"Cold Mountain" tops the list, hands down. Beautiful and real about the power of human connections in a brutal and illogical world.
"If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" was very moving and made me laugh and cry.
"Trouble" was the perfect book for my tastes - well-written, smart and thoughtful with a touch of the glam life.
"I'm So Happy for You" was something I devoured with a pleasurably guilty feeling about friends with envy. Jealousy in friendships is not something you're allowed to admit to and in this book, it's mined for gold.
"The Gastronomy of Marriage" was a book I read and reread and reread, just because it's so cozy and relateable. I sometimes feel oppressed by the "What's for dinner?" question which arises every day and she shares her own journey to find an answer.
"The Glass Castle" is an unforgettable memoir that I urged on my mother and described in great detail to my husband.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
farm city
In "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer," Novella Carpenter documented her adventures in gardening and raising livestock in an inner city environment in Oakland. She replaces our ideas of a farm as a bucolic pasture with the gritty scene of homeless people, an attempted mugging at gunpoint, thieves of her produce, junkyard dogs killing her poultry and a turkey crossing the freeway. It's an extraordinary story - definitely a few levels beyond what the ordinary person would do. She has a great sense of humor about her craziness. She dumpster-dives for food to feed her livestock - including two pigs. She spends a month relying solely on her garden for food. She befriends a fancy restauranter who teaches her how to cure pork into salami and the like. It's all very engaging. I did have to skim over some of the gory descriptions of butchering -- I am squeamish, I don't even eat meat! I do eat fish, but lately I've been worried about the mercury and overfishing issues.
But I totally admire her resourcefulness - I also hate waste and think it's fab she fed her pigs garbage. I was in awe of her willpower with her month-long garden-only diet -- she even goes to a Mexican restaurant and doesn't eat anything. I'd be scarfing down the chips immediately!
Anyway, she tells an inspiring story - makes me want to get some chickens. She connects to the awesome and challenging process of raising food so we will appreciate every bite.
But I totally admire her resourcefulness - I also hate waste and think it's fab she fed her pigs garbage. I was in awe of her willpower with her month-long garden-only diet -- she even goes to a Mexican restaurant and doesn't eat anything. I'd be scarfing down the chips immediately!
Anyway, she tells an inspiring story - makes me want to get some chickens. She connects to the awesome and challenging process of raising food so we will appreciate every bite.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
a year without "made in china"
"A Year Without Made in China"
Sara Bongiorni's attempt to not buy anything made in China for a year was tremendously funny. I can't stop laughing at the part where her husband loses his sunglasses and is reduced to wearing pink baby sunglasses he found. They break and then he has to wear glacier glasses with thick blinders on the sides. "People stare when I'm running... they think I'm blind," he said. I think that is hilarious!
Beyond the comic bits, they get more resourceful - making Halloween costumes, sewing sleeping bags as gifts for their kids. But why are they doing this? The answer is not clear except for a vague sense of threat about China's growing power. It makes them more thoughtful instead of mindless consumers of cheap plastic, which is surely a good thing. But there are certainly sweatshops in other countries. And it's not like they replaced their purchases with items made in America. So it seemed like something of a pointless exercise on a political level. "Not Buying It" by Judith Levine was about her family's attempt to spend a year without buying anything and I think that is more worthwhile as far as helping the environment.
But the book did something valuable and make me curious about where things I buy are made! This morning's outfit - Wool sweater made in China, jeans made in Egypt. For Christmas, I got little mister lots of wooden toys - and yes, a plastic baby cell phone made in China.
Sara Bongiorni's attempt to not buy anything made in China for a year was tremendously funny. I can't stop laughing at the part where her husband loses his sunglasses and is reduced to wearing pink baby sunglasses he found. They break and then he has to wear glacier glasses with thick blinders on the sides. "People stare when I'm running... they think I'm blind," he said. I think that is hilarious!
Beyond the comic bits, they get more resourceful - making Halloween costumes, sewing sleeping bags as gifts for their kids. But why are they doing this? The answer is not clear except for a vague sense of threat about China's growing power. It makes them more thoughtful instead of mindless consumers of cheap plastic, which is surely a good thing. But there are certainly sweatshops in other countries. And it's not like they replaced their purchases with items made in America. So it seemed like something of a pointless exercise on a political level. "Not Buying It" by Judith Levine was about her family's attempt to spend a year without buying anything and I think that is more worthwhile as far as helping the environment.
But the book did something valuable and make me curious about where things I buy are made! This morning's outfit - Wool sweater made in China, jeans made in Egypt. For Christmas, I got little mister lots of wooden toys - and yes, a plastic baby cell phone made in China.
Monday, December 28, 2009
after you
"After You" by Julie Buxbaum is about a woman caring for her best friend's child after her friend is murdered. The novel is elevated by some surprise plot twists and solid writing, but it didn't touch me very deeply. If all these things really happened to you within months - murder of best friend, separation from husband, miscarriage, unexpected pregnancy - you would be FREAKING OUT! Not just reading "The Secret Garden" and playing with British words like "brolly."
"If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" by Heather Lende was a book that made me weep and embrace life in its glory and pain. It's a collection of essays by a woman who lives in a tiny town of Haines, Alaska and writes the obituaries for the local paper. I was worried it would be really corny and full of "zany" small town busybodies. Instead, I loved reading about her lifestyle - the Native people, smoking salmon, goat hunting, building a cabin, adopting a Bulgarian girl, the tragic sinking of a fishing boat. Because she writes about death in a dangerous place, she has a heightened awareness for the beauty and brevity of life. After every funeral, she wishes she had one more chance to smile, say "thank you" and strike up a chat with the deceased. Great reminder.
I read big parts of this book to my husband as we drove back from Christmas. He enjoyed it as well. The last chapter made me weep as I read about putting down her dog. She wrote that she had become accustomed to death as the normal cycle of life after going to so many funerals. But then she has to watch her beloved dog die and she can't stand it. This is not natural, not normal, it goes against all our love and desire.
Anyway, it was wonderfully affecting and gives me open eyes to the beauty of this day - which will never come again.
And speaking of books that move you - I read "A Christmas Carol" and promptly donated $100 to the food bank.
Rented "The Jane Austen Book Club" movie - it was really fun. Can't argue with insights about Austen books mixed with Hugh Dancy's good looks.
Last night I watched "Julie and Julia" which was a bit long. Also, I wanted to see the part where Julia Child becomes a TV star. And I was unclear as to why she was so influential? But Meryl Streep is fabulous, just blossoming with joie de vivre. The Julie part was the sour counterpoint to the sweet - she seems shallow and mercenary. I read her book a while ago and threw it out of my house immediately - the food was fatty and revolting, and the writer was obsessed with herself. I know her sequel is about her cheating on her spouse - just tacky all around.
"If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" by Heather Lende was a book that made me weep and embrace life in its glory and pain. It's a collection of essays by a woman who lives in a tiny town of Haines, Alaska and writes the obituaries for the local paper. I was worried it would be really corny and full of "zany" small town busybodies. Instead, I loved reading about her lifestyle - the Native people, smoking salmon, goat hunting, building a cabin, adopting a Bulgarian girl, the tragic sinking of a fishing boat. Because she writes about death in a dangerous place, she has a heightened awareness for the beauty and brevity of life. After every funeral, she wishes she had one more chance to smile, say "thank you" and strike up a chat with the deceased. Great reminder.
I read big parts of this book to my husband as we drove back from Christmas. He enjoyed it as well. The last chapter made me weep as I read about putting down her dog. She wrote that she had become accustomed to death as the normal cycle of life after going to so many funerals. But then she has to watch her beloved dog die and she can't stand it. This is not natural, not normal, it goes against all our love and desire.
Anyway, it was wonderfully affecting and gives me open eyes to the beauty of this day - which will never come again.
And speaking of books that move you - I read "A Christmas Carol" and promptly donated $100 to the food bank.
Rented "The Jane Austen Book Club" movie - it was really fun. Can't argue with insights about Austen books mixed with Hugh Dancy's good looks.
Last night I watched "Julie and Julia" which was a bit long. Also, I wanted to see the part where Julia Child becomes a TV star. And I was unclear as to why she was so influential? But Meryl Streep is fabulous, just blossoming with joie de vivre. The Julie part was the sour counterpoint to the sweet - she seems shallow and mercenary. I read her book a while ago and threw it out of my house immediately - the food was fatty and revolting, and the writer was obsessed with herself. I know her sequel is about her cheating on her spouse - just tacky all around.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
changing my mind
"Changing My Mind" by Zadie Smith is very erudite! I felt like I was back in college listening to a brilliant professor as she compared the literary philosophies of Nabokov and Bartes. I wanted to take notes as she discussed E.M. Forster's place as an English writer or "Netherland" as the ultimate post 9-11 novel.
The collection is leavened by movie reviews, a trip to Hollywood for the Oscars and an essay about the greatness of Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo's face. I utterly agree with her on Hepburn!
My favorite part was her metaphor of a great book as a house - with structure, doorways, secret passageways, windows and many levels. She says that a lover of a certain book lives in the house and feels ownership. How perfect.
The collection is leavened by movie reviews, a trip to Hollywood for the Oscars and an essay about the greatness of Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo's face. I utterly agree with her on Hepburn!
My favorite part was her metaphor of a great book as a house - with structure, doorways, secret passageways, windows and many levels. She says that a lover of a certain book lives in the house and feels ownership. How perfect.
Monday, December 21, 2009
a homemade life
Finished "A Homemade Life" - it's wonderfully well-written for a blog, but for a book it lacked a certain something. The best part was a recipe for argula salad involving chocolate. The whole planning-a-wedding part felt over familiar to me, not really saying anything novel. Also the recipes were distinctly not my taste. I'm sure fennel salad is perfectly edible, but it's not making my dinner menu.
It did make me want to read Julia Child's book about France. Also on my list is "A Christmas Carol" and I have Zadie Smith's new essay collection on my iPod.
"Looking for Alaska" by Peter Jenkins was excellent - the author lived in Seward and traveled all around the state, going fishing and dog-mushing and doing all kinds of classic Alaska adventures. It gave me insight into the culture of rugged individualism and got me excited for what we're going to experience.
Speaking of Alaska... I also read Sarah Palin's biography. I would like to quote Rush Limbaugh and say "'Going Rogue' is truly the most substantive policy books I've ever read." And then I'd like to fall on the floor laughing. It's basically just her trying to look good and blame her disaster of a campaign on McCain's underlings. Lots of lying and fuzzy logic. My sister's cat shredded my dad's copy of the book and I think that is the best use for it -- cat toy.
It did make me want to read Julia Child's book about France. Also on my list is "A Christmas Carol" and I have Zadie Smith's new essay collection on my iPod.
"Looking for Alaska" by Peter Jenkins was excellent - the author lived in Seward and traveled all around the state, going fishing and dog-mushing and doing all kinds of classic Alaska adventures. It gave me insight into the culture of rugged individualism and got me excited for what we're going to experience.
Speaking of Alaska... I also read Sarah Palin's biography. I would like to quote Rush Limbaugh and say "'Going Rogue' is truly the most substantive policy books I've ever read." And then I'd like to fall on the floor laughing. It's basically just her trying to look good and blame her disaster of a campaign on McCain's underlings. Lots of lying and fuzzy logic. My sister's cat shredded my dad's copy of the book and I think that is the best use for it -- cat toy.
Monday, December 14, 2009
in a perfect world
I read the most eerie and chilling book - "In a Perfect World" by Laura Kasischke. This phantasmagorical story starts off as a romantic tale of a flight attendant finally finding love with the most handsome pilot -- and then turns into a harrowing apocalyptic world where a deadly virus is sweeping the world, international trade has stopped and gas is $11/ gal. The nightmare is a combination of how people reacted to the Black Plague in the Middle Ages with cultish fervor and blaming different groups with deprivation and rationing of goods like in England in WW2. Very unsettling. I shouldn't read books about climate change devastation b/c it just freaks me out and I can't function. I wrote letters to some policitians after reading this book.
Anyway, another thing she does well is take a tiny detail and make it seem full of portent in the manner of a fairy tale where the slipper is the key to fate.
"Alicia: My Story" by Alicia Applebaum-Jurman is a memoir about the Holocaust so obviously it's horrific and full of Nazis shooting babies - but the young woman is a true hero who saved many lives. She was amazingly inspiring and resourceful and strong - and the book covers her life from age 10 - 15! It's unbelievable. I'm left haunted the question - why? Why did the Holocaust happen? I don't know and I'll never know. I read a book called "Hitler's Willing Executioners" in high school, trying to grasp why people would suddenly turn into homicidal psychopaths.
I thought I knew about the Holocaust but the book depicts a different experience as she wasn't sent to concentration camps but hid out in wheat fields for some time. It seemed like every ten pages she was close to being killed. Her entire family was killed.
Anyway, the book made me aspire to her courage. Also it made me savor the good qualities of my life - I feel that I can protect my child, and that is everything. Also it's a warning to be ever viligant for intolerance in society.
Anyway, I'm reading "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg. She tells little tales before presenting a recipe. She's a good writer but I want more - it's more a cookbook than memoir at this point.
In "Principles of Uncertainty," Maira Kalman muses on the meaning of life around her melancholy paintings. It's a satisfying peek of her view of a world that is so various and gorgeous and lonely and sad. Having a heart means sometimes it's full and sometimes it aches. I really relate to this particular sensibility - I think about how much I love my husband and bring myself to tears. All I want is to be truly grateful for the blessings of my life. I am so fortunate - how can I be worthy? I can't, I can only strive to be thankful. I heard about this book from Catherine Newman's blog - I adore her writing. Her book "Waiting for Birdy" is the only thing that got me though the crazy newborn baby stage.
I also picked up some books for the baby by Sandra Boynton, who is so lively and sweet. Also some by Charley Harper. I have determined that only way to stave off boredom from reading the same books over and over is by having great art to admire. This is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" theory.
Anyway, another thing she does well is take a tiny detail and make it seem full of portent in the manner of a fairy tale where the slipper is the key to fate.
"Alicia: My Story" by Alicia Applebaum-Jurman is a memoir about the Holocaust so obviously it's horrific and full of Nazis shooting babies - but the young woman is a true hero who saved many lives. She was amazingly inspiring and resourceful and strong - and the book covers her life from age 10 - 15! It's unbelievable. I'm left haunted the question - why? Why did the Holocaust happen? I don't know and I'll never know. I read a book called "Hitler's Willing Executioners" in high school, trying to grasp why people would suddenly turn into homicidal psychopaths.
I thought I knew about the Holocaust but the book depicts a different experience as she wasn't sent to concentration camps but hid out in wheat fields for some time. It seemed like every ten pages she was close to being killed. Her entire family was killed.
Anyway, the book made me aspire to her courage. Also it made me savor the good qualities of my life - I feel that I can protect my child, and that is everything. Also it's a warning to be ever viligant for intolerance in society.
Anyway, I'm reading "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg. She tells little tales before presenting a recipe. She's a good writer but I want more - it's more a cookbook than memoir at this point.
In "Principles of Uncertainty," Maira Kalman muses on the meaning of life around her melancholy paintings. It's a satisfying peek of her view of a world that is so various and gorgeous and lonely and sad. Having a heart means sometimes it's full and sometimes it aches. I really relate to this particular sensibility - I think about how much I love my husband and bring myself to tears. All I want is to be truly grateful for the blessings of my life. I am so fortunate - how can I be worthy? I can't, I can only strive to be thankful. I heard about this book from Catherine Newman's blog - I adore her writing. Her book "Waiting for Birdy" is the only thing that got me though the crazy newborn baby stage.
I also picked up some books for the baby by Sandra Boynton, who is so lively and sweet. Also some by Charley Harper. I have determined that only way to stave off boredom from reading the same books over and over is by having great art to admire. This is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" theory.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
necessary madness
"Necessary Madness" by Jenn Crowell was a 1990s sensation as she wrote it as a teenager - it's still a good book and quite impressive. I like when the main character meets her love and he says, "I want to marry you" and she says, "I want to be you."
Finally finished "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate" by Mitford. Very delightful and funny, I giggled out loud and craved some tea and crumpets. Reminded me of "Snobs" by Fellowes in the third-person viewpoint. Irrepressable characters and refreshingly non-judgmental about how people find happiness in life.
Also I got "Is Your Mama a Llama?" and "Animalia" from the library to read to the little mister. Very fun books. I also read "Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo which broke my heart in the most life-affirming way. "If you aren't going to love or be loved, the whole journey is pointless." Those are words to live by.
Right now I'm reading "Looking for Alaska" by Peter Jenkins.
Finally finished "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate" by Mitford. Very delightful and funny, I giggled out loud and craved some tea and crumpets. Reminded me of "Snobs" by Fellowes in the third-person viewpoint. Irrepressable characters and refreshingly non-judgmental about how people find happiness in life.
Also I got "Is Your Mama a Llama?" and "Animalia" from the library to read to the little mister. Very fun books. I also read "Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo which broke my heart in the most life-affirming way. "If you aren't going to love or be loved, the whole journey is pointless." Those are words to live by.
Right now I'm reading "Looking for Alaska" by Peter Jenkins.
Monday, December 7, 2009
how reading changed my life
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn has a great energy - told from two viewpoints about one crazy night in NYC, it's quick-paced and quick-witted and fresh about sophisticated teenagers who are knowledgable about queercore bands, strippers dressed as nuns, transgendered people, etc. I really liked the funny, modern voices but after a while, the constant use of "fuck" got tiresome. It was in every sentence at least once. I got pretty weary halfway through.
I also read "Love is the Higher Law" by David Levithan about teenagers in NYC on 9/11. At first, I was turned off by the topic, who really wants to relive those days and who can say something new? But, as the author points out in the end, kids today don't have those memories and need to be told what those days were like. Anyway, it's also about sophisticated teens grappling with love lives. It was sad and sweet and lovely.
On to nonfiction! "The Audacity to Win" by David Plouffe about the Obama campaign was totally gripping. It's my favorite story - how a man named Barack Obama became our president. Plouffe is not a writer's writer and the book doesn't really capture the emotional arc, but he comes across as a nerdy genius. He even played with a game called "Landslide" as a kid about election math. I never fail to marvel at the improbable story of Obama's election and savor the transcendent moment.
"How Reading Changed My Life" by Anna Quindlen is about how much she likes to read. I quite agree. The best part is the book lists in the back. I'm eager to pick up "Poems for Life" her book of famous people's favorite poems.
What's next:
Love in a Cold Climate (halfway done)
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
I also read "Love is the Higher Law" by David Levithan about teenagers in NYC on 9/11. At first, I was turned off by the topic, who really wants to relive those days and who can say something new? But, as the author points out in the end, kids today don't have those memories and need to be told what those days were like. Anyway, it's also about sophisticated teens grappling with love lives. It was sad and sweet and lovely.
On to nonfiction! "The Audacity to Win" by David Plouffe about the Obama campaign was totally gripping. It's my favorite story - how a man named Barack Obama became our president. Plouffe is not a writer's writer and the book doesn't really capture the emotional arc, but he comes across as a nerdy genius. He even played with a game called "Landslide" as a kid about election math. I never fail to marvel at the improbable story of Obama's election and savor the transcendent moment.
"How Reading Changed My Life" by Anna Quindlen is about how much she likes to read. I quite agree. The best part is the book lists in the back. I'm eager to pick up "Poems for Life" her book of famous people's favorite poems.
What's next:
Love in a Cold Climate (halfway done)
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Thursday, December 3, 2009
cancer vixen
I read "Cancer Vixen" by Marisa Acocella Marchetto -- it's a true memoir of New Yorker cartoonist living a fabulous city life who gets breast cancer. She writes about how it impacts her relationships - including her fiance who runs a hot restaurant in NYC. It's a mash of serious topics and Sex and The City-type fluff. What kinds of shoes should I wear to chemo? I really enjoyed the book and bought a copy to send to my friend who has a parent with cancer.
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