed this book, despite that it did not have the happy ending that, as an American, I guess I crave. Humans are shallow now, and humans were shallow then, as Esmerelda so clearly illustrates. Beauty--and ugly--are only skin deep, yet Esmerelda can't look past either Quasimodo's fugly exterior or Phoebus's pretty-boy looks to see the truth about either of them.

Some priests are depraved now, and some priests were depraved then. Exhibit A, the bishop, guilty of both attempted kidnap and attempted rape, and cruelly able to send Esmerelda to her death because he couldn't have her.

Some individuals hurt themselves with their prejudices today; the samewas true back then. Look to Sister Gedulla for proof. If only she hadn't spent virtually her whole life, blinded by her hatred for gypsies, she might have seen that the Esmerelda, the "gypsy", was actually the daughter she long sought to find.

And life's choices are hard. Did you ever have to make up your mind? Pick up the one and leave the other behind . . . And so it was for Quasimodo. There could be no happiness in either choice.

Listening to: The Woman in White.
Reading: The Jungle?? Haven't decided yet.

If at first you don't succeed . . .

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves.

I started this audio book back in the spring, but unfortunately, did not pay close enough attention to the various characters and events, so that it became dreadfully difficult to follow. For whatever reason, I started from the beginning, and once I took special care to pay close attention to the course of events, truly enjoyed this fictionalized account of Roman history.

Murder, false accusations, extortion, incest, and all sorts of intrigue. This book winds it way through the reign of Augustus Caeser and his very competent, but rather evil second wife, Livia. Tiberius follows as one of the most insecure and bitter people one could ever find. Then there's Caligula--certifiably crazy. Finally, Clau, Clau, Claudius becomes the emperor. The crippled, stammering man, believed to be an idiot, who is anything but.

Here's what I learned: I don't think I'd want to be part of the imperial family. Or the Roman nobility. Or a citizen. Or a freedman. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be a slave. I wouldn't have wanted to be even a beautiful, high-born woman. Life during the Roman empire was tough--fraught with the risk of poisoning, false accusation (meaning almost certain forfeiture of all wealth and execution or suicide). Service in the Army could extend for 20 or 30 years, or even longer, with the risk of a good beating for various infractions. Service in the army for certain men, with risk of beating for discipline. And life for women, at least those in the imperial family, wasn't much better. The emperor had absolute power to marry and divorce them. And angering the emperor could result in banishment to some forsaken island. Family kinship meant nothing!

Ultimately, it was worth the effort to pay attention to this well-written soap opera of the first milllenium kind. Glad I went back to it.

Listening: The Woman inWhite.
Reading: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Tim is one of the girls; pour the coffee

Gunn's Golden Rules, by Tim Gunn. This was a rather juicy, gossipy, gap-fest by none other than the inimitable Tim Gunn. Each chapter is oneof the rules by which he leads his life, with lots of tidbits from Project Runway and various celebrities to illustrate those points. I mostly enjoyed this book, particularly the behind-the-scenes information about PR. But, at points, the book seemed to be stream-of-conscious writing that could have used better editing. Plus, as juicy as the gossip was, Tim seemed often to violate his own rule, "Take the High Road."

Nonetheless, kudos to Tim for speaking openly and honestly about his family, their drinking, his depression, his coming-to-terms with his homosexuality, and ultimately disclosing his asexuality. I believe it took a lot of courage to disclose so much, and for that, I respect him.

Oops, forgot one!

Medium Raw, by Anthony Bourdain. I listened to this book, which was read by the author. Just like Kitchen Confidential, it was full of delicious tidbits about the restaurant industry, celebrity chefs, and fine eating and drinking. Just like the earlier book, it was full of profanity and honesty--Bourdain is quite open about the lifestyle he led in the past as a druggie who squandered the splendid opportunities he had, but who somehow, luckily, landed on his feet, earning millions for his writing efforts. It was good, at least good enough. I was not quite as enamored with this one, but the description of the food in some of the Far-Eastern countries was enough to make me think that given a chance, I might just try chicken ass. Plus, I have a new appreciation for Justo and others like him. Justo cleans and filets fish for one of the fancy New York restaurants. It's easy to forget that there are millions of people who aren't educated professionals, working in well-appointed surroundings. Nonetheless, they do their jobs well and with a committment to perfection that is to be emulated. Justo is paid well, but how many others likehim go unappreciated?

Reading (Nook): The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Listening: I, Claudius

I'm also reminded how undeveloped my palate is and how little I know about fine food. On the other hand, I like what I like, and canned tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich might not be to everyone's liking, but they taste good to me.

Chugging along

I loved the first two books in this series; this book, not so much. It lacked a consistent central theme. Katniss's role as the Mockingjay seemed to make little sense, as the book lurched from one scene to the next. Towards the end, it felt more like the literary version of a slasher movie, with each page offering up another creative way to die.

Once again, it was clear that Katniss would survive. There were some surprises, and I appreciate that Collins did not feel it necessary to serve up a sugary sweet happy ending. On the other hand, by end, I cared little about Katniss or any of the other characters for that matter. With the first two books, I hated to see them come to an end. With this one, it took all of my energy to cross the finish line.