This is just how nerdy I am
I have decided that in the year 2007 I am going to make reading a bigger priority. In order to keep track of whether I'm slipping or not, I will write everything down that I read and give my thoughts on the novel/book/play/whatever. Sometimes I'll write two sentences, and sometimes I'll write twenty. I will organize the books into the month I've read them, or the month I've finished them.
This is mostly for myself, but I thought maybe one or two of you might enjoy reading my thoughts and recomendations (I'm looking at you Jenn).
January 2007
Lipshitz Six or Two Angry Blondes
by T. Cooper
I happened to pick this book up in the "new fiction" section of the library. The flap appeared somewhat interesting, but I wasn't entirely sure that I would actually read the book. I made a quick selection, as I was supposed to be on a work errand, and had stopped at the library for personal reasons. I figured if I didn't like the first few pages, I could just return it and check out something else. I was surprised by the excellent writing and interesting storyline, and thus couldn't put the book down. The story of Jewish Russian immigrants coming through Ellis Island in the early 1900s and their experiences in Russia prior to emigrating was simultaneously horribly inhumane and fascinating. The book trailed the family lineage and one mentally unstable family member's obsession with Charles Lindberg until her death in the 1940s. Then, the author began to talk. At first I was stunned and annoyed by his anger. Words like bitch and fuck and cunt appeared multiple times on each page. You learn that the family in the book was his family, and he continued with his parents recent death and his fuck-up brother. Although I wasn't impressed with that part of the book, I did like to learn something about the author. In the end I was more annoyed that I had to read a hundred pages of his angry rants. It could have been done in five.
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
I happened upon this book in the "classics" section of the library. I felt somewhat uneducated looking at the many "classic" titles I had read, and the many more I had never read. I may have caught bits and pieces of Streetcar productions on PBS, and was certainly familiar with the "stellllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaa" and "the kindness of strangers" lines. I was impressed with the artistry of the writing (I should add that I never read any of Williams' plays), and the complexity of the characters. There was no recognizable protagonist, but merely a honest perspective of American life in the 40s. The stage instructions were as impressive as the dialogue. I finished the play feeling sorry that I had missed this fantastic writing for the first 24 years of my life.
Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy
by Lindsay Moran
Recommended by my page a day calender, this autobiography enchanted me from the start. Moran narrated the process of deciding she wanted to join the CIA, the rigorous drug, family, friend, background and lie detector testing the intelligence agency requires of it's recruits, the training process, and the time she spent over seas. She was a case officer with the CIA during the September 2001 attacks, and after that point expressed great dissatisfaction with our country. Despite it's name, the central intelligence agency does not have access to all that much information. The tax dollars spent on inane things done by CIA case officers and even training programs is astronomical and depressing. Moran also painted a good portrait of what it's like to have to give up your life for something, and left me feeling sorry for all the CIA case officers. I began to read the book on the way from Philadelphia to Cleveland, couldn't stop reading it on the flight to Cleveland to Kansas City, or once I got in Kansas City. I highly recommend this first hand account of what life in the CIA was like from 1998-2003.
The Perfect Elizabeth
by Libby Schmais
Eh. Entertaining but mindless. I was surprised by the reading group questions in the back. I can picture uneducated suburban housewives sitting around and discussing the simple relationship between the two sisters.
February 2007
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
I have never read Tyler before, and was shocked to find what I was missing. The Amateur Marriage is a story about two people who marry young, and never quite figure out how to get along. The story is chronicled through brief snapshots in time spanning from 1943 to 2001. I didn't always like the characters, but I never really disliked them either. It sometimes seemed as though Tyler was writing about my family. Her honest writing often left me crying the good, introspective kind of cry. Her portrayal of history (pearl harbor, suburban expansion, the vietnam era, etc.) seemed real. These were just world events that accented one family's life. Erikson stages of development are evident in the characters' decisions and non-decisions. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking to escape. It forces you to look at your relationships with all your own family members.
The Discomfort Zone by Jonathon Franzen
This was an entertaining memoir by novelist Franzen. It detailed certain events of his life growing up in 1960s and 70s middle America to present day with the global warming crisis. The stories themselves didn't seem all that different from the average Americans, but the writing was poignant. The reflection on his life stories impressed me. The Discomfort Zone is an easy and entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone.
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
I actually listened to this one on CD. I bought the audio book before I had to take a trip to pick up my father at the airport. I was sick that day, and needed something entertaining to keep me awake. I bought it because it was in the discount section, and I liked the movie "In Her Shoes" which was based on a Weiner novel. The main character in Good in Bed is sarcastic and lovable at the same time. I enjoyed listening to all the things that happen to her, even if some were highly predictable. The novel is good chick-lit.
March 2007
Crossing California by Adam Langer
This novel about Jewish teenagers growing up in 1970s-80s Chicago appealed to me both because of my love of Jewish culture and a recent trip to Chicago. There are many different characters, and Langer weaved the story lines together impeccably. Many characters learned something, but not in the obvious, nauseating way. Langer's overuse of the word "citing" is my only criticism. Overall, I put down the novel feeling fulfilled because it had exceeded my expectations.
The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing
by Melissa Blank
I had put this novel on the back burner since my friend told me about it in 2000. She said the protagonist reminded her of me, and thought I would enjoy it. Seven years later another friend lent it to me. I enjoyed the fast moving plot and the way I could peer into little snippets of her life. There was one chapter I found completely unnecessary, but I do appreciate what the author was attempting with it. I did enjoy the book, but I probably would have liked it better when I was 18.
April 2007
The Best American Non-Required Reading 2006
Edited by Dave Eggers
This gem contains submissions as varied as The Iraqi Constitution to a piece chronicling the best names for hobos. There were many short stories and comics, but the book went beyond that. It truly was some of the best reading I've done so far this year.
Back When We Were Grownups
by Anne Tyler
After reading The Amateur Marriage, I was hungry for more Tyler works. I picked this one at random from her novels in the library. It was a fast and enjoyable read. During some sections I found myself overcome with sadness. I really empathized with the main character. She pretended she was something she wasn't until she became that person for years. Then, when she's in her early 50s she begins to struggle with, and eventually realizes, who she really is. The book is filled with interesting characters with goofy nicknames who have become part of her life.
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
by Kurt Vonnegut
I have been a Vonnegut fan since reading Mother Night for a political thought class sophomore year. In light of his recent death, I decided to pull one of my books from the shelve and re-read it in memorial. I noticed a bookmark sticking out of this one, so it appears that I previously read all but the last 75 pages or so. I reread the whole thing. It definitely was not one of my favorite Vonnegut books. The storyline was hard to follow in some places, but I enjoyed it overall. Mr. Rosewater is considered insane because he inherits a large sum of money, and uses it to help the poor in his county. He loves every resident equally, and gives money and social services to everyone, acting as a sort of case manager to his county's people. He survives like this in capitalistic America because he is an alcoholic and he actually is insane. He is involved in a law suit for control of his money, and (despite his insanity) figures out a way to put all of his fortune back into his county. The book shows the value of loving unconditionally, but also the faults of people becoming dependent financially and emotionally on one force. The book was of course accented by Vonnegut's favorite character, science fiction write Kilgore Trout, and humorous quips which made it that much more enjoyable.
The Vagina Monologues/ The V-Day Edition
by Eve Ensler Fwd by Gloria Steinhem
I have watched The Vagina Monologues on HBO in the past. The monologues themselves were just as entertaining and empowering when read as when performed. The important thing in this volume though, was learning all the awareness raised about violence against women. The Vagina Monologues took not only this country, but the world by storm.
May 2007
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss
This book is about Truss' gripes with rudeness in modern society as Eats, Shoots, and Leaves is about her annoyance with publicly displayed incorrect punctuation. It focuses on the rudeness of people in the United States as well as Britain. She lays out the reasons she believes us native English speaking people are so rude, but never gives an answer. The writing style is entertaining, but forgettable. If you're going to read one of her books, I reccomend Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.
If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name (News from Small Town Alaska) by Heather Lende
After reading this memoir-esque book, I can't wait to plan a trip to Alaska. The book includes snippets from the small newspaper where Lende works in between stories about the people and events of Haines, Alaska. The quiet charm of the town speaks through the stories, even the many involving dangerous living conditions and death. Haines seems as close to Utopia as a modern day US town could be.
A History of the World in Six Glasses
by Tom Standage
I tore into this briefing in liquid history. I couldn't learn enough about the world's favorite beverages. When I drink a beer, I'll think of the mesopotamians who first discovered it. Likewise with wine and the greek philosophers, spirits and the villains of the original slave trade to Central America, tea and the British invasion of the world, coffee and the European Renaissance, and CocaCola and the "elixir" man that created it. If you like to learn about subjects unexplored in history texts, this book is for you.
About Alice by Calvin Trillin
This touching love story about Trillin's wife was written after her death. He explains how Alice motivated his writing throughout their life together, and continues to do so after her death. I highly recommend this short, sweet, romantic book.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
by Chuck Klosterman
This book about philosophy through the eyes of pop culture kept me entertained from New Jersey to Ohio. It's full of laughs and the occasional insightful thought. I highly suggest listening to the audiobook; the author's nasal voice allows the nerdy pop culture references an air of authentic geekhood.
June 2007
Dishwasher by Pete Jordan
Although the author did not end up where he thought he would when he made it his gaol to wash dishes in all fifty states, this memoir fails to disappoint. The book is often entertaining and rarely takes the sentimental tone oft associated with memoirs. It's just the story of an odd dude with an odd goal, and his travels attempting to obtain it. But I couldn't put it down.