Readings of 2003
Readings of 2004
My Best-Reads List
January, 2005
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Dai Sijie
Once again my favorite librarian steers me in the right direction. I was drawn to this book by its cover: Two worn red baby shoes sitting on green tinted cement. The small size made it great for easy transportation in my bag. I finished this book in two sittings, which was kind of sad because I was enjoying it so much. Even good things have to come to an end, I guess. The story takes place in China during the re-education of the children of the elite class. Two city boys are sent to the countryside to live for an undetermined amount of time. During their stay, they get their hands on a suitcase of American books, a forbidden thing at that time. Their worlds open up through the pages of each story, which they share with their neighbor, the little seamstress. This is a beautiful story and a great start to this year of reading. I highly suggest this book! . I give it a 10.
Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God
Rainer Maria Rilke
The title alone would have put me off, even if I didn't see the spiritual cover photo of sun bursting through tall trees. Thankfully this gift was given to me after a long discussion on poetry and its power. My friend Brown and I were remembering how Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet changed the way we see life, ever so slightly. I have been a Rilke fan for years, albeit, a whole book of love poems to God was more than I was willing to commit myself to. Brown started quoting some of the vivid and moving lines from the poems. They were beautiful: My barriers were breaking down. The next day a copy of the book was in my work mailbox. These poems are as much about life and our struggles on Earth, as they are about a relationship with a higher power. Some are indeed love poems, making you warm inside, while others rip your heart out. " I live my life in widening circles // that reach out across the world // I may not complete this last one // but i give myself to it // I circle around God, around the primordial tower // I've been circling for thousands of years // and I still don't know: am I a falcon, // a storm, or a great song? " Regardless of my feelings towards "God", I think this book has a lot to offer. The poems touch on something deeper: the struggle of being a human on this planet. I give it a 9.
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Grace Paley
Paley tells the most haunting of short stories. She has the ability to pack an incredible amount of character and detail into a few pages. After finishing each story, I felt as though I had just finished a book, so deep were the descriptions and emotions. Her stories are not fluffy feel good tales, mostly they are downright frightening yet poetic. I never bore of reading her stories, one reason of which is her choice of narrators. It's like she can grab anybody walking down the street, jump into their life, and write their story. This collection of seventeen stories takes you into places you will be invited, and sometimes would never want to be. I give it an 8.
The World According to Garp
John Irving
I remember watching this movie as a kid. I can't tell you the details why without giving away some of the gems in the book, but needless to say they are quite memorable. This book, typical to Irving's style, is full of oddball characters that made me feel more comfortable about my neurosis. Garp is the bastard son of a wrongly titled feminist nurse, Jenny. The book is based around the idea that we are all terminal cases, waiting to die. After a book so full of life, Irving takes the last chapter to illustrate all the main characters deaths, even if they are eighty years later. (Never have I read anything with so few loose ends. ) This book did what most don't even try to: be a tale both comedic and tragic. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll probably feel better about yourself in the end. I give it a 9.
February, 2005
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
This is a book I'd seen on lots of people's bedside table, which always intrigues me. Erin and I decided to read it, seeing that it's so popular. It is well worth the popularity it has received. The writing style is not beautiful, lyric, and poetic, but rather straightforward, and nearly journalistic. A story about a privileged boy growing up in Afghanistan in the 1970's. His life takes a drastic change when the Russian occupation take over and the Taliban wreak havoc over the country. Kite Runner is a historic tale, tragically painting the devastating fate of the country's people, through the lives of Amir and his family. The struggle for self-identity and paternal love is another central point of the book. Amir is caught between his weaknesses and trying to be valiant as his father. His personal servant is his best friend and his idol. Amir, like most of us, compares himself to other people, but always ends up feeling inferior and lacking. It's not until he moves the United States that he is able to begin to chip away at who he is. A story of a country's struggle, told through the life of a confused boy. I give it a 9.
The Reader
Bernhard Schlink
This book was left in the lost and found at work for months. Finally I decided to give it a read. Not only is it a national bestseller, it's also an Oprah's Book Club read. I appreciated the refreshingly new storyline: The tumultuous relationship of a fifteen-year-old boy and his forty-year-old lover. It's not as much about romantic love, as it is about the struggles of being human. The story takes place in Germany two decades after the Holocaust, a period when the younger generation is trying to distinguish itself from their "evil" parents. Morality is called into question over and again. I give it a 7.5.
The Undiscovered Self
C.G. Jung
It's about religion, it's about the motivation of the masses, it's about the contradiction of being an individual in society. When I wasn't confused, I was deep in contemplation and discovery. Good ol' philosophy and brain twisting. Give a little time to reading one of the great fathers of modern psychology.
Blessing the Boats
Lucille Clifton
This collection of poems from 1988-2000, really packs a punch. Clifton has the ability to take everyday thoughts and happenings and turn them into great poems. Her poetry is simple yet powerful enough to cut you to the core. Her raw honesty had me gasping for air. In an interview with her, she wisely advises poets to "write about what you know". Clifton is a moving poet, read her, if you haven't already. I give it a 7.5.
March, 2005
Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
The title tells all. I borrowed this book from my friend Pam, in attempts to increase my gross-out tolerance. I have good news: It worked! I also know more than most people want to about the varying things that happen to you once your dead. I've always wanted to leave my body to science, which I found out has many strange possibilities. The first chapter talks about cadavers whose heads are sawn off and used for plastic surgery practice. I didn't realize that I could get a nose job after death. There are also chapters on cultures that eat the dead, the nitty-gritty of decomposing, burying vs. burning, and more. The thing I like about this book is that it takes a subject that is at the very least unsettling, and writes about it in a light comical way. There were times when I was laughing out loud, if you can image that. If you're into fascinating non-fiction and death doesn't totally freak you out, you should read Stiff . I give it a 8.5.
April, 2005
Go Tell It On The Mountain
James Baldwin
A wallop of a religious read. Baldwin tells the story of a family striving for sainthood through all the lust and sins of this world. I'm not used to reading books so full of praying and sin-bashing. It was an interesting experience. Even as someone who is self defined as unreligious, I found this book enjoyable. It was able to illustrate how we all are human, and have our weaknesses. I give it a 7.5.
Snow Falling on Cedars
David Guterson
The story takes place on a small island north of Puget Sound, whose habitants make a living fishing or farming. In 1954 a white fisherman is found dead, and a Japanese man is charged with his murder. Through the haunting courtroom stories and heart wrenching flashbacks, a picture of personal is painted. Guterson has a way of letting us into the minds of the characters, who are struggling with post-war racism and the difficulty of moving on. I found this book to be quite the page turner, with it's perfectly layered trial scenes alternating with flashbacks that get you up to speed on what is going on behind the trial. I give it an 8.
May, 2005
The Stranger
Albert Camus
A nice light read for the plane ride back from Austin, Texas. Not really. It was simple, but in a profound way. I am still trying to figure out what it all meant. In all of the plain sentences and brutally honest thoughts, there is a deeper meaning. It's a story about a man, who seems to live without love or hate... just a simple, virtually pulse less existence. I wish I had a book club with me on this one. I would love to discuss and try to digest it. I'm going to have to get on-line and read some essays about it. For now, I give it an 8.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
As the title suggests, this is a tale of a fifteen-year-old wallflower, told in letter format written anonymously to a stranger. This was an interesting back to back read with The Stranger . I would even go as far as to call it a modern version of Camus' classic. Of course not everything is the same, but the characters non-conventional thoughts and social awkwardness are central to both. The story has many funny parts, which get you laughing right before the knife goes in. Ugh. Some serious bummer moments. Without further analysis, I give it an 8.
The Long Dark Tea-Time of The Soul
Douglas Adams
I went to see "The Hitchhiker¹s Guide to The Galaxy" recently, which reignited my wish to read more Douglas Adams. This book is of the absurd detective variety: instead of galactic adventures, you are taking on a wild trip following a mythical gods and loser PI's. Still, it was funny. It was uncanny how much Adams reminded me of Tom Robbins. I am not saying that the two are identical, but they both have a great sense of intelectual wit. The laughs come with a small truism about the world that gets ya thinking and nodding your head in agreement. That said, I liked this books, but it wasn't nearly as good as "Hitchhikers.." which I will be rereading again sometime this year. I give it a 6.
Purple Hibiscus
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
An absorbing novel about Kambili, a fifteen-year-old girl, who grows up with a rich Catholic father who while very generous to strangers, is overpoweringly dominant to his family. Kambili's world opens up when she spends a week with her aunt, who thou also Catholic, runs her family completely different. She learns to laugh and play for the first time, in the safety of her aunt¹s house. A coming of age story, where not only Kambili is growing up, but so is her brother and her mother. I give it an 8.
June, 2005
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
The classic pedophilic love story of Humbert Humbert that is both comical and disturbing. It was difficult to read about a man in is midlife years whose only desire is pubescent "nymphets", which is partially the draw of reading Lolita . I found myself asking if it was ok to enjoy a book about a pedophile. Here's the thing, the writing is beautiful and fluid, the story tragic and ridiculous. From a purely wordy place, I can believe how many "vocabulary words" I had to look up during my reading (alembics, bilious, pavonine, gambol... to name a few). If being a quality classic read isn't enough of an inspiration, then perhaps the opportunity to further expand your lexicon will motivate you. I give it a 9.
Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich
Ever wondered about how to win in Vegas? It's all about probability, the master MIT students will tell you that. This book is the true story of how six MIT students took the casinos for millions. Reading it reminding me of Kitchen Confidential , which gives you the inside scoop on something that is so secretive, like kitchen in 5-stars restaurants... or high rollers in Vegas. The book follows one guy as he goes from student to multi millionaire. He's geeky, he's shy and he's carrying $250,000 hidden under his clothes on the plane to Vegas. Full of secret identities, strippers, lots of money, and booze, the pages will fly under your fingers. Don't read this expecting any great literature. It's just simple book entertainment, like a sitcom. If you're interested in gambling or want to pretend you¹re a high roller for a day, read it. I give it a 6.
Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
Ever wondered what heaven looks like? According to Sebold, each of our heavens is different, depending on what we find enjoyable. Susie Salmon's creates her own heaven after being bruttly raped and murdered in the cornfields on her way home from school. Susie narrates the story from heaven, telling us what is happening with her family as they grieve for her and struggle to find her murder. This is coming of age story, as Susie struggles to let go of her family, so that they too can let go of her. I was amazed at Sebolds ability to make this chiling tale of death, yet still have light hearted moments. I wouldn't have thought that this original idea for a book would have worked so well, but it did. It had good insight into the process of greiving, and the varying ways that people experince it. I give it an 8.
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe
Douglas Adams
Pure fun. Laughable page turning bliss. I couldn't help but grin and giggle while reading the absurdity. Lighten up your day as you travel through the universe with a multi lingual translatting Babblefish in you ear. Enjoy a box of Fiddle Faddle or Twinkies while reading, to complete the circut of guilty pleasures. I give it an 8.5.
Lost in the City
Edward P. Jones
Robbery, familiy, drugs, violence, pigion keeping, and death are the topics of Lost in the City , an intense group of short stories which take place around the D.C. area. It is very well written, but depressing. I give it an 8.
FUP
Jim Dodge
I met Jim Dodge fifteen years ago through my mother who had met him doing open mike poetry at the Jambalya. She thought it was really important that I met a published poet, thinking that he could help me get published. We developed a great friendship filled with philospocial conversations, love of the written word, and the great outdoors. He loaned me a couple of FUP to read, which I did. Now many years latter, after having moved and lossing contact with Jim, I ran across a recommendation for his book on the Elliot Bay Bookstore (Seattle, WA) website. It was great to see a review of this relatively underground classic. I knew I had to reread it. Immediately I reserved my copy at my local library branch. The librarian had nothing but great things to say about the book when she was giving it to me. She told me how this book came at just the right time in her life, after many tragic events, including her father's death. The story is about a crazy home brewing Grandaddy Jake Santee, who addopts his granchild, the fench bulding Tiny. Their family gains another member when Tiny finds a baby mallard duck (FUP) in one of his fench post holes. They raise him as if he was the family dog. Together FUP and Tiny are on a wild pig hunt to find Lockjaw the notorious crazy and distrutive wild pig. The story is really about family, and making happiness out of the simple pleasures. This is a quick read, being just under sixty pages. I found it both comical and heartwarming. I give it an 8.
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Alice Walker
I have been hearing about this book for years. Somehow I made it through years of Women's Studies classes without ever reading it. Everything good you've heard is true. The book is about the life of Tashi, a peripheral character in The Color Purple , who undergoes female cirumcision in order to preserve the trial customs of her people. This is further compilcated by the duel life she leads as a resident of both Africa and the USA. Reading a story basses around mulitation is never easy: I became furious and revolted many times. Through reading this book I learned alot about the process and the reasoning surround cirumcison. Walker packs the book with information, which unfortunatley seemed a bit forced at times. A few times I felt that she was trying to be too educational, which distracted from the story. I thought it would have been better to cut out a few of the overly scientific details and supply an additonal reading list in the appendix. I don't mean to disuade you from reading it, this is really a minor criticism. I think reading this book is eye opening, though very emotional. Be in the right space to read it. I give it a 9.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
John Berendt
It's important to read the full cover of a book! I did't discover that this is a TRUE story until I was sixty pages from finishing. It is a marvelous story no matter what, and the seemingly impossibility of it being real makes it even better. Welcome to Savannah, Georgia as told by a New York's Esquire columist. After being fed up with the NY overpriced and snobby food sceene, Berendt moves to Savannah part time. where he meets a ramboncous transexual/drag queen Lady Chablis, a homicidal antique dealer, and a charming piano playing conman. In the first half of the book many colorful charactacters are introduced, thus painting the picture of life in town. Then a murder happens and the story turns into a mystery surroundig the murder trial. It reads just like fiction, but it isn't! The lyrical language and fullness of characters had me flipping through the pages at lightning speed. I give it an 8.5.
Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia
Mark Salzman
Chineese landscape painting, Cantonese leasons, and Karate... not bad hobbies, especially when undertaken by a twelve year old boy in suburbia who does it to be "cool". This is a brief bit of autobiography by Salzman from a period of his adolscence into early adulthood. Lots of laugh out loud moments, remembering the riddiculousness of trying to be hip and interesting. I was jealouse of his close relationship with his pessimistic astronomy loving father. This story really captures the ackwardness of youth. I give it a 7.
July, 2005 -December, 2005
Sorry dear readers of my web site. I got lazy. After slacking for a bit in the book review department, I became completely overwhelmed thinking about writing reviews for all the books I read from July 05 to March 06. So I've saved myself some sorrow, and am instead just listing what I read and where I'd put it in on a scale of 1-10. If you're dying to know more about the books, they're always reviews to be found a mere google search away. I'll be better next year. Promise.
The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri....I give it a 6
The Dive From Clausen's Pier Ann Packer....I give it a 5.5
To A God UnkownJohn Steinbeck....I give it an 8