Tag: 2017

Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders

gr4c5Leave a comment

Gierach, John. Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders: a John Gierach Fly-fishing Treasury. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Reason read: June is Fishing Month or something like that.

You all have heard the fishing story about the one that got away. Well, Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders could be about the one that got away but is actually moreso about the one that got caught. And the other one that got caught. And the other one. Again and again. Leaky Waders is a ‘Best Of’ compilation from several different books already published. As a side note, I found the details about the types of flies and the technique to tying them to be a bit tedious. To an avid angler this definitely wouldn’t be the case, but I was far more interested in Gierach’s fabulous friendships (especially the one with his friend A.K.) and the adventures they found themselves taking across the country in search of the perfect fishing spot. The story about sitting through a tornado was funny.

Quotes to quote, “A trip is an adventure, and on an adventure things should be allowed to happen as they will” (p 77), “Creeps and idiots cannot conceal themselves for long on a fishing trip” (p 85), and my favorite, “Fishing and running – solitary exercises that are usually practiced in groups” (p 156). So true.

As an aside, I had to smile when Gierach described going through his mantra before a trip, “rodreelvestwaderscamera” so as not to forget anything. I smiled because it is very similar to my husband’s mantra of “phonewalletkeysreadingglassessunglasses” before he leaves for work.

As another aside, I have to disagree with Gierach. Dr. Juice looks nothing like Allen Ginsberg except to say they both have beards and glasses.

Author fact: Gierach wrote a whole bunch of other books about fishing. I have a couple more on my Challenge list. From what I understand there is a bunch of overlap with Death Taxes and Leaky Waders so the others (Sex, Death & Fly-Fishing and Another Lousy Day in Paradise) be quick reads.

Book trivia: Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders was illustrated by Glenn Wolff.

Nancy said: Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders is the best Gierach book to start with.

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Gone Fishin'” (p 100). Simple enough.

“Aren’t You Happy For Me?”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Bausch, Richard. “Aren’t You Happy for Me?” The Stories of Richard Bausch. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Reason read: June is (still) short story month.

Richard Bausch has this amazing ability to make you feel as if you have been plopped down smack in the middle of the drama belonging to someone else. In “Someone to Watch Over Me” the reader could have been another restaurant patron at a nearby table, overhearing Ted and Marlee’s marital spat. In “Aren’t You Happy For Me?” the reader is witness to a different kind of marital breakdown. This time two parents at the end of their marriage react differently to their daughter’s dual announcement of pregnancy and engagement to a man forty plus years her senior. Ballinger is hung up on the fact the man is nearly twenty years older than himself while Ballinger’s wife can only hope her daughter finds happiness for some period of time.

Author fact: I am reading four other titles by Richard Bausch.

BookLust Twist” from More Book Lust in the obvious chapter “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

“Babies”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Packer, Ann. “Babies.” Mendocino and Other Stories. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2003.

Reason read: June is short story month.

“Babies” in the epitome of pregnant woman syndrome. Women who worry they might be pregnant as well as women who yearn to become a mother see pregnant women everywhere. It becomes a taunt; a nagging. This is what happens to the lead character in “Babies.” Everywhere she looks, women are getting pregnant and she can’t even get a date. Try as she likes, she can’t share in their joy event when three women she works with are with child all at the same time.

Telling quote, “I want to have a baby, but I can’t think of having a husband” (p 54). In this day and age this thinking is becoming (or already is?) the norm.

Author fact: Packer is a past recipient of a James Michener award.

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

American Pastoral

gr4c5Leave a comment

Roth, Philip. American Pastoral. Read by Ron Silver. Beverly Hills, CA: Phoenix Audio, 2005.

Reason read: Father’s day is in June.

Where does one begin when trying to describe American Pastoral? The jumping off point might be to say this: in the beginning of AP reoccurring character Nathan Zuckerman is attending his 45th high school reunion where he runs into the brother of Seymour “Swede” Levov. The Swede was a high school athletic god with the seemingly perfect life. Through this meeting the reader hears the details of how Seymour’s life ended up. But, that’s oversimplifying the story in a huge way. Zuckerman’s narrative dies off and American Pastoral becomes more of a commentary on a variety of subjects. At the center is Swede Levov and the continuation of his perfect high school life (now in the 1960s in the suburbs of New Jersey; successful upper class businessman, married to former Miss New Jersey). Everything is perfect. Enter the Vietnam War and a willful, protesting daughter. All hell breaks loose when Merry commits an act of terror, bombing a post office and killing a man. American Pastoral takes a look at what it means to be a family facing falling apart and scandal, what it means to have faith, what it means to lose faith, what it means to be an American, what it means to be un-American and everything in between.

Quote I liked, “The candor stopped just where it should have begun” (p 798).

Author fact: Roth won a Pulitzer for fiction after writing American Pastoral.

Narrator fact: Ron Silver is also an actor, appearing on Chicago Hope – a show I have never seen.

Book trivia: American Pastoral was made into a movie starring Ewan McGregor in 2016.

Nancy said: “Popular fiction of late has as its text of subtext a family in trouble” (p 82), naming American Pastoral as an example.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust twice. First, in the chapter called “Families in Trouble” (p 82) and again a couple of pages later in the chapter called “Fathers and Daughters” (p 84).

Cider with Rosie

gr4c5Leave a comment

Lee, Laurie. Cider with Rosie. New York: Crown Publishers, 1984.

Reason read: to “continue” the series started in May in honor of Spain’s Madrid Festival (although Cider should have been read before As I Walked Out).

Cider with Rosie begins when Lee is just three years old. He belongs to a family of eight. Lee’s father had eight children with his first wife (who died in childbirth) and four more with his housekeeper who became his second wife. Of the twelve children total, only eight survived. Lee’s father may have left the family when Laurie was only three but his memories of childhood are simply magical regardless. I think he was raised with the expectation that his father would be back. Here is one memory about sleeping with his mother as a toddler: “They were deep and jealous, those wordless nights, as we curled and muttered together, like a secret I held through the waking day which set me above all others” (p 22).
Cider with Rosie is a study in innocence. Lee sees the world as a place of discovery. Even when he was thought to be on death’s door he analyzed all that was around him. I won’t spoil what the title means except to say it’s the end of innocence.

Quote which confounded me: About bread – “We tore them to pieces with their crusts still warm, and their monotony was brightened by the objects we found in them – string, nails, paper, and once a mouse; for those were days of happy-go-lucky baking” (p 14). What?

Book trivia: My edition of Cider with Rosie was wonderfully illustrated. I would advise anyone wanting to read Cider to find it. 35 different artists had a hand in beautifying its pages. While most artists contributed only one or two illustrations,  C.F. Tunnicliffe is credited with thirteen. In total there were over 200 illustrations of various sizes, over 50 of them being full page and 45 photographs (some from Lee’s private collection). Mu favorite illustration was the dragonfly on page 34.

Nancy said: Nancy called Cider an “affectionate memoir” (p 164).

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Me, Me, Me: Autobiographies and Memoirs” (p 162). As an aside, Pearl makes no mention of the other books in the series.

“General Markman’s Last Stand”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Paine, Tom. “General Markman’s Last Stand.” Scar Vegas and Other Stories.New York: Hartcourt, Inc., 2000.

Reason read: June is Short Story Month

Right off the bat I have to tell you “General Markman’s Last Stand” is a devastating story, devastating but (and this is a big but), not without hope. General Markman is about to retire from his Marine Corps command only on his final day he makes a career-ending move. As a man haunted by debilitating Vietnam War flashbacks he has to chose between his secrets and his future.

The first powerful sentence says it all but reveals nothing, “The general’s panties were too tight” (p 18).

Author fact: According to the dust jacket for Scar Vegas Tom Paine is a Princeton graduate. So is my grandfather.

Book trivia: Scar Vegas is comprised of ten stories. I am also reading “The Spoon Children.”

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

“Mendocino”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Packer, Ann. “Mendocino.” Mendocino and Other Stories. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2003.

Reason read: June is short story month

In the title story Bliss is visiting her brother on the ten year anniversary of their father’s suicide. Instead of finding an ally to her grief, Bliss is shocked to learn Gerald found happiness in an unlikely place: the cozy life he has built with his girlfriend, Marisa. Everything about Gerald’s new perspective rubs Bliss the wrong way until she realizes it’s not about her father anymore.

Author fact: Ann Packer also wrote A Dive From Clausen’s Pier which I’ve already read.

Book trivia: Mendocino is comprised of ten stories.

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

Under the Gypsy Moon

gr4c5Leave a comment

Thornton, Lawrence. Under the Gypsy Moon. New York: Doubleday, 1990.

Reason read: Federico Garcia Lorca was born in June (1898).

Despite being a little over 210 pages long, Under the Gypsy Moon packs a powerful punch. Magical realism flows in and out of historical events creating a spellbinding and dramatic love story. Joaquin Wolf becomes a politically motivated writer after the Spanish Civil War. He meets and begins a relationship with narrator, Ursula Krieger, who carries her own demons of war. Together they struggle against fascism using Federico Garcia Lorca as a their guide. His poetry is the symbol of courage they embrace, allowing them to rise above the despair.

Line I liked, “Poverty gnaws at the body before it feasts on the mind” (p 54).

Author fact: Thornton also wrote Imagining Argentina, also on my list.

Book trivia: Under the Gypsy Moon is short, barely over 200 pages. I read it in a weekend.

Nancy said: Under the Gypsy Moon is one of two fictions in which Guernica plays a part.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called simply “Guernica” (p 89).

“The Executor”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Epstein, Joseph. “The Executor.” Fabulous Small Jews: Stories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.

Reason read: June is Short Story Month

I think “The Executor” was my favorite story from Fabulous Small Jews. It was short, simple, and direct…but with a twist. Kenneth Hopkins is a Princeton student with a Jewish poet for a mentor. His time with Professor Bertram is profound, but not as life altering as his meeting with Mrs. Bertram. But, their meeting isn’t what you think.

Author fact: according to the dust jacket, Epstein has been a lecturer in English and writing at Northeastern. Another fact: I am reading a compilation of essays also written by Epstein called Plausible Prejudices.

Book trivia: There are eighteen stories in Fabulous Small Jews. I am only reading two.

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

Henry James: the Conquest of London

gr4c5Leave a comment

Edel, Leon. Henry James: the Conquest of London (1870 – 1881), Vol II. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1962.

Reason read: to continue the series started in April in honor of Henry James’s birth month.

At the end of Henry James: the Untried Years the year was 1870 and James had just returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts after his first major jaunt through Europe. His beloved cousin, Minnie Temple, had succumbed to a very long illness and James was finding his way as a successful writer. Now, in Henry James: the Conquest of London James is broadening his horizons with another trip to Europe. Volume One outlined James’s personality and temperament and the seedling of his career as a writer whereas Volume Two waters that seedling and produces the blossoming of a true novelist. The parallels between Henry’s characters and that of his own grow. It is life feeding art. The art that begins to blossom is the ever-famous Portrait of a Lady.

As an aside, James’s story Watch and Ward reminded me of the poem “If No One Ever Marries Me” by Laurence Alma-Tadema. Both narrators say if they are unlucky in love they will adopt/buy a little orphan girl to bring up.

Quotes I liked, “He thrived more on people than upon scenery” (p 88),

Author fact: Edel read some 7,000 letters to and from Henry James in order to write the series.

Book trivia: Like Vol. I there are eight photographs in Conquest of London.

Nancy said: Nancy said if you want to learn about the life of Henry James you can’t do better than Leon Edel’s “magnificent”  five volumes (p 144).

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “The Literary Lives: the Americans” (p 144).

“Artie Glick in a Family Way”

gr4c5Leave a comment

Epstein, Joseph. “Artie Glick in a Family Way”. The Hudson Review. Winter 1998; 50; 4; p545.

Reason read: June is Short Story Month.

In a nutshell: This is about a man who, at at fifty-seven, finally grows some you-know-whats and becomes an adult. After growing up in the shadow of a difficult father only to have him die in surgery, Artie substitutes this father for a just as difficult therapist. Twice a week for fourteen years Dr. Lieberman has been milking Artie’s feelings of inadequacy; for Artie was never good enough for his dad. Let’s count the ways in his dad’s eyes: he doesn’t have business sense. He has already failed at marriage once. He has never started a family. It is only after Glick’s girlfriend announces she is pregnant does Artie finally realize he could have a much different life.

Author fact: Epstein won the National Humanities Medal in 2003.

Book trivia: Fabulous Small Jews also contains the short story, “The Executor” (also on my list).

Nancy said: nothing specific about “Artie”.

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the obvious chapter called “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).

Age of Gold

gr4c5Leave a comment

Brands, H.W. Age of Gold: the California Gold Rush and the New American Dream. New York: Doubleday, 2002.

Reason read: May is history month.

January 24th 1848 is considered the date of the birth of the gold rush.

Age of Gold takes a thorough look at a slice of American history. Beginning in 1848 Brands introduces the reader to people from all walks of life, uncovering every story from land and sea across several continents. Part One describes in detail the first adventurers to travel from every corner of the earth to seek gold. It is here John Fremont is introduced for the first time. Part Two is an introduction to the frenzied hunt for gold: panning, picking, cradling, digging, mining, sifting, sluicing. Part Three sees the birth of California’s borders and governing body. San Francisco becomes the first city in the state.

Confessional: When I first heard Natalie sing “Gold Rush Brides” I wondered what she used for inspiration to write a song about the gold rush from the point of view of the women on the trail. Some time later Natalie read a passage from Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey collected by Lillian Schlissel before performing the song. I can’t help but think of this book in comparison to Age of Gold.

Author fact: Brands also wrote bestseller The First American (also on my Challenge list).

Book trivia: Age of Gold includes a great group of photographs.

Nancy said: Nancy called Age of Gold “wide-ranging and engaging” (p 20).

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the obvious chapter called “American History: nonfiction” (p 20).

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning

gr4c5Leave a comment

Lee, Laurie. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning. New York: Atheneum, 1969.

Reason read: the Madrid Festival in Spain (obviously) happens in May.

Confessional: Once again I am reading books out of order! Dammit, dammit, dammit. When I planned to read As I Walked Out I had no idea Cider with Rosie was the first book in a trilogy memoir. No clue! Pearl does not make mention of the connection even though Moment of War (the third and final book of the memoir) is also included in Book Lust To Go. As an aside, Cider is listed in the index of More Book Lust. Again, I did not make the connection.

Laurie Lee left home in England to find, at the very least, fame and fortune as a musician. With mixed emotions he found he could make a dime on street corners but had to supplement his income with other vocations like construction work before moving on to his next adventure. At the heart of his journey was discovery; as he put it, “I felt it was for this I had come: to wake at dawn on a hillside and look out on a world for which I had no words, to start at the beginning, speechless and without a plan, in a place that still had no memories for me” (p 54). Most of his discovery takes place in Spain. As an aside, I loved his description of Madrid as an old lion with broken teeth and bad breath. As I Walked Out… ends with Lee being escorted out of Spain by a British destroyer and yet by summer he was fixated on getting back to Spain to join the war.

Quotes that gave me pause, “I was affronted by freedom” (p 6), “Such a narrow gap between consent and dispute” (p 45) and “Halfway up, in a recess, a small pale child sat carving a potato into the shape of all doll, and as we approached, she turned, gave us a quick look of panic, and bit off its little head” (p 93). What’s that all about? One last quote, “Fear lay panting in the street like a dog” (p 219).

Author fact: Lee was the youngest of twelve in his family. But probably the most fascinating fact about LL is that he met his wife when she was five years old and neither could understand the other’s language (she French, he English).

Book trivia: As I Walked Out… was illustrated by Leonard Rosoman. One of my favorite illustrations is on page 50.

Nancy said: As I Walked Out… is included in a list of books about Spain Nancy said should be tried (p 220).

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter simply called “Spain” (p 218).

Gay and Melancholy Sound

gr4c5Leave a comment

Miller, Merle. A Gay and Melancholy Sound. Las Vegas: Nancy Pearl Presents a Book Lust Rediscovery, 2012.

Reason read: Miller was born in the month of May. Read in his honor.

How to describe A Gay and Melancholy Sound? It is easy to dislike Joshua Bland. As a child genius his life has been the antithesis of his name. His mother always strove for fame and recognition through her son to the point of mental abuse. His father abandoned the situation, leaving Josh to be raised by a hostile and unhappy stepfather. When Josh crumbles under the demands and suffers his first major disappointment it sends his future into a tailspin of apathy and low expectation. He goes on to become a World War II veteran, a bestselling author and a successful producer without any accomplishment touching his life in any meaningful way. He is so disconnected from his feelings that he decides it’s time to commit suicide. Before he does he needs to write his memoirs as one last gift to the world from the prodigy who used to have lofty aspirations.

Soapbox Patter: In 2012 independent book sellers were in an uproar because Nancy Pearl partnered with online bookselling giant, Amazon, to republish a run of books long out of print. For years Amazon has been accused of running small bookstores into the ground with their cheap prices. The boo hiss for Pearl could be heard across the internet. As a librarian, I am quietly applauding “Nancy Pearl Presents a Book Lust Rediscovery” because Pearl has a whole chapter dedicated to the works of Merle Miller in Book Lust. As someone trying to read every book indexed in Book Lust, without AmazonEncore publishing A Gay and Melancholy Sound I don’t think I would have found it as easily as I did. And. And! And, I didn’t have to buy it from evil Amazon. I supported a reputable public library by borrowing it. Miller’s oral biography of Harry Truman (Plain Speaking) is everywhere, but try to find Melancholy. It’s not that easy. [Stepping down from the soapbox now…]

Lines I liked, “She gave the impression that if she hadn’t been able to get into publishing, she could certainly have found an opening in professional wrestling” (p 7), “Agreed, a good teacher is the best kind of human being” (p 190),

Author fact: Miller wrote 16 different books. I’m reading all but two, The Warm Feeling and A Day in Late September.

Book trivia: A Gay and Melancholy Sound is over 500 pages long. I was worried I wouldn’t get through it without an audio backup.

Nancy said: in Book Lust A Gay and Melancholy Sound is “wonderful” but “too emotionally devastating to read a second time” (p 166), But. But! But, this is untrue. In the introduction to A Gay and Melancholy Sound she admitted to “rereading it a dozen more times” (p vi), starting when she was seventeen.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in two different chapters: “Merle Miller: Too Good To Miss” p 155) and “My Own Private Dui” (p 165). You may have noticed I am reading two books from the same Book Lust chapter “My Own Private Dui” (very observant of you, if you did).

“Q” is for Quarry

gr4c5Leave a comment

Grafton, Sue. “Q” is for Quarry. Read by Judy Kaye. New York: Random House Audio, 2002.

Reason read: to continue the series started in April in honor of Grafton’s birth month.

In “Q” is for Quarry Kinsey Millhone is now 37 years old. She still lives alone without plants, animals, or family to speak of. In other words, she has plenty of time to devote to her newest cold case: the 18 year old unsolved mystery of who murdered an unknown teenager in 1969. She was found dumped in a quarry, hence the ‘Q’ for quarry. But, it could also mean prey as readers will discover deeper in the mystery. In truth, it’s the case of Lieutenant Con Dolan and Detective Stacey Oliphant, the two police officers who were previously on the case. Retired and ailing both men need to see this case through before they die. Only they are too ailing to do any of the heavy lifting. Enter Kinsey Millhone. Together they make an interesting threesome.

Irking: when the police originally investigated the Jane Doe murder they had an eyewitness who remembered seeing the victim right before she was discovered murdered. The investigators never realized the eyewitness made up the sighting or that she ended up marrying a fellow police officer tied to the case. How is that possible? How come it takes Kinsey only five minutes to get the truth out of the eyewitness 18 years later?

As an aside, besides being a runner the other thing I have in common with Kinsey is that we both like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. I don’t think I knew that before.

Author fact: Like father like daughter. Grafton’s father was also a writer.

Book trivia: Q is for Quarry is based on a real Jane Doe murder case that went cold in the late 60s. Grafton was instrumental in reviving the case and getting a composite sketch drawn up to be published in the back of her Quarry.

Audio trivia: They use really cool music in the beginning of the Random House audio version. Another piece of trivia is that Judy Kaye, at times, sounds like Ellen Degeneres…but be warned, her voices for different people is a bit strange. At times I thought men were women.

Nancy said: “Q” is for Quarry is an “equally good puzzle” (p 123).

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the very long chapter called “I Love a Mystery” (p 123).