rahniREADS (February '09)

Remember hearing about the way to catch a raccoon? Put something it wants through an opening that's just big enough to fit his hand through. He'll close his fist around his treasure and then not be able to escape back through whence he came. He could easily let go of his newly-acquired possession and escape, but he can't bring himself to release his grasp.

I'm like that. I don't like to borrow, I like to OWN. Libraries hate me--I read the books speedily enough, but always have problems returning on time, thus racking up fines, thus increasing our mutual resentment towards each other. Or, at least, my resentment towards the library. I have only a few exceptions to the "owning" fixation--I don't like to buy hardback fiction (even if found in the Bargain section of the bookstore, even if it costs more to buy the same book in paperback--hardback is for nonfiction), and I don't like to buy a book if I plan to never read it again or to never pass it on to anybody else. I own the greater majority of the books I've placed on the rahniREADS lists (such is the fallout of working at a bookstore and getting a discount), but I've borrowed a few as well (my school library doesn't charge fines--plus, I can change the due date when I run tardy.) I own ten of the books from this particular list, borrowed two from B&N (we're allowed to "borrow" hardback books for two weeks, one at a time, if we keep them in saleable (sellable?) condition), and borrowed The Swallows of Kabul from my library. Just in case you were wondering . . .
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe (postponed)
~Don't know yet, haven't finished, doomed~

I listed this book in both January and February, but it doesn't really belong in this post. Why not? Because I haven't gotten beyond page 80 yet. In fact, February's contact mainly consisted of the strong belief that the book was hiding somewhere in the depths of Erv's messy back seat. Our Book Club was canceled in February, thus I lost my driving reason to read this classic. I'll revisit Uncle Tom, but I'm setting it aside for now.

Every Second Counts - Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins ****

~Post-cancer, new perspective, unparalleled ambition~

Reminds me of the Banff Film Festival--awe at what these daredevils/athletes have driven themselves to accomplish through such enviable talent or sometimes just on raw determination, but also a recognition that that kind of myopic drive can lead to a very unbalanced life. Also, it can make you a hard person to become attached to. But, overall, a fabulous book. Warning! Can cause reader to become introspective and fill said reader with renewed desire to implement vigorous exercise into daily routine.

The Swallows of Kabul - Yasmina Khadra **

~Taliban sucks joy, meaning out of life~

I don't require my books to be happy, happy, joy, joy--I just want them to make me feel like I wasn't better off having spent that time doing laundry. At least it was a quick read. I much preferred The Kite Runner, or The Breadwinner for time spent reading about Afghanistan--both superb books.

The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian ***

~If "The Great Gatsby" wasn't fiction~

I feel like the fates are trying to tell me to reread an old high school required text--first through this book, then so many Gatsby references I can't even count--on television, at B&N, through conversations with others. All the time, everywhere Gatsby, Gatsby, Gatsby. Maybe it'll be better upon a second, nonrequired go-around, much like I discovered Heart of Darkness to be.

Three Willows - Ann Brashares ***

~Girls grow up, childhood bond falters~

This novel rounded out a very nose-in-a-book weekend. From Kurt Vonnegut's trippiness to Card's wordy SciFi, to Brashares' Young Reader fiction--I experienced a little jet lag from all the genre-switching turbulance. Relatable read--who among us hasn't grown apart from a friend--pleasant enough for an afternoon couch shlump.

Ender in Exile - Orson Scott Card ***1/2

~Ender matures en route to exile~

A big fan of the Ender series (original rather than Shadow), I was always a little sad that Ender spent three of the four books in the original Ender's Game series as an adult, with no real bridge from his book one adolescence. Not a whole lot of action, but a great whatever happened book. I've always liked Ender better than Bean, and this book only strengthened that opinion. This book seems like it should be numbered 1.5, but it shouldn't be read until after you've completed the series. Best, actually, if read after the Shadow series as well.

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut **

~WWII, tripping through time with aliens~

"So it goes." Oh my word, was that sentence endlessly repeated. I felt stuck in a Billy Joel song that lasted for 224 pages, but without any piano to keep me entertained. So it went. All Quiet on the Western Front exceeds as a commentary on war, and Catch-22 was definitely a better satire on war. Read one of those instead.

Recovering Charles - Jason Wright **1/2

~Bitter son finds drunk father, post-Katrina~

February's Book Club book. Good topics to ponder, the twist at the end redeemed some of the writing and plot, but too little, too late. We had an excellent discussion, though. I've learned you don't need to be a fan of the chosen book in order to have a good meeting!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson ****

~Trilogy concludes, Starcatchers triumph, Peter alone~

With a collaboration as humorous and lively as has emerged from this pairing, Barry and Pearson had better continue to team up--I want more!

Peter and the Shadow Thieves - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson****1/2

~From Neverland to London, adventures abound!~
The best book of the trilogy. Peter journeys to London to save Molly and the rest of the Starcatchers from a sinister threat.

Shakespeare Wrote for Money - Nick Hornby ****

~Brit soccer fan's essays on reading~

A follow-up of The Polysyllabic Spree and Housekeeping vs. the Dirt, another volume that chronicles the author's entertaining articles found in The Believer magazine. Being British, he's got a fabulous vocabulary and a dry sense of humor. He begins each column with a list of books he's purchased during the month and a list of the books he actually read. They're rarely the same all the way through. This little paragraph doesn't reflect it, but Such Good Times!

On Stories - C. S. Lewis ***1/2

~Narnian shares thoughts on literature, reading~

One of my favorite lines (found in an essay on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit): "Prediction is dangerous: but The Hobbit may well prove a classic." Some essays were a delight to read, others a bit ponderous, most were thoughtful and entertaining.

Walden - Henry David Thoreau (see Uncle Tom's Cabin)

~Good sentences, pompous man, not finished~

I started reading this oft-quoted but little-read classic to record as a Christmas gift for my niece, Madison. Well, at least one overly-ambitious intended present is bound to fall through the cracks, right? Turns out that her English class was only reading excerpts. Not from any of the sections I had read, though, unfortunately. I'm tabling this one until later.

A reminder of the star system. Or, to be more precise, an "asterisk" system. Here's how it goes:

***** READ IT RIGHT NOW!

**** Would definitely pass it on to others--highly recommended

*** Better than most

** If you're stuck on a desert island and cloud-watching isn't your thing

* BURN in fire if you're stuck on a desert island (even if it's a hot, tropical island)