rahniREADS (August '09)

When people ask me what I like to read, I usually shrug and say, simply, "Everything." But I've come to realize that that is not true. I feel no attraction towards books of many genres. Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Laurel K. Hamilton, Thomas Hardy? Not My Style. I'm-Just-Calling-You-Names Current Affairs books, Self Help, New Age, True Crime, most Themed Mysteries (culinary, quilting, etc.), Breathless Bodice Rippers? Not Interested. If you can't express yourself except through prolific clusters of obscenities, I will be skipping your book. I love biographies, but I have no interest in reading about the people who are all, "Look at me and how screwed up I am and how I never try to redeem or improve myself or even think about others, and listen to my dramatic list of all the wrongs done to me and how badly I've been treated in life and each drunken/stoned escapade of my life that I remember, I'm so distracted by staring at my own bellybutton and trying to figure out just what an enigma I am, blah, blah, blah." Forget it. Sometimes I don't realize it's Not To My Taste until too late. I'm already immersed, and can't, can't, can't--CANNOT--abandon yet another book midway through.


Gateway - Frederik Pohl*
~Space angst dissected by computer shrink~
The NPR Commentator and "famous" Seattle librarian, Nancy Pearl, introduced this book to me as an aside during an interview I listened to years ago. Despite that, I will continue to listen to her reviews and continue to delight in her book-recommendation collections, Book Lust and More Book Lust. The story is a SciFi future/space drama, where Earth is on the brink of collapse and humans are looking to colonize new worlds. They've found spaceships built by an unknown alien race that fly pre-programmed routes and--using their extremely limited knowledge--the humans use these ships to help the colonization process. The intriguing thing about this prospect is that they have no idea where the ships with go and, more importantly, how long each flight will last. Sounds like an fascinating read, no? Nope. It wasn't. Beyond that (admittedly) unique and mind-bending idea, the book is stuck in 60's/70's Freudian over-psychoanalyzing, sexual revolution, anti-establishment indignation, etc. Not for me. Stop fighting with your Oedipal urges, computer shrink, disturbingly violent tendencies, and rotating bedmates, Mr. Robinette Broadhead. It's tiresome. And it doesn't make for a compelling story. Thumbs down. (Fiction, Science Fiction>IYLRMO Replay, Kurt Vonnegut)
The Amateur Marriage - Anne Tyler***1/2
~Rash wartime declarations of love wane~
I kept thinking of my sister, Chandra, while reading this book. Not because her marriage at all resembles this book, but because it's a book I'm surprised she hasn't pushed on me. This novel serves as a profile of America through the decades as well as a study of a mismatched marriage. By alternating points of view from chapter to chapter, Ms. Tyler allows us to really dig deeper into these characters lives and perspectives. Though frequently frustrated with this incongruous pair, I quite enjoyed this evening read. (Fiction, Historical (WWII to present)>IYLRMO Before You Know Kindness--Chris Bohjalian, The Scarlet Feather--Maeve Binchy)
Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word - Randall Kennedy***
~Sociologist examines, discusses politically-charged word~
"The word is paradigmatically ugly, racist and inflammatory. But is it different when Ice Cube uses it in a song than when, during the O.J. Simpson trial, Mark Fuhrman was accused of saying it? What about when Lenny Bruce uses it to "defang" it by sheer repetition? Or when Mark Twain uses it in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to make an antiracist statement? Kennedy, a professor at Harvard Law School and noted legal scholar, has produced an insightful and highly provocative book that raises vital questions about the relationship between language, politics, social norms and how society and culture confront racism."--Publishers Weekly
I started reading this book in August 2009 in a B&N break room. My initial introduction to the work, however, occurred about seven(?) years earlier in the only episode of Boston Public that I've ever watched. A racial incident in the classroom prompted the teacher to assign this particular book as a required read. Like a dutifully interested television viewer, I went out, bought this book and added it to my library shelves. Where it sat. And sat. And sat. For years. Inspired by last month's reading choice successes by selecting from my own bookshelves, I turned again to my overflowing library. Let me just say that this book is awkward to carry around in public. After taking in the skeptical or astonished glances, I'd rush to point out the subtitle and blather about how it's a sociological study . . . and on and on. Walking down a sidewalk one day during my lunch break, I even grew self-conscious enough to bend the cover down so that the slow-moving cars didn't send me indignant glares. I found Kennedy to be contradictory at times, as when he seems to applaud Chris Rock and condemn his grandmother for their same usage of the word. This book turned out to be more of a historical study than a contemporary discussion of today's issues. I think it was an interesting read, even brave of the author to even broach such a politically/racially-charged subject, but I was left unsatisfied by the mere listing of examples instead of probing analysis. He did retain the role of independent observor admirably, but I was hoping for actual opinions and discussion. I wish he would have included essays (or something of the like) reflecting different points of view on the subject. "After a while, one wishes for more of an argument than a laundry listing of the word's history of discord." R. Chaffey, Amazon reviewer. (Nonfiction, Cultural Studies/Current Affairs>IYLRMO Black Like Me--John Howard Griffin, He Talk Like a White Boy--Joseph C. Phillips, Honky--Dalton Conley)
Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech (Book Club)***1/2
~Girl loses mother, learns to live~
See, it's people like Debbie who remind me that I really need to stop judging books so quickly and give them a chance. Once again, when the book club choice was announced for this month, I found myself thinking, "No, not that one!" Didn't voice it, of course. I had successfully ignored this Newberry Award winner on the shelf for years. The cover turned me off, the title bored me, and I didn't even bother reading the synopsis. Perhaps IF I HAD I would have realized the marvelous potential behind that blah cover! Indeed, the moment I finally deigned to read the synopsis on bn.com, I was immediately hooked. Two quotes for you:
"Did he actually KISS my collarbone? And if he did, why did he do that? Was the kiss supposed to land somewhere else, like on my mouth, for example? That was a chilling thought." (Salamanca, p.49)
"She's unconscious," the intern said. "She won't know whether you're here or not."
"Sonny, I've been by her side for fifty-one years, except for three days when she left me for the egg man. I'm holding on to her hand, see? If you want me to let go, you'll have to chop my hand off." (Gramps, p.256)
(Fiction, Young Reader, Newberry>IYLRMO Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry--Mildred Taylor, Maniac Magee--Jerry Spinelli)
When Jesus Came to Harvard - Harvey Cox*****
~Harvard decides students need Moral Reasoning~
Every six months the employees of Barnes & Noble go on mini-shopping sprees due to the bi-annual employee discount sale (an extra 10% off merchandise). Until about two years ago, I was no exception. As much as I tried to reason with myself that just because the books being 40% off now instead of 30% didn't give me license to go crazy, my list of BIWTR (Books I Want To Read) was more persuasive. Two years ago, however, B&N showed us a figure that represented how much we had saved that year through our own personal use of the discount. "That's how much I spent!" I exclaimed, astounded. "No, that's how much you saved." I was so horrified that my spending has gone down DRAMATICALLY at work. Probably not reaction that they were shooting for. Oh well. Anyhow, this book was on my BIWTR list for several years, strangely enough, but was always bumped for other clamoring titles. Until this past summer. That's right, I bought this little beauty for a mere 30% off--didn't even wait to save that extra $1.50. Enough was enough! About the actual book, however . . . it's great. Seriously. Go out and read it. Back in the early 80's, Harvard decided that they needed to require their students to take a class in Moral Reasoning. Armed with just the scholastic bits, their students weren't always applying their newfound knowledge in the most ethical of ways. Of the many courses offered, Harvey Cox was asked to teach a course based on the teachings of Jesus--how to apply his rabbinical teachings, the historical landscape, stories told by and about him to moral situations in our modern day world. The course quickly became one of the most popular classes on campus. Just as the course is for members of all faiths (or even of no religious faith), so is this book. A fabulous book exploring the world-altering life of Jesus and the application of moral reasoning in the 21st century. (Nonfiction, Religion, Philosophy, Cultural Studies>IYLRMO Between the Testaments, No Man is an Island--Thomas Merton, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance--Robert Pirsig)
April Morning - Howard Fast*****
~Revolutionary war battle through teen's eyes~
I can't for the life of me remember where I heard about this Revolutionary War novel, but I do know that I checked it out from my school library back in February or so. And lost track of it, come the end of school, thus making me one of the patrons we dread--people who don't return our books, thus depleting our collection. Midway through the summer, the slim novel popped up from the depths of my closet and I breathed a sigh of relief, set it aside in an obvious place and thought no more about it until school began. I even went so far as to put it in my car to return, but then thought better of it and decided to actually read the book I had held captive for lo these many months. So glad I did! Rod's reading it right now--I'll get him to weigh in soon. Here are a few passages I enjoyed . . .
"We thank the, O Lord, for the bread we eat, but we are also conscious of seed we have planted, of the hands that guided the plow and the back bent in toil. The ground is dry as dust, and I will take the liberty of asking for a little rain. I know that Thou givest with one hand and Thou takest away with the other, but sometimes it seems to me to go beyond the bounds of reason. Amen!" (Father, p.12)
"I thought [the Reverend's proclaiming to confront the advancing British army with words of reason, not with bullets, yet with weapons in hand] was beautifully put . . . I suppose that Father could have bettered it, being used to throwing in an argument at the drop of the hat, but for a reflective man like the Reverend, it was all one could ask. I even began to look forward to his projected exchange with the British, and to imagine some of the things I might say in his place. Just for the sake of peace, I hoped that his thoughts ran to less colorful language than mine." (Adam, p.92)
"I hate to scold you, I really do."
"It would be interesting to see what it would be like here if you enjoyed scolding me."
"Adam, I don't appreciate sarcasm."
"I'm sorry, Mother." (Adam/Mother, p. 42)
(Fiction, Historical, Revolutionary War>IYLRMO All Quiet on the Western Front, Rifles for Watie, Red Badge of Courage (presumably--haven't read this classic yet!))
A Kiss in Time - Alex Flinn**1/2
~Fluffy jump-through-time Sleeping Beauty spin~
A modern day twist to the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Not really much more to say than that. It didn't WOW by any means, nor was it really terribly bad. Just a shrug. A half-hearted shrug.
(Fiction, Teen, Retold Fairy Tale mixed with real world>IYLRMO Summers at Castle Auburn--Sharon Shinn, but not as entertaining)
The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice #6) - John Flanagan**1/2
~Will is older and less entertaining~
Do authors think that we have the memory retention of a goldfish? Some authors are just bound and determined to thrust the same character definitions upon us over and over and over and over and . . . I'm thinking this story should have ended two books ago. I do realize that I am not the intended audience, though, and it's perfectly serviceable for the age group it caters to (6-9th grades). It's just lost a lot of its charm. Oh, well. It was a good run. (Fiction, Young Reader, Fantasy>IYLRMO The Last Apprentice series--Joseph Delaney)


(IYLRMO = If you liked/Reminds me of . . .)
***** READ IT RIGHT NOW!
*** Would definitely pass it on to others--highly recommended
*** Better than most
**1/2 (Shrug) Nothing that sticks with you, but fine afternoon reading
** If you're stuck on a deserted island and cloud-watching isn't your thing
* BURN in a fire if you're stuck on a deserted island (even if it's a hot, tropical island)