Sunday Caught My Interest

Spring is bursting out all over in the backyard. Himself’s flowering bonsai are gracing the back deck looking spectacular, the grass is green and lush, and the trees all leafed out. We are having somewhat cooler days here in the Hinterland after a week or so of beautiful sunshine but that is typical of our springs. Unfortunately health issues are bursting out all over as well. I am surprised at the number of cancers that have popped up with friends, family of friends, etc. all dealing with this issue. I needed a break from all the seriousness and started Barbara Pym’s An Unsuitable Attachment – such good light reading. My book group met and had an excellent discussion of My Name is Asher Lev. I also finished Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach. I found it okay, similar to Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. I did not know that Moggach also wrote The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as well as many other books that sound interesting (most of which are not yet available in the US). I have a third book going, The Forrests by Emily Perkins which I am enjoying a great deal.

Here is what caught my interest this week:

Vishy’s Blog has a wonderful review of Clare Morrall’s novel The Language of Others. I really enjoyed her first novel Astonishing Splashes of Colour which was shortlisted for the 2003 Booker Prize. Unfortunately The Language of Others is not yet available in the US but I see I can get her novel Natural Flights of the Human Mind is available.  Natural Flights is about Peter Straker, a man who lives on the coast of England alone with no neighbors talking to no one except the 78 people he was responsible for killing almost twenty-five years ago. Although it was ruled an accident, Peter is unsure of exactly what happened. His peace is first disturbed by a new neighbor and the approaching anniversary of  his “crime”. I found Morrall really good at getting inside people’s heads and then translating that to the reader.

My diet has changed once again and is even more restrictive so I think about food a lot. And then I saw a book on Alex in Leed’s blog that might indulge my fantasies while still protecting my health – then again it might be too much to read about what I can’t eat while I am still adjusting to what I can eat. Written by Niki Segnit, The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook is an exploration of the world of flavor profiles covering 99 flavors group by similar tastes, with pairings as well as recipe suggestions and anecdotes.

Finally, Danielle of A Work in Progress has an interesting set of “Beach Reads” listed – that is books set by the sea rather than summer fluff writing. In another post she has a good list of soon-to-be published mysteries. There are additional books discussed in the comments as well. Becca (Becca’s Byline) talks about some of her favorite books that look at the mother/daughter relationship.

Sunday Caught My Interest

It has been a hectic week at my mom’s. I was able to attend her morning book group, an experience I always enjoy. This book group doesn’t discuss a single book – instead each participant shares one book they read that month and if the book is available to share, a sign-up list is created and the books are passed around. It is a great way to find new books and this month the ladies were reading and sharing several good books. Youngest and I spent Thursday at two events for the Dalai Lama in Portland. The first was a interfaith symposium and the second was a talk by the Dalai Lama himself. It was very interesting – fascinating to see someone of his stature. He reminded me in many ways of the character Volya Rinpoche, in Roland Merullo’s novel, Breakfast with Buddha – there was the same fey pleasure in the simple things in life.

Youngest and I did a lot of book shopping visiting three stores in Salem and Powell’s City of Books on the way home this morning. He visited the political section and as my time was limited, I had to be very efficient in the fiction section. I did not get much reading done during the week as I was focused on the NY Times Book Reviews my mother saves for me. But I did finish two books on the ride home. I was a little unsure of The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay when I first started it but as I got deeper into the novel, I found it gaining a great deal of strength. The second book was I am the Clay by Chaim Potok.

Here is what caught my interest this week:

One of the things I wonder about writing is how an author who writes a highly successful first novel, ever get the courage to write the second. Chasing Bawa reviewes The Valley of Unknowing by Philip Sington which features such an author – living off the fame of his first novel for the next thirty years. He lives in East Berlin, too complacent to defect, and is just going along with the motions in live. When he is asked to review a manuscript, a “sequel” to his novel, he finds it is both excellent and written by his arch-rival, a young writer who delights in making fun of Krug. Complicating things, Krug falls in love with a young musician from the west who also happens to be involved with the rival. Bawa includes some quotes from the book in her review and they are worth checking out.

kimbofo briefly mentions another book centered around the literary scene, this one set in Belfast during the 1980′s. Jammy Dodger, by Kevin Smith, is the story of Artie Conville who runs a tax-subsidized poetry magazine. However, he and his fellow editor hit a snag when they run out of poetry and are in danger of losing their meal ticket. A scheme is hatched, girls are involved, and the publisher’s description also mentions a giant white rabbit. This one sounds funny and entertaining.

Also containing a literary background is The Whole Wide Beauty by actress Emily Woof. Katherine is the daughter of David Freeman, the director of a poetry foundation who has spent far more time at his work than with his family. Katherine is also feeling stuck in a conventional marriage dealing with husband and family rather than pursuing her passion of dancing. She complicates everyone’s live by falling in love with her father’s protege. Vishy’s Blog has a lengthy review of this book and includes several quotes including this one:

They probably took their dog on the same walk every afternoon. May imagined their lives, conventional, their marriage so faithful and unchallenging. They were perfectly moulded to each other, like two bowls on a kitchen shelf. She could never have chosen a life like theirs, but as she got in her car to drive to Carlisle, she wished for a small measure of their contentment.

Happy reading!

 

 

Finally, Stefanie of So Many Books has an interesting post on Gatsby Mania with some interesting links.

Sunday Caught My Interest

The end of my week turned a tad to the chaotic side with lots of time spent with my friend who had some procedures done to prepare for her chemotherapy treatment. Youngest made it home only two hours late (he looks taller) and the dog was ecstatic and the cat decided the kid was only worth ignoring. Himself is also happy to have all his kids home and a very large amount of lasagne was both made and consumed. Sunday Youngest and I hopped into the car and drove to Oregon so he can make some arrangements for moving to Portland for the summer and so that he and I can see the Dalai Lama speak this Thursday – we are both very excited.

I did manage to make it through The Light of Amsterdam by David Park and I did not like it at all, in fact I was pretty disappointed by it. Many other readers have had a different experience so read Dove Grey’s review of the book before dismissing it completely. The other two books I finished were much better, so much better that I am really looking forward to reading both again: My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok and Testing the Current by William McPherson.

Here is what caught my interest this week:

If you are fond of short stories, Eve’s Alexandria reviews a collection by Australian Margo Lanagan called Black Juice (originally published in 2005). The collection itself is prizewinning as well as the story described by Eve in her review, Singing My Sister Down. While these stories are considered fantasy, they seem to be about the ordinary seen from a slightly fantastical perspective. Eve describes them as stories about communities or families and an individual’s actions in relation to these communities. I also like how Eve describes how the stories “get under your skin. They seem to slide in sideways, exploiting gaps you didn’t know you had, lodging themselves in the recesses of your mind.” And after reading the review, I can see how they would do that.

Another odd book that came to my attention through Stuck in a Book is Skylark by Dezso Kosztolanyi first published in 1924 and it is considered a Hungarian classic (Publisher’s Weekly). Set in the 1900′s, Skylark is the name of the daughter of a couple who live in a small town. The father is retired, the mother keeps house, and both of them are under the thrall of their daughter. She leaves her parents for a short time to visit relatives and with her absence, her parents rediscover themselves while at the same time, being inadequate to take care of themselves. The review has a quote from early in the novel which illustrates the subtle depth of the writing and explains, in part, why it is now on my list of books to read:

They had given her that name years ago, Skylark, many, many years ago, when she still sang.  Somehow the name had stuck, and she still wore it like an outgrown childhood dress.

It turns out that Margaret Atwood’s first novel is not Surfacing (1972). Instead it is The Edible Woman. Chrisbookarama reviews the book this week on her blog and it sounds like a very interesting read. Written in 1969, the book pre-dates much of the feminist movement, but Atwood uses identity, gender, roles, expectations (societal and personal), and satisfaction/dissatisfaction in the story of Marian McAlpin unhappy with her life and waiting for a proposal from her boyfriend to project her into the life she thinks she wants. However, when it happens she gradually finds food disgusting and wants to eat her own body. So Marion must hide all this from the world, try to survive, and figure out what she wants out of life. I happen to be on a very restricted diet and so food and what I can and cannot eat has been consuming a lot of my mental space so the use of a person’s relationship with food to explore that person’s psychology is very interesting to me. The fact that it is an early Atwood I haven’t read is icing on the cake.

I always wondered what it would be like to have an identical twin – how does it feel to look at yourself walking around and interacting with the world. Dorothy Baker had two twin daughters and her husband stated that her 1962 novel, Cassandra at the Wedding, was based on her twins. Violet, of Still Life with Books, describes the book in her review. Cassandra is a graduate student at Berkeley writing her thesis on contemporary French female novelists. She is also facing depression and alcoholism all of which is topped of by her impending existential crisis – her twin sister is getting married and moving away from her forever. Cassandra will do anything to stop this from happening, the question is will Judith, her twin, turn back to her sister or continue with the separation.

Finally, if you are a fan of Irish author Edna O’Brian, The Literate Housewife reviews her memoir, Country Girl.

 

 

Programing Note

Sunday Caught My Interest will appear tomorrow.

PB

Sunday Caught My Interest

What a lazy weekend with Himself gone most of the time and Eldest off at a brewfest for three days. The calm before the storm as Youngest flies home this Thursday – I don’t know who will be more excited – me, the sheepdog (who likes all her ducks – or family members – in a row), or the cat who feels Youngest exists to serve. I have managed to spend some time this weekend reading. I was going to start Friday but took a detour to see Mud with Matthew McConaughey which was very good and highly recommended. I finished By a Slow River by Philippe Claudel (better known for Monsieur Linh and His Child). I really liked it and will look for more by this French author. And I am a good way through The Light of Amsterdam by David Park. This one isn’t thrilling me a great deal but I will finish it.

Here is what caught my interest:

Last week I mentioned Balzac’s Omelet: A Delicious Tour of French Food and Culture with Honore de Balzac by Anka Muhlstein. She has also written a book called Monsieur Proust’s Library also mentioned by Tom of A Common Reader.  This time Muhlstein explores books Proust read as well as books he places in his character’s hands. I have always had an antipathy to Proust. My mother, long ago, gave me a set of Remembrance of Things Past in hopes that I would read it and one year, for Mother’s Day, I did start. Just couldn’t do it. Perhaps this book is a way to get my foot into the door.

On the subject of writer’s lives – two of my friends have read and enjoyed Shakespeare’s Tremor and Orwell’s Cough: The Medical Lives of Famous Writers by John Ross. And it does sound quite fascinating. Dr, Ross is both a practicing Physician and an Assistant Professor at the Harvard School of Medicine. He looks at the lives of various authors (Shakespeare, Milton, the Brontes, Orwell, Joyce, Yeats, Melville, Hawthorne, among others) from a medical perspective. I can picture my grandmother really enjoying reading this book and I am thinking I should read it in her honor.

I saw more than one review of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNea, the first in a series of new mysteries featuring Maggie Hope – an extremely intelligent young British citizen raised by her lesbian aunt in America including this on by A Guy’s Moleskin Notebook. The only work Maggie can find is as a typist at 10 Downing Street replacing a murdered secretary in the days leading up to the war. Amazon says that this series will appeal to “fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry.” I like that the reader has to figure out Maggie’s past, deal with the murder, as well as all the complications of a nation heading into war with different political factions jockeying for position.

Caribou’s Mom listed a while stack of books she was considering for a read-a-thon, many of which look well worth the time to check them out. One of the stack that really caught my eye was a book of short stories by William Lychack entitled The Architect of Flowers. The thirteen stories speak of small actions in everyday lives. The Quivering Pen writes, “Lychack’s strength lies in his ability to render details in language so precise—at once familiar and fresh—that the stories demand multiple re-reads just to savor the gorgeous flavor of the words”.  Lychack, a Vermont author, also has a novel that sounds interesting called The Wasp Eater the story of a 10 year-old-boy desperately trying to reconcile his parents. Many of the reviews I read of Lychack’s work speak of his lyrical or poetical writing style – just the way I like them.

Happy Reading!

Sunday Caught My Interest

This was one of those weeks I am glad has ended. I did finish Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach – still not sure how I feel about it. But other than that there was not much to celebrate. In addition to all the turmoil and troubles in both Boston and Texas, some things have happened closer to home that took their tolls. A friend of Himself lost his 23 year old son suddenly due to an aneurism. This young man just starting his adult life is the same age as eldest and so it hit both of us really hard. And we are desperately missing youngest who luckily for us be home in less then two weeks. And the cancers surrounding us seem to have grown exponentially with two friends moving into the seriously dangerous category. Either there is something in the environment or Himself and I have finally reached the age where we will just have to face more of this awful disease. Meanwhile we have pouring rain today but the tulips Himself bought for me yesterday on our way home from the funeral are blooming on the kitchen counter and eldest has hung out on the couch with me keeping the cat company. “Hug your kids” and “cherish the moments” have become almost cliches in today’s world – however, they do seem to be appropriate responses after this week.

Here is what caught my interest this week:

Women seemed to be the focus of my interest this week starting with Mad, Bad, & Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors by Lisa Appignanesi reviewed by Still Life with Books. The author covers the history of mental illness and women in the last two centuries utilizing the stories of women in both the literary and feminist  arenas.  She starts with the case of Mary Lamb (sister of Charles) and moves forward in time discussing the ever-evolving notions of the mind and how it works.

I really enjoyed The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (the story of Queen Elizabeth II and her growing obsession with reading) so I was please to see a review of a similar book, Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn on A Guy’s Moleskin Notebook. Kuhn allows his character of Queen Elizabeth to reflect on her life and the restrictions of being a royal. Seeking a bit of adventure and relief from her daily routine, the Queen slips out of Buckingham Place and boards a train for Scotland.

Lakeside Musing reviews Angela Thirkell’s second novel High Rising (1933). Thirkell wrote several novels and her second novel is set in the pre-war English countryside and Joann writes, “Reading High Rising reminded me of  Barbara Pym minus the clergy – a perfect comfort read!” A somewhat disheveled widow with several sons writes novels to support the family and does so with the help of a secretary, a selfless young woman caring for her mother. Enter in a gold-digger, a country doctor, an eight-year old boy obsessed with trains, and you have a plot that sounds like a great read.

Finally the Pulitzer Prizes were announced this week:

Fiction – The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson is set in North Korea. Johnson became interested in North Korea while looking at the effects of propaganda. Using the life of Jun Do, who was raised in an orphanage as the son of its master, Johnson paints a picture of a reclusive nation and the people who live there. Caribou’s Mom speaks of the book saying, “The Orphan Master’s Son is a dense and complex novel that deserves more than one reading.”

Non-Fiction – Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King. This must be something to beat out Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (which is generally raved about). King’s work chronicles a racial incident in a small Florida town in 1949 and Thurgood Marshall’s involvement in the case. The Legal Legacy blog writes, “This masterful and riveting non-fiction book is about some of the bravest men in the history of this country…This is a book that should be required reading. This horrifying, edge-of-your-seat tale really happened, and not that long ago. Its repercussions helped make the country what it is today. King, who unearthed FBI files that were under seal for sixty years, has done an outstanding job in telling this story which manages to be heart-breaking, inspiring, infuriating, and admirable all at once.”

Biography – The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss. The novelist Alexandre Dumas is well known for his novels such as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. What isn’t know is how he was inspired by his father’s life as a black slave, a sword-fighting member of French aristocracy and leader of armies. Devourer of Books writes, “If you have even the vaguest interest in Alexandre Dumas, the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, or the history of slavery and race relations, The Black Count is a must-read. Highly recommended.’”

Sunday Caught My Interest

The dog is curled up on the couch, the cat is complaining about the weather, Eldest is downstairs with friends, and himself is at a rocket launch. It would be a perfect Sunday if I just had a little more time to read. I spent a couple of days away from home this week going to Seattle for some shopping and a friend’s appointment. That all put me behind as well as eating into what little time I had to read. My book group did have a good discussion about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society mainly focused on book publicity and what makes a best-seller a best-seller. And I did get a few more pages read in The Translation of the Bones and hope to finish it this week.

Here is what caught my interest this week:

One of the actors I remember from my youth is Dirk Bograde. While his films didn’t stick in my mind (aside from A Bridge too Far) he was someone always on the edges. What I didn’t know was that he was also an author, of both novels and memoir. Fleur Fisher reviews one of his early memoirs, Great Meadow: An Evocation. From 1927-1934 Bogarde lived in a remote cottage on the Sussex Downs with his sister and a nanny. The slim book offers the reader a look at a past time, before the world changed – a boy’s recollection filtered through an adult’s sensibilities.

I have mentioned before my affection for Honore de Balzac and Tom, of A Common Reader, reviews a wonderful book called Balzac’s Omelet: A Delicious Tour of French Food and Culture with Honore de Balzac by Anka Muhlstein. What could be better than a look at all that is wonderful about France through the eyes of one of my favorite authors.

My cat had a hard day today as there were murderers in the house. That meant he had to spend the afternoon hiding in my closet after spending a morning fussing at eldest and I about his dissatisfaction with the weather, the lack of attention he was getting, the amount of attention the dog was getting, etc. Needless to say I love speculating about how my cat sees the world. Lucky for me, Diane of Bibliophile by the Sea, highlights the first paragraphs of Chinese Whiskers by Pallavi Aiyar, the story of contemporary Beijing through the eyes two cats. The opening section definitely has me putting this book on the list.

On the subject of cats, my mom and I were recalling the story of our Siamese, Dewey, who became lost shortly after she moved. My mother and her dog would walk in every larger circles around the neighborhood calling and eventually found Dewey, who in true cat fashion, chastised them both for not being where the cat needed them to be. Diane (Bibliophile by the Sea), who must be in the midst of a cat-read-a-thon, gives me a book just published this month – Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul. This is a true story of Paul’s lost and found cat. Wondering about where the cat has been Caroline and her partner Wendy MacNaughton (the illustrator of the book) attach at tiny GPS unit to the cat’s collar and do a little investigating.

Finally, Leeswammes, on her anniversary post, reminds me of her list of Dystopia Fiction for Adults and for those of you who regularly reread Jane Austin (including myself and other members of my family) an article for you in Slate Magazine

Happy Reading!