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.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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).
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).
Friday, March 6, 2009
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.
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.
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