BEYOND THE HORIZON. Angus, Colin. 2007.

Read: May 2008.

Reading Time: 1 and 1/2 days.

Despite the reading time, this book is a little bland, for what it is. It is a retelling of the author (and friend and girlfriend's) circumnavigation around the globe by human power, in 2003-2004. He was the first, apparently to ever accomplish this awesome feat. And, despite my not thinking the book is all that great, I do recognize this as something awesome.

However, if you like adventure/trekking stories (and I'm a sucker for them - I must have been a little British boy in my former life), you'll like this. However, I've read better-written accounts.

A couple of things turned me off about this book - the author's whiny, defensive tone, as he spends half the book lambasting his friend and once fellow traveler; and the lack of comment and detail about the places and cultures they traveled through. While I enjoy hearing about the techniques and logistics of hiking and biking trips, it's not exactly entertaining reading for others. I guess I was hoping for more of a story.
And the incessant whining about his friend who ultimately bailed on him is a little unbelievable. Maybe the author needed some scandalous element to enliven an otherwise dull story, or maybe he actually has recieved a lot of flak which he feels he doesn't deserve. Either way, I don't care, and it left a bad taste to the read.

I recommend you read a magazine article about Colin Angus's trek, instead of this book. Look for it on OUTSIDE online, or National Geographic, something like that.

CONFESSIONS OF A FAILED SOUTHERN LADY. King, Florence.

Read this just before Christmas 2008.

Autobiographical account of a young woman coming of age in Washington D.C. in the the thirties through fifties. Needless to say, she discovers she's a lesbian.

This is a very entertaining and quick, enjoyable read. I read it in two days flat, which, for me, means I couldn't put it down. (Because I rarely have time to read like that anymore, what with wifedom/motherdom/suburbandom. . . )

I find that the best autobiographies are the funniest ones, and the most self-deprecating. It takes a fairly objective eye to turn it on oneself and find humor among the trivial tragedies of our lives. This book reminds me of ANGELA'S ASHES in that regard.
If you've ever lived in, or known folks from, the South, you'll appreciate how incredibly funny - and true - this book is in portraying the "old-school" southern woman.
It is also a frank and unflinching look at the irrationality behind sexism, racism, and homophobia.

There are some frank descriptions of lesbian (as well as heterosexual) sex, so if that sort of thing bothers you, well - These descriptions are also side-splitting hilarious, though.

Recommended for anyone looking for something lighthearted, yet poignant, that will make you laugh and think.

DESPERATE PASSAGE. Rarick, Ethan. Read: April 2008.

Revisionist account of the tragic Donner Party story.
Past accounts have traditionally portrayed the pioneer party unsympathetically. Rarick's account is more forgiving, while still critical of the party's fateful blunders - starting the journey too late in the season; underestimating the potential perils of their journey; and underestimating the American Western landscape in general.

In all, a very enjoyable, engaging read. I read this in about three days, which, for me, always means I could hardly bear to put the book down. This is the kind of history book I love and crave more of - factual and rich in detail, yet the narrative pace is fluid and seamless.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of the American West. It's more than just a tale of what forces good citizens into horrid circumstances like cannibalism. Rarick succeeds in showing how the Donner Party really embodied the essence of the first pioneer FAMILIES trying to push through the desert and mountain barriers to the coast.
Very good read.

Updating past posts. . .

I'm in the process, tongith and tomorrow, of updating (i.e., filling in details) my past posts on this blog. I refer to those posts with only the title of the book. My intentions for this blog is to at least indicate if I liked the book or not, if I recommend it, for whom, and a brief synopsis and analysis of the book.

So, if you scroll down (you know, YOU, the sole person besides myself to ever read this blog) the page you'll see a few details about the books I've read.

THE ROAD. McCarthy, Cormac. Read: August 2008.

"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls, it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there."

So states the blurb on the back cover of the paperback version of THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy.
This is the first - and, so far, only - book I've read by McCarthy, and I'm terribly impressed. I read this in two days flat. I simply could not put it down. I stayed up late reading it in bed, and I never stay up late reading anymore.
The gist of the story is stated above, but although the tale is universal and so general, really, that we're never informed why the world is the way it is - in fact, we're never even told the man and boy's names - it is also an immensely personal story, a common story shared between a child and his parent.

Highly, highly recommended. One of the best novels I've ever read, period. I am in awe of McCarthy's narrative genius. So much that it's hard to define.

A warning that it's somewhat depressing.

LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION. Harris, Sam.

I'm in the middle of reading THE GOD DELUSION (did you know God was a delusion??!! :) ) by Richard Dawkins, which I like enough, but someone recommended Harris's book as well (they also recommended THE END OF FAITH by Harris. Haven't read that yet.)
This is a very quick read, intended, I guess, not for the likes of me. (agnostic/atheist) Or maybe it is, as Harris argues against tolerance for religious people near the end of the book. (I tend to be very forgiving of others' mumbo-jumbo - hey, I was once guilty of it. Granted, I wasn't old enough to order a drink, but it takes some folks longer. . )
The "letter" is addressed to U.S. Christians, and his arguments are compelling and well thought out. His tone is calm and fluid, and he drives his points about disproving the existence of any god consistently and with eloquence.
That being said, I consier myself agnostic and don't need much convincing, but I was taken aback by his arguments against religious tolerance. After having read it, though, I must admit agreeing with him.
If you're Christian, or Muslim or Jewish, you may find this book offensive, and for good reason. Harris' main intent is to attack the foundations of your belief system. But I'm all for confronting the ideas that frighten you. It's how I managed to become a "free-thinker", myself.
Recommended for those who enjoy a good, but polite rant about the hazards of religion, and for those considering crossing over to the dark side.

MY LOBOTOMY. Dully, Howard. 2007.

This is one of those books I happened upon while perusing the New Books aisle at the library. Intrigued by the title, I picked it up, read the inside jacket, started reading the first page and couldn't put it down.

It's a compelling and heart-wrenching story. Although Dully, now a tour bus driver in his fifties, had help writing the book, his own voice seems to shine through so well that it seems he's right there in the room with you, telling his story.

Oh, of course, the book is about Dully's front-orbital lobotomy at the age of twelve, because he had behavorial issues at home. Interesting and scary. Relevant to today's "issues" and concerns with children, i.e., the whole ADHD thing.

This is a quick, engaging read - I read it in two days, couldn't put it down - and you'd be brain-dead yourself if you didn't find this fascinating. A very sad story, yet hopeful and inspiring. Highly recommended, especially for an "interim" book if you're like me and read a lot of dry non-fiction and need a quick break from that.

THE SHELTERING SKY. Bowles, Paul.

January 2008.

DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON

Orwell, George.
February 2008.

ANIMAL VEGETABLE MIRACLE

Kingsolver, Barbara. February 2008.

A LAND SO STRANGE: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF CABEZA DE VACA

Dec. 2007

SAVAGE KINGDOM. Woolley, Benjamin.

Subtitled, "The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America."

Well, sometimes, the truth is tedious, and complicated, and really, somewhat boring.

I looked forward to this book coming out and when I finally saw it on the New Books shelf at the library, I couldn't wait to read it.
It is not a quick read.

Woolley seems to leave no trivial detail unturned in the story of Jamestown's founding. There is an adventure tale, and a morality tale, both present in this story but they are both clouded over by tedious details of the capitalist undertakings of the business men and politicians who really made Jamestown happen. I realize they made it happen, but - that part is just not very interesting. Unless you're an economics historian or something. Does such a tedious person exist? Well, if so, this book is for them.

Only recommended for History of Economics professors. Everyone else should watch Disney's POCAHONTAS with their kids.
Okay, or find a better book about Jamestown. Then, please tell ME about it, so I can read it, too.

FOUR QUEENS. Goldstone, Nancy. Viking, 2007.

Subtitled "The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe".

I learned a lot from this book, but I was disappointed in the writing style, which is that of a long-winded, repetitive, high-school research paper. The subject matter is incredibly interesting, however, and propelled me forward to finish the book.

The book narrates the lives of the four daughters of Raymond Berenger of Provence (southern France) in the mid-13th century. The daughters were, from eldest to youngest: Marguerite, who wed Louis IX (Saint Louis) and endured two seperate crusades to the Holy Land; Eleanor, who would wed Henry III of England; Sanchia, who wed Richard of Cornwall, Henry III's brother and eventual Holy Roman Emperor; and, finally, Beatrice, the youngest, who would inherit her father's lands and title in Provence. Beatrice wed Charles d'Anjou, Louis IX's younger brother.

All four sisters did, in fact, become queens - of France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, and of Sicily. Which means they were married to kings, whose lives were, of course, much more interesting. The depiction of the queens' lives unwittingly highlights the limited roles of women, even powerful women, during the Middle Ages. There is much conniving, back-stabbing, second-guessing, and whispered manipulations from these women, mainly because it was not acceptable for them to do anything outright. In Beatrice's case, even her own sisters and mother begrudged her inheritance of her father's estate, believing it could not be rightly hers, being both the youngest and female. Beatrice stood up for herself and was subtly ostracized for it.
At least, none of them were dragged through the streets by a wild stallion, the fate of that other "powerful" queen from Southern France, Brunhild. And it would be another three centuries before Elizabeth I of England would prove herself more than capable of ruling the most powerful empire in the Western World. But, of course, she kept all her male suitors at bay.

Overall, a so-so read, and not even as full of information as I'd like. I feel a lot was glossed over and maybe even "dumbed down" for a mainstream (possibly mostly female?) audience. I would have liked more details about everyday life, such as dress and cuisine. Reading this, however, has piqued my interest in Louis IX and Beatrice of Provence, as well as the Holy Roman Empire. And of course to fill in the gaps between the Merovingians and 13th c. France.
I recommend this to anyone interested in European History and the roles of women in 13th c. European royalty.

TWO OF US. Giuliano, Geoffrey. 1999, Penguin Studio.

The subtitle reads: "John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Behind the Myth."
I'm not sure what the myth(s) the author's referring to. That they hated each other? That they co-wrote each and every song together? That they themselves were the myth?

Anyone reading this who's known me for a while, also knows I'm slightly obsessed with the Beatles for reasons I, myself, cannot explain. Well, except I love their music, and unlike some of the music from my youth, when I replay any given Beatles CD, it sounds fresher than ever.
I enjoyed this book so much I read it in one evening and the following morning. I could not put it down. The book portrays both the professional and personal relationship between Lennon and McCartney. Despite having listened to their songs for years, I found the author's insight enlightening and refreshing. Most of the information was gleaned from interviews over the past thirty years with the subjects, as well as their peers and family. It follows the two songwriters from the time they met as teenagers until the formal breakup of the Beatles.
After I finished the book this morning, I played almost all of my Beatles CDs through. I found THE WHITE ALBUM immensely refreshing, esp. the Lennon songs that I hadn't cared for all that much when I was thirteen. I have to still, after all this time, disagree with my Dad in his assessment that the Beatles' best stuff was pre-1966. No way, Dad. It is amazing how innovative, even today, the post-1966 music is, and how original and unique. There's still nothing like it.

Currently Reading:

FOUR QUEENS, by Nancy Goldstone.
and soon to read: SAVAGE KINGDOM, a book about settling Jamestown.

The World Without Us. (August 2007)

Peeling the Onion. Grass, Gunter.

Gunter Grass's infamous memoir revealing details about his involvement with the Waffen SS during WWII.
That's right, folks. The author of one of the most beautiful novels ever written and a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature served in the auxiliary for the Waffen SS. Ain't life rich?
Ok, well he was drafted into the SS and pleads ignorance on having known about the real dirty work of the SS at the time - his service was at the end of the war, as the Russians invaded Germany, including his hometown of Danzig, now part of Poland again. The real scandal about his memoir was that Grass had never revealed this information before. I understand his reasons for doing so, but I'm not sure I agree with his choice to keep it secret all of these decades. However, that may be easy for me to say, having never been drafted into anyone's war, much less the SS, and never having had my mother and sister raped by foreign troops, and my homeland completely devestated and annihalated. I, for one, see THE TIN DRUM as Grass's redemption.

I recommend this to only die-hard Grass and TIN DRUM fans, as it may be boring otherwise, even the parts detailing the war.

Books Read for the Summer Reading Program

There is no theme here.

Books read between early June and early August. I'll expand commentary later this week.


1. THE HARD WAY. Jenkins, Mark. Personal essays about travelling, trekking and the outdoors. The author is primarily a mountain climber.

2. THE PLAGUE. Camus, Albert.

3. BACKWOODS ETHICS. Waterman, Guy and Laura. The most boring book ever about Leave No Trace hiking and camping. Still relevant, but it ha ssince been written about in a much more interesting manner. Read THE COMPLETE WALKER by Colin Fletcher (may God rest his wandering soul) instead.

4. THE MAN FROM THE CAVE. Fletcher, Colin. Hard to put down. Read this in three days. Fletcher narrates his decade-long quest to discover the identity and origins of a man who left his camp and some belongings in a desert cave near Las Vegas in the nineteen tens when Fletcher discovered it on a solitary trek through the same area in the mid 'sixties. Definitely recommended.

5. THE LAST SEASON. Blehm, Eric.

6. THE BEAN TREES. Kingsolver, Barbara. Fiction. Her first novel.

7. UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS. Roiphe, Katie.

8. INTO THE WILD. Krakauer, Jon. A 2nd read for me.

Ethan Fromme

Read sometime after Age of Innocence, and before June. Maybe in March.

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

by Edith Wharton. 1920. Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize.

This is the first book I've read by Edith Wharton and I was so pleasantly surprised. I confess that I saw Scorsese's film first - which is very faithful to the book, I found - and love it so much I watch it almost every time it's on cable.

The book is even better, though, really.
This is the story of Newland Archer, a very young attorney in very old New York. He leads a slow, stale and ultimately unsatisfactory life amidst incredibly sumptuous surroundings. Wharton writes in such fluid, rich detail, the reader sees and feels the glow of fireplaces in large, shadowy rooms lit only by candlelight; the clamminess of pale skin sticking to a satin bodice in the summer.

It is also the story of Newland's attempts to alleviate his boredom and fulfill his desires, and how the rich trappings of his own heritage thwart him at every turn.
The ending in the book is even more devastating than Scorses portrays it in the film.

I would also say this is Wharton's comment on social institutions and traditions that seem to have forgotten their original purpose - and those citizens that blindly follow them.

I rate this novel - excellent. I defintely want to read more Wharton (and since I received three collections of her work for my birthday recently, I shall).
Recommended for those who like period fiction, probably more for older people (I doubt I would have felt the sting of some events in Newland's life if I'd read this before my thirties.)