Picking up the pace?

Not really, but add three more notches to my library card (or something like that).

Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown. I sped through this book so that I could see the movie. Have I seen it yet? Well . . .I'll get around to it. Either way, while the story is different in lots of ways from The DaVinci Code, it still has the same feel of a suspenseful if fantastic story. Sure, I'd know how to find an ultra-deadly assassin who is motivated as much by principle as he is greed, just like the least likely character in the story. Sure, one assassin can confine and murder four cardinals in some very creative ways, in public places, all while avoiding detection. Why of course, Robert Langdon is so brilliant that he can decipher in 24 hours, with limited sleep the clues that would lead to the Illuminati headquarters, clues so difficult that only the most worthy wuld be expected to even try. It was good. It was a quick read. It wasn't time wasted. Ultimately, it'll probably stay with me to about the same degree as TDC: I know how it started, I know how it ended, I don't remember much else.

Washington Square, by Henry James. What a sad, pathetic life led be all of the main characters of this book. Poor Catherine. Denied the only man she ever loved. Too afraidto defy her father. An old maid, albeit a rich one. But doubtful her life would have been any better had she indeed married Townsend. Poor Aunt Lavinia. So simple and so easily taken in, living her life as little more than an observer and would be melodramatic orchestrator of the lives of others. Poor Dr. Sloper. Never finding enough good in anyone to measure up the possibly vaunted view of his deceased wife and son. How perverse that he could enjoy winning the battle with his daughter.

Like Daisy Miller and Portrait of a Lady, this book was well-written and thought provoking and yet another reminder of why I'm glad Ilive in this era where women are independent.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. "What does fuego mean in English." The answer to that is definitely the "wao" factor in this book, a parable of sorts, about life and love, with a bit of Dominican history thrown in for good measure. The story ran a little long at parts, but the family history was intriguing. I'd give this book an 8 on a 10 point scale.

Busy, Busy, Busy

So many books, so little time. But, I've made progress.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockton. This book has gotten great reviews. I don't get it. Maybe it's that I didn't grow up in the South. Maybe it's that the 60s are too far in the past for my mind to grasp. Maybe it's that I don't believe even the most vindictive person would do what one of the characters did. Either way, I found the plot relatively thin, often demanding a huge suspenseful buck, only to give a tiny little bang. Moreover, that the character would do what she did seemed completely inconsistent with the way she was described. I can't fathom that someone like her would do what it would take to carry out what she is described as doing.

To the extent it piqued my interest in the 60s and the relationship between black maids and the whites they worked for, it was good. But otherwise, the risk of the "secret project" seemed overblown. On the other hand, some of the worst parts of the life of a black maid were skimmed over. There was character growth, and some funny parts, but overall, I'm just missing the greatness of this book.

Daisy Miller, by Henry James. A quick short read, in which James, once again, explores the effect Americans and Europeans have on each other. Daisy breaks all the rules of proper European conduct for a wealthy, single woman, ignoring the snobbiness demanded of her. Yet, there is little redeeming about her. She is flighty and shallow and downright silly. Poor Daisy. It doesn't end well.

So what am I reading and listening to now???
Reading: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I am also reading Washington Square, by Henry James, the second book in the same volume as Daisy Miller. I put down Washington Square to try to get A&D done so that I can see the movie.


Listening to: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. So far, pretty good. A little bit of history of the Dominican Republic, and a Dominican family that defies description. A little more than an hour to go.

Time for an Update

I've been reading!

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. (audiobook)

I almost gave up on Tom Jones. What a mistake that would have been! I started off thrilled about the prose, but then lost some of the excitement as the story wore on. At about the half-way part, I was almost resigned to not purchasing the 3rd installment of this audio book. In fact, I only did so because the second installment ended with a promo for the "exciting conclusion in part 3!" I bit. And I'm the better for it. The last part was good, and exciting, and full of plot twists. Plus any classic that contains a chapter where one of the characters, Squire Western, repeatedly exclaims, "fat ass bitches" isn't your typical staid classic. Ultimately, this book in which there are no perfect characters is currently one of my favorite books of all time, and is likely to remain there. I liked it so much that I'm going back and re-listening to the whole thing. The first time through, I missed some of the humor, some of the foreshadowing, and some of the story. Parts are laugh-out-loud funny. What a commentary about life among the classes back in that day. I now get why this book is so well-loved by so many readers.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (read)

If I hadn't read The Count of Monte Cristo, I doubt that I ever would have picked up this book. With all of the sword fights--the only thing I associated with T3M--it seemed like such a boy book. I suppose it is, but it is much more. Love, intrigue, manipulation, conspiracy, and one of the evilist female antagonists I've run across in a long time. Milady--what a biatch! I now get why this book endures. I guess I'll get around to watching one of the many movies. But my concern is that the main focus is on the action, and not the other parts of the story. Or if the movie includes more, I'm afraid it still won't be complete because it will likely gloss over all of the romantic liasons that are occurring between all of the main characters. I doubt that the Micky Mouse verson includes the trysts between d'Artagnan and Milady, or d'Artagnan and Kitty, or Porthos and Madame Cocquenard, or any number of others.

The only other comment I have is, why is this book called the Three Musketeers. Seems to me it should more accurately be titled the Four Musketeers. But who am I to tell Dumas how to name his books.


Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

A quick but interesting listen about behavioral economics. It's really kind of a cool discipline. Ariely studies the way people make decisions and behave and how often, we are easily manipulated into making irrational decisions. The experiments about "free" and how the word free distracts us from what might be better options. The effect of a 50 cent aspirin versus a cheaper version is an extension of the placebo effect. Decision-making in the heat of passion was particularly interesting. Ariely offers an explanation of why "Just Say No" sounds good to the dispassionat mind, but is a whole 'nother story for even those with the best of intentions.

I burned through this one pretty quickly because at bottom, I miss the fact that I ultimately didn't take the psychology route.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (read)

I've owned this book and intended to read it forever. My trip to NYC finally provided me the opportunity to do so.

How difficult must it be to have one's eyes opened to a new and exciting world unconstrained by traditional expectations, as does Newland Archer when he meets Countess Ellen Olenska. But ultimately, Newland ends up in the same place, where life is as choreographed as the various ball dances. Newland always seems to be at the edge of breaking out for good, but never quite gets there, always missing by just a bit. If only he could have married Ellen when they were still young and both single. If only he hadn't convinced May to move up their planned wedding. If only he hadn't dissuaded Ellen from divorcing her husband. If only he'd escaped with Ellen before May told her of her pregnancy. If only he'd been born a generation later, when the narrow world of high society New York had essentially crumbled.

I suppose I should be accustomed to the fact that Wharton's novel never have a happily-ever-after ending (long sigh).

Not a total slacker

I did finish the amazing White Fang, by Jack London. That kind of wilderness book has never particularly appealed to me, but just out of the blue, I decided to read it on my iPod given that it was one of the 50 books I have on my iPod. I really liked it. It's real easy to forget that life is often a game of survival of the fittest. It is equally easy to forget how much we are shaped by our environment. This very entertaining story does just that.

I enjoyed the descriptions of life in the wild, where every day is a struggle for survival, and, to coin a cliche, there's a thin line between life and death. White Fang was the ultimate survivor, the ultimate man's best friend. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the other hand, there's Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris, was not quite what I expected. Call me naive. I didn't know that Harris is an openly gay writer, but that was pretty evident as the story unfolded. I bought the book because it came up on Audible.com as having rec'd very good reviews, and when I checked it out on Amazon, to get a broader range of reviews, the reviews were pretty good. And, it was on the New York Best Seller List. What the heck, right?

So was I right to believe the hype? Well, let's put it this way: it wasn't bad, but I figured out who was behind the blackmail plot pretty early into the story, which was one of the major twists in the plot. There was another fairly significant plot, but I most found the story rather fantastic. I'm sure there are professional athletes who have their lovers travel surreptitiously with them to away games and treat them as kept men, but I just have a hard time believing this story could happen. Again, maybe it's just that I have no insight into that community. In a sense, if I ignore that the story is about gay men, perhaps it becomes more believable, but even then, it's a little difficult.

It was a quick read, which is another way of saying a thin plot line. I guess that as I age, I get snobbier. Having had the gourmet 7 course meal of lots of good classics (A Passage to India; Crime and Punishment; The Brothers Karamazov), reading Basketball Jones is a little like dining at McDonald's.

I continue to listen to Tom Jones, and I guess I'll get back to reading The Appeal, as well as The Age of Innocence on my iPod. I've certainly got plenty to read.

Falling Behind on Updating

Finished Reading: Georges, by Alexandre Dumas. If there were ever any questions about how Dumas felt about his bi-racial ancestry, Georges gives some insight. The title character, a mulatto, is treated a second-class citizen on his home island. While his father, rich and successful, learned to accept the treatment of whites, Georges is not nearly as accommodating. Indeed, he in many ways, overcompensates, proving himself to be the superior of any white man, in terms of academics, bravery, discipline, and romance. He wins the love of the fairest (and wealthiest) woman on the island.

I had the uncomfortable knot in my stomach as the plot built toward the slave rebellion, led by Georges, knowing that the slaves would not prevail and might make their situation worse. But Georges escaped, besting all that had crossed him.

Not like, but not unlike The Count of Monte Cristo.

Finished reading, A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster.

With this book, I can now claim e-reader status. I can't justify the cost of a Kindle (>$200!!), but when I found an iPod app, giving me 50 books (yes fifty) for $10.00, readable on my iPod, I figured I could spring for ten bucks. I had tried out this particular reader, which offered for free The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I can't say I was really living on the edge. Ah, the ease of carrying 50 books in my purse!

Having listened to and enjoyed A Passage to India, I was ready to give Forster another chance with A Room. It was good. Once again, an exploration of England, and the English view of the world, contrasted with the perspective of the Italians, as the protagonist, Lucy, grows from a girl, constrained by what's proper (i.e. pretentious) in English society to a woman, mature enough to reject her snobby fiance and follow her heart. It's one of those books that's growing on me.


In the process of listening, reading, and e-reading:

Listening: Tom Jones
Reading (sort of): The Appeal
E-Reading: White Fang.

A little behind on posting

Books Heard

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, by Stieg Larson. Pretty good book, although arguably it was two stories stuck together. One story invovled the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Harriet Vanger years earlier. I sort of figured out the mystery (or at least suspected the outcome), but I still enjoyed seeing the clues build toward the ultimate resolution. The second story involved another coompany, guilty of corporate fraud (now that's timely). The protagonist, a writer and owner of a business magazine, had been found guilty of defamation in writing about the company. That story, and its ultimate resolution, was less satisfying. The title was also a bit misleading. There is a girl with a dragon tatoo, and in fact she is an intriguing character, but ultimately, the story is not really about her. Either way, well-written, and worth the time.

A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster. I'm amazed that someone hasn't updated this story. It's so timely! Set in Colonial India, the story raises the question as to whether people from vastly different cultures can really be friends. Three cultures converge in Chandrapore: the English, the Hindus, and the Muslims. There is much distrust among the three groups, but Dr. Aziz, the protagonist, while frustrated with his English boss, is open to a friendship with Mrs. Moore, whom he meets at the mosque, when she seems about as sincere as any English person he's ever met. Things seems to be going well as several English people, Dr. Aziz, and Dr. Godbole (a Hindu) seem to be forming a genuine friendship. Unfortunately, it all unravels pretty quickly after the "incident" in the Marabar Caves. What happens thereafter is thought-provoking and probably entirely understood, at least by those whose cultures have traditionally been treated as inferior to the dominant culture. Good read.

Book Read

Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment, by Mark Osler.

It's good to have smart friends that write books. That's the case here with this book. It's not available yet, but of course, when one can get a copy from the author, well that's the life.

In this book, Mark shows the comparisons between current criminal procedure and practice and the procedure and practice at the time of Jesus, as recounted in the gospels. Mark admits that he's not trying to be theological, and some theologians might have issues with his harmonizing of the gospels. Nonetheless, the similarities between then and now are astounding.

I await Mark's further writings in this area.

Books Working on:

Georges, by Alexandre Dumas (reading)
Tom Jones, by Fielding (listening to)

Staying busy

I am behind on logging what I've read or listened to.

Forsyte Saga, by John Galsworthy. I read this book after my London visit, on the recommendation of a friend. It was good. It took a little work to get into, in part because there are so many characters in the Forsyte family. The family tree at the beginning was helpful, which meant I spent a lot of time flipping back to it to figure out who was whom. Ultimately, most of the characters introduced in the first couple of chapters are mostly minor characters, and the only ones who are important are those who are directly tied to Soames or to one of the many Jolyons--as in three generations of Jolyons, including two Jolyons in one generation.

Either way, about two-thirds of the way through the first "book", I started to get into it, and by the interlude, I was hooked. It wasn't the best book I've read, but it was a good soap opera, well-written with keen social observations.

Your Brain on Music. I don't remember who wrote it. It's rare that I listen to abridged books, but this was probably the right choice here. It was very scientific and technical, but it gave me new appreciation for music in general and the wonder, the miracle of the human brain. That the simple ability to keep tempo is something that takes a very sophisticated software program to do. The fact that most of us actually have something akin to perfect pitch is rather amazing. I enjoyed it, although I can't say I understood all of the technical stuff. My thanks to the author for explaining how jazz works.


The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. This book regularly makes to the list of banned books, and I now understand how wrong those who object to the book are. Yes, the "N" word appears pretty frequently, and yes, it involves a runaway slave. But of all the characters in the book, Jim comes off as the purest one in the book, bright, resourceful, sympathetic, and caring. I sound trite when I say that Twain's contrast of Jim, as a runaway slave, and Huck as a runaway boy, both of whom society has mostly failed, is pure genius. His understanding of the way boys think makes the book fun. And Twain's points about morality are spot on. The twang of the narrator got to be a little annoying, but after all, the key thing is the story. Two thumbs way up!

So, what am I listening to now? The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. Good start so far. We'll see. As for reading, I'm working on Georges, by Alexander Dumas. I didn't realize that Dumas' father was bi-racial, and that consequently, he is as well. The main character in the book is bi-racial. Should be interesting.