Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Books Update
THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA Michael Pollan
On May 14, I wrote about my book discussion experience when my Tuesday night library based group tackled this one. You can read more about the book in that blog entry. We've read Pollan's books before, and probably will again. His writing style is pleasant, clearly well researched, yet accessible and enjoyable for the most uneducated scientific neophyte.
WEST WITH THE NIGHT Beryl Markham
Another classic I waited much too long to read. This is a very entertaining combination of personal memoir, a meditation on the relationships between man and beast, a marvelous window into a time in Africa which has long since disappeared, and more than deserving of its place in literature.
WINTER STUDY Nevada Barr
This one won't knock Barr off my "don't miss" list of authors, but it isn't up to her usual standard. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon winters over on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. A kind of "locked room" mystery in which there are a very limited list of suspects in the crime of murder. I think Barr missed an opportunity to provide interesting facts about the role of predators in nature. But not to worry, I'll read her next one for sure.
THE COMMONER John Burnham Schwartz
Schwartz uses actual events from the lives of the current Emperor and Empress of Japan to construct an insightful "what if" scenario telling the stories of the Empress as a young girl coming of age in post-war Japan, her life after her marriage, and her failure to support her daughter-in-law. The book raises interesting, perhaps unanswerable, questions about what actions are justified to protect a vulnerable loved one.
VOYAGE OF THE BASSET James Christensen
A child's book of fantasy, beautifully illustrated, with a wispy fragment of a story. The library book discussion group was in agreement that the artwork was worth the investment of time. Opinions on the worth of the textual material were divided.
CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE Jane Haddam
Haddam never misses an opportunity to take a swipe at various features of popular culture. In her latest Gregor Demarkian adventure, a group of young women, clearly lifted from press coverage of Paris Hilton and other women like her, converge on a wintry New England island. A couple of murders bring Demarkian into investigate. Haddam will always provide alternate chapters from the point of view of most of her characters which results in a pleasant guessing game similar to those presented classic detective fiction of a few generations ago.
ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Lewis Carroll
I reread these after too many years to count, in preparation for next week's book discussion evening. I had forgotten quite a bit, and found many memory cells affected by Walt Disney's concepts.
UNACCUSTOMED EARTH Jhumpa Lahiri
One of my nieces besieged every family member she could find after she finished Lahiri's first book of short stories – INTERPRETER OF MALADIES - with a demand that we "read this book!" I was as enchanted as she was, and approached this new collection with trepidation – could Lahiri keep it up? Yes, she can. And in this collection, she expands her view to include main characters who are not Bengali. She is a treasure, if you haven't read any of her books, don't wait to put them on your "to be read" list.
RESISTANCE by Owen Sheers
During a bitterly cold winter in Wales, in the late 1940's, the Allied invasion of Normandy has failed, and Nazis occupy Great Britain. One morning a group of farm women wake to find they are alone, their husbands and all other men in the area have left during the night. Presumably to join a resistance movement, but no one knows for sure. As weather conditions worsen, a local German officer offers the assistance of his small band of occupying forces. In a short epilogue, author Sheers relates that he constructed his alternate history based on the memories of an elderly man who recalled his wartime intention to volunteer for the resistance if Germany had managed to invade. In his story, Sheers does not answer every question of the reader, but provides enough small clues to provide sobering food for thought.
THE GIVER Lois Lowry
Another alternate version of reality. A group of seemingly well adjusted people live together in easy routine, but as the story unfolds, the reader realizes that a lot of what makes life interesting is missing. While there is no conflict, persons feel no deep emotions, sexual urges are medicated away, and children are regimented and pigeonholed into pre-established jobs as they reach the age of twelve. And, of course, one young person realizes what is missing, and moves to rebel.
HOLD TIGHT Harlan Coben
The latest fast, tense read from the best selling author. Coben always manages to dish up a story of ordinary suburban families, with ordinary concerns and activities, who get caught up in something they did not anticipate. Coben's notes at the conclusion reveal that this latest novel began as he discussed with a group of friends and fellow parents just how far they were willing to go to protect their children.
GANG LEADER FOR A DAY Sudhir Venkatesh
In the 1990's, the author was a graduate student in sociology at the University of Chicago and began to do field research in a local high rise housing project. After some 8-10 years of study, he had a remarkable set of experiences – following a local gang leader manage a far reaching sales empire dealing in crack cocaine; and observing a tenant leader in one of the buildings as she both assisted residents and lorded over them. Venkatesh had a remarkable window on a large community of people, largely ignored and abandoned by the elected and appointed leaders of their community, who nevertheless found ways to organize and manage their lives.
LOOKING GLASS WARS Frank Beddor
Beddor is a Hollywood producer, with several successful films to his credit. He takes on the story of Alice in Wonderland and a battle for control between the Red Queen and Alice, to appropriate cinematic effect.
BLACKLIGHT BLUE Peter May
May's protagonist Enzo McLeod is a forensic specialist who has accepted a bet to solve several cold cases which have baffled French police. In this third installment, his successes have gained him press attention, and a group of baddies decide to preempt his investigation of their crimes and take him out first. A very suspenseful pursuit ensues.
On May 14, I wrote about my book discussion experience when my Tuesday night library based group tackled this one. You can read more about the book in that blog entry. We've read Pollan's books before, and probably will again. His writing style is pleasant, clearly well researched, yet accessible and enjoyable for the most uneducated scientific neophyte.
WEST WITH THE NIGHT Beryl Markham
Another classic I waited much too long to read. This is a very entertaining combination of personal memoir, a meditation on the relationships between man and beast, a marvelous window into a time in Africa which has long since disappeared, and more than deserving of its place in literature.
WINTER STUDY Nevada Barr
This one won't knock Barr off my "don't miss" list of authors, but it isn't up to her usual standard. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon winters over on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. A kind of "locked room" mystery in which there are a very limited list of suspects in the crime of murder. I think Barr missed an opportunity to provide interesting facts about the role of predators in nature. But not to worry, I'll read her next one for sure.
THE COMMONER John Burnham Schwartz
Schwartz uses actual events from the lives of the current Emperor and Empress of Japan to construct an insightful "what if" scenario telling the stories of the Empress as a young girl coming of age in post-war Japan, her life after her marriage, and her failure to support her daughter-in-law. The book raises interesting, perhaps unanswerable, questions about what actions are justified to protect a vulnerable loved one.
VOYAGE OF THE BASSET James Christensen
A child's book of fantasy, beautifully illustrated, with a wispy fragment of a story. The library book discussion group was in agreement that the artwork was worth the investment of time. Opinions on the worth of the textual material were divided.
CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE Jane Haddam
Haddam never misses an opportunity to take a swipe at various features of popular culture. In her latest Gregor Demarkian adventure, a group of young women, clearly lifted from press coverage of Paris Hilton and other women like her, converge on a wintry New England island. A couple of murders bring Demarkian into investigate. Haddam will always provide alternate chapters from the point of view of most of her characters which results in a pleasant guessing game similar to those presented classic detective fiction of a few generations ago.
ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Lewis Carroll
I reread these after too many years to count, in preparation for next week's book discussion evening. I had forgotten quite a bit, and found many memory cells affected by Walt Disney's concepts.
UNACCUSTOMED EARTH Jhumpa Lahiri
One of my nieces besieged every family member she could find after she finished Lahiri's first book of short stories – INTERPRETER OF MALADIES - with a demand that we "read this book!" I was as enchanted as she was, and approached this new collection with trepidation – could Lahiri keep it up? Yes, she can. And in this collection, she expands her view to include main characters who are not Bengali. She is a treasure, if you haven't read any of her books, don't wait to put them on your "to be read" list.
RESISTANCE by Owen Sheers
During a bitterly cold winter in Wales, in the late 1940's, the Allied invasion of Normandy has failed, and Nazis occupy Great Britain. One morning a group of farm women wake to find they are alone, their husbands and all other men in the area have left during the night. Presumably to join a resistance movement, but no one knows for sure. As weather conditions worsen, a local German officer offers the assistance of his small band of occupying forces. In a short epilogue, author Sheers relates that he constructed his alternate history based on the memories of an elderly man who recalled his wartime intention to volunteer for the resistance if Germany had managed to invade. In his story, Sheers does not answer every question of the reader, but provides enough small clues to provide sobering food for thought.
THE GIVER Lois Lowry
Another alternate version of reality. A group of seemingly well adjusted people live together in easy routine, but as the story unfolds, the reader realizes that a lot of what makes life interesting is missing. While there is no conflict, persons feel no deep emotions, sexual urges are medicated away, and children are regimented and pigeonholed into pre-established jobs as they reach the age of twelve. And, of course, one young person realizes what is missing, and moves to rebel.
HOLD TIGHT Harlan Coben
The latest fast, tense read from the best selling author. Coben always manages to dish up a story of ordinary suburban families, with ordinary concerns and activities, who get caught up in something they did not anticipate. Coben's notes at the conclusion reveal that this latest novel began as he discussed with a group of friends and fellow parents just how far they were willing to go to protect their children.
GANG LEADER FOR A DAY Sudhir Venkatesh
In the 1990's, the author was a graduate student in sociology at the University of Chicago and began to do field research in a local high rise housing project. After some 8-10 years of study, he had a remarkable set of experiences – following a local gang leader manage a far reaching sales empire dealing in crack cocaine; and observing a tenant leader in one of the buildings as she both assisted residents and lorded over them. Venkatesh had a remarkable window on a large community of people, largely ignored and abandoned by the elected and appointed leaders of their community, who nevertheless found ways to organize and manage their lives.
LOOKING GLASS WARS Frank Beddor
Beddor is a Hollywood producer, with several successful films to his credit. He takes on the story of Alice in Wonderland and a battle for control between the Red Queen and Alice, to appropriate cinematic effect.
BLACKLIGHT BLUE Peter May
May's protagonist Enzo McLeod is a forensic specialist who has accepted a bet to solve several cold cases which have baffled French police. In this third installment, his successes have gained him press attention, and a group of baddies decide to preempt his investigation of their crimes and take him out first. A very suspenseful pursuit ensues.
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