Catch-up Time

Elvis, Willie, Jesus, and Me, by Bert Mongtomery. I'll admit it: I bit because of the title and because Montgomery was at the CBF General Assembly signing books. As authors go, he's fine. As ministers go, he seems sincere. Yes there were some amusing parts, but for the most part, it was incredibly light, and much like fast food, not substantive enough to stick with me. Perhaps the saving grace was Montgomery's ability to find Jesus everywhere he looked. Seek and you shall find. He sought, he found, and there's inspiration in that.

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. Can it be true that it took 48 years of living before I finally read this classic? I suppose better late than never. In an attempt to keep pace with BoilerBaby 1 who is reading the books on the Time 100 Best Books, I chose this book, which I've owned for probably 15 years.

What a family. What characters. Ma Joad, the strength, the moral compass, the backbone of the family, as women always must be in difficult times, whether it be war or famine. Pa Joad, bent to near breaking by his inability to support his family. Uncle John, so tormented by a major mistake, his sin. Jim Casy, the reverend who develops a more pragmatic, sincere idea of religion. Tom Joad, who takes on the role of an activist when it's all said and done. And what can one say about Rose of Sharon, once one gets past her name, of course. What a whiny-butt! What a way to end the book though! Wow!

Overall, the story of the Joad family reinforces my faith in labor unions and the federal minimum wage. Perhaps we have become a more socialistic state, but I can't help but think that our country is better for it. Allowing exploitation of some for the benefit of others is entirely inconsistent with the Christian nation we purport to be. Yes, the Joads are a fictional family, and yes, Steinbeck's own bias likely means that the story is not a completely accurate portrayal of the dust bowl and the Great Depression, but it should be mandatory reading for all who critical of the living wage movement and complain of government regulation. If there's one thing that's certain, it's that when men are driven by profit, without reasonable restraints, their fellow man is likely to get short shrift. Or, as the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all evil.

I understand why this book makes many a list of the "best books."

On the horizon:

Listening to, Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne. Started The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen.

Getting much grief

BoilerBaby 1 keeps giving me grief. Like any bibliophile, I continue to purchase books when I have many yet unread. She's so insistent that I look to the library more, and I suppose she's right. Either way, it has spurred me on to try to keep up on reading so that I can justify my book-Jones.

Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser. When I bought this book, we still had a TCBY in town and BoilerBaby 1 was employed there. That was two or three years ago, but proof that eventually I do get around to reading my books.

Sister Carrie isn't exacly a book that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. A price for everything, and those that have, are likely to enjoy life. Those who don't, find it difficult to change their lot in life, but for luck and happenstance. And woe be unto those that have and lose what they have, as is the case with Hurstwood.

It happens often enough that I read a book and am so drawn in that I find myself hoping that the characters will make the right choice or good things will happen for them, even though their fate is already spelled out in the pages to come, and I sometimes know it doesn't end well for a character. That was my feeling at several points in the book. When Carrie first moves to Chicago, I wanted her to find a job and happiness. I wanted her to turn down the deceptively easy road of moving in with Drouet. I wanted her to reject Hurstwood. I wanted Hurstwood to persevere when the going got tough. I didn't get what I wanted. Either way, I enjoyed the book.

The story ended with Carrie's success on the stage, but despite her past experiences, I suspect that if the story were to continue, she would have once again taken the expedient course rather than the smart course. Of course, life is much different for women now than then, and perhaps I shouldn't judge 19th century conduct through 21st century eyes.

Buddy Read with BoilerBaby 3

Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. Lowry does it again--taking an important topic and making it meaningful for children. This book addresses the holocaust and how the Danish people succeeded in saving most of their Jews from "relocation" by sneaking them over to Sweden where they would be safe. It recounts the bravery required of 10-year-olds Annemarie and Ellen. The two girls are best friends, living in the same apartment complex when Denmark is occupied by the Nazis. Upon learning that the Danish Jews are to be relocated, Annemarie's family undertakes to help Ellen's family escape. Along the way, Annemarie learns what it means to be brave, and the readers learn of an ingenious trick used by the Danes to throw off the dogs who the Nazis used to sniff for hidden humans: a handkerchief, scented with rabbit's blood and cocaine. The blood attracted the dogs, but the cocaine numbed their olefactory sense so that they missed the scent they were searching for.

Wonderful story about a weighty topic.

Reading and Reading

The Magician, by W. Somerset Maugham. Having read Of Human Bondage and The Painted Veil, I decided to read yet another Maugham book. Oliver Haddo is evil personified, and the number he does on the various characters, inciting as much psychological fear as real fear, is quite masterful. Dabbling in the "black arts" he manages to seduce Margaret purely for the sake of getting revenge on her fiance. Margaret quickly loses all that is good and innocent and becomes poisoned by the evil with which she lives. Had Maugham continued with this line, it truly would have been frightening and interesting. It starts to get a little wierd, however, when Haddo appears set on creating a homunculus and in need of Margaret to complete it. The ending is just plain bad. I guess Maugham needed a way to end the story. Wish he'd come up with a better way.

Incredible Book

Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. I lucked upon this book while shopping for my next Audible selection. It had great ratings, but I was a bit suspicious that maybe it was overrated. The customer reviews on Amazon were similarly effusive about the book, with only a smattering of negative reviews. Could a book really be that good? Yes!!!

I am not sure how to describe this book. With characters like BarefootTed, Caballo Blanco, and the "Party Kids", the story of the race in Copper Canyon would have made a sufficiently compelling story. McDougall's ability to break down scientific concepts for the layperson was such that his book could have been a simple study of the evolution of man or the physics of running. A story about the culture of Tarahumara Indians would similarly have made for an interesting anthropological read. McDougall could have easily written a scathing story of the corporate greed of the athletic shoe companies. Somehow, however, McDougall manages to weave all of these different story lines seamlessly into one of the best books I've "read" in a long time.

It's changed my thoughts about running. Like most runners, I've been seduced by the advertising and conventional wisdom that tells me that I need scientifically engineered shoes (read expensive) to address my flat feet. If I have shin splints or burning knees, it's clearly a sign that time waits for no one, and certainly not me. I'm willing to give minimalist running a try, and have already purchased shoes with thinner soles. I'm working on changing my form. I'm trying to go back in time--to recapture the joy of running, and the form that McDougall suggests is more correct than the abnormal form forced on me by my thick soled, heavy-heeled running shoes.

Overall, the book is laugh-out-loud funny in parts, educational, and ultimately inspiring. I might not ever run an ultramarathon, or even a marathon, but I want to be a running woman, who truly enjoys running.

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.