An American Tragedy

gr4c5Leave a comment

Dreiser, Theodore. An American Tragedy. New York: World Publishing Co. 1962.

I don’t know why I’m reading this book. The binding looks like it will break if I even so much as breathe on it the wrong way. Someone has written notes in this library book and that in itself drives me nuts. I don’t want to be influenced by scribblings of another’s thoughts. Oh well. I don’t know much about this book other than to say it was recommended.

I started to get into this book after 100 pages or so. According to Nancy Pearl, that’s 50 pages too many. I would have stuck with it because I didn’t get to the really good part – the part that made it controversial and ultimately banned in it’s day (the whole reason why it was recommended), but it was due back at the library…and you know how librarians can be about overdue books. Note to self: if still alive after conquering Book Lust List, restart American Tragedy.

The Forgetting Room (w/spoiler)

gr4c5Leave a comment

Bantock, Nick. The Forgetting Room. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1997.

I have always been a fan of Nick Bantock’s work. I fell in love with Griffin and Sabine and reread the trilogy a thousand times over the years. When I found out Bantock had more to offer I jumped on the chance to read them all. I just finished The Forgetting Room. Part fiction, part art and all mystery, The Forgetting Roomis one man’s journey to Spain. It’s his nine day journal about unraveling mysteries surrounding his grandfather and the life he led.  In true Bantock fashion there are glorious pages of artwork and of course, voyeuristic letters to unfold.

Spoiler: Armon doesn’t completely solve the mystery. There is romance is the air.

Culinary Boot Camp

gr4c5Leave a comment

Shulman, Martha Rose. Culinary Boot Camp: five days of basic training with the Culinary Institute of America. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2006.

Aside from the recipes I thought this was a real read-it-once kind of book. Not something I would want to own for myself. I enjoyed holding the glossy book as much as reading Rose’s diary-like account of her experience(s) with the CIA (she actually went twice). My favorite sections were about different procedures: knife handling and water cooking. I learned something about testing the “doneness” of meat by feel. My least favorite part of the book were the photographs. Most of the photos were blurred to indicate “action shots”: cooks plating, students sitting in lecture, a chef chopping, students stirring and so forth.
Another reason for the read-it-once philosphy: I doubt I will make any of the recipes. At the end, a little less than half of the book,  are recipes mentioned elsewhere. I know I will never need a brown veal stock and Rose admits as much, too.

The Chocolate War (w/spoilers)

gr4c5Leave a comment

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Dell, 1986.
I hated this book. Not because of the way it was written, well, maybe that added to it a little. I hated the premise. How can a school be overrun by bullies? How is it possible that an educational establishment can become so out of whack? I didn’t believe in the power of The Vigils as much as I believed in the bullies behind it.
Then, there’s the character development, or lack of it. I was itching to write out a chart of who was who. Who were the good guys? There wasn’t enough detail to really make me feel sorry for, or like, or hate any of them one way the other. Even Jerry, the “main” character lacked depth. I felt bad for him because he was the kid without a mom, he was the weakling who decided to stand up for himself…or something. I have no idea why he did half the things he did. All I know is that he wanted to play football and he had a strained relationship with his dad.

Spoiler: I can only assume he died in the end.