Tag: book review

Music Lesson

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Weber, Katharine. The Music Lesson.

Music LessonI picked up Weber’s second novel after reading her debut novel Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear. In Objects I fell in love with the narration immediately. The writing was so fluid I hoped everything Weber wrote would read the same way.  
I liken Music Lesson to that of a second kiss. It’s not as good as the very first one yet still highly enjoyable. When I found out it was part of the Book Lust Challenge I almost put it on my “must reread” list because I liked it so much.
It’s the story of Patricia. She guards a stolen painting in a cottage in Ireland. Alone. Alone with her troubled past and complicated future, Patricia has time to contemplate the crossroads. The stolen painting becomes more than just “art” to her. It guides her through a metamorphism and an awakening.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust under the heading of “Irish Fiction” (p126).

To learn more about one of my favorite authors, Katharine Weber, go here.

Child of Darkness

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Child of DarknessFurui, Yoshikicki. Child of Darkness; Yoko and Other Stories. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1997.

I’ll be the first to admit it. In the beginning pages I wasn’t connecting to this book at all. The first story, “Yoko”,  opens with a nameless, faceless, ageless man hurrying down a mountain. He comes across a women sitting on a rock in a ravine. She’s stuck, not by a force of nature, but a force of her own mind. She can’t move from her perch and needs him to help her get down. Later she blames the incident on acrophobia. What’s interesting is this is the one place in the entire story where the same scene is described from both her and his point of view. Later her issues are only described as an “illness” and the word acrophobia never resurfaces. It is suspected that the illness is shrouded in vagrity because the Japanese view mental illness as a taboo subject. Yoko is a strange woman. Sane one minute, paralyzed by her illness the next. The rest of the story is how the nameless, faceless (now we know he is young) man copes with a relationship with Yoko. Half accepting her mental state as is, half wanting to “cure” her.

The next story also deals with mental illness but from the perspective of someone who is dying of cancer (also a taboo subject in Japan). I am more sympathetic towards the cancer victim. There is a sense of insanity when you have been told you have the disease. I can only imagine what depths your psyche would sink to when you are told it’s terminal.

The third and final story is also about sinking into insanity. This time a
These stories, translated by Donna George Storey, also includes her critiques. It’s interesting to rewalk the stories with an analytical map. It’s like seeing a city for the second time after you learn it’s history. Everything looks different.

BookLust Twist: Under the heading “Japan Fiction” Nancy Pearl calls Child of Darkness “dark.” Yup (p. 32).

Is There a Nutmeg in the House?

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David, Elizabeth. Is There a Nutmeg in the House; Essays on Practical Cooking with More Than 150 Recipes. New York: Viking, 2001.Nutmeg

Elizabeth David writes with humor. She also writes about cooking. My kind of book. Sorta. In the rules of the Book Lust Challenge, I said that I wouldn’t read cookbooks from start to finish. I would read the intros and “skip” the recipes. I didn’t want to try every recipe; didn’t want to be David’s version of a Julia Child fanatic. Here’s the issue I have with Nutmeg. Essays run seamlessly into recipes and commentaries. I end up reading about how to make mayonnaise (my archenemy) step by step.
Nevertheless, I have learned interesting things such as:
          *the potato is an aphrodisiac, capable of advancing a man’s “withered state” (p. 73). I kid you not.
          *Nutmeg is underrated and people should carry graters with them to utilize this spice more often (p. 93). 
          *David hates garlic presses as much as I do (p.51). 
Probably one of the best things I’ve learned from reading David’s Nutmeg isn’t really a lesson. It’s more of an affirmation – to “not to despair over rice” (p.139). While I don’t despair over any kind of rice per se thanks to Alton Brown and a whole episode dedicated to the grain, David’s words ring true with me on a deeper level, “Every amateur cook, however gifted and diligent, has some weak spot, some gap in her knowledge or experience which to anyone critical of her own achievements can be annoying and humiliating.” This statement even knocks the great ones down a notch. Ever seen Bobby lose a throw down? You get what I’m talking about.

BookLust Twist: Nancy Pearl adds this to her “Food for Thought” chapter in Book Lust (p.91) and goes on to say, “…Elizabeth David not only shares her love of food and cooking  but writes so evocatively that you can smell and taste the ingredients and dishes as she describes them.”

The Cage

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Schulman, Audrey. The Cage. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 1994.Cage

As soon as I saw this book I knew I would read it in one day. The Cage is only 228 pages long. The storyline is simple. Beryl is a young photographer, known for her moving portraits of animals. She is recruited for an assignment in Manitoba to take stills of polar bears in their natural habitat. The catch is the assignment involves working with three other men and a cage barely big enough to contain her. Nothing will stand between her and the bears except for the much anticipated cage. When the cage didn’t make it’s debut in the story until p.150 and it was afforded a few pages of description (Beryl sits in it only twice), I knew the Cage was a metaphor for something bigger: Beryl’s life. She is confined by her insecurities, her rigid sense of self. She is uncomfortable with relationships and intimacy, constantly jittery and unsure. “She sometimes wished she had ears like a cat so she could fold them back as cats do then people pushed their faces in too close” (p. 45).
Beryl and her crew spend some time in Churchill before going out on the expedition. There, Beryl befriends a local and spends some time bear watching at the local dump. It reminded me of an episode of Northern Exposure when Ed & his date go to the dump to watch the bear forage for food.
Needless to say, the expedition ends with death. Beryl even speaks of the impending doom as a premonition the night before. I was shocked by the tragedy even though I knew it was coming. It was a given someone had to (and would) die by bear. It’s like the proverbial gun in the first act, by the third act it needs to go off. Schulman did a great job leaving the story open. Ultimately, I was unsure exactly who survives. I closed the book wondering what Beryl was going to do next. Just the way I like a book to end.

BookLust Twist: This selection comes from Book Lust’s “Adventure By the Book: Fiction” chapter (p. 7).

13 Clocks

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Thurber, James. The 13 Clocks.New York: Simon & Schuster, 1950.clocks

Even though it took me less than an hour to read 13 Clocksfrom start to finish I enjoyed every second of it. Illustrated by Mark Simont, this was fun to look at, too. Where to begin with this wonderful children’s story? It’s a fairy tale, it’s poetry in motion. For starters, it has a lot of alliteration however silly, “You sicken me with your chocolate chatter…” (p. 110). Huh? It’s clever and heroic, funny as a fairy tale. Typical story: beautiful maiden is locked in a castle. She is being held captive by her cruel uncle (not) and can only be saved by a prince. Of course there is the typical, impossible challenge her captive gives all suitors. Each in turn typically fails until one can outwit the captor. Which one does, of course. All fairy tales have to have a happy ending, right? There is even a “message” at the end. The happy couple is told, “remember laughter. You’ll need it even in the blessed isles if Ever After” (p. 120). Didn’t someone say that to me on my wedding day? But, I have to admit my favorite line was uttered by the villain, “We all have flaws,” he said, “and mine is being wicked” (p. 114). I told you I have a black cloud.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust under the chapter, “Not Only for Kids: Fantasies for Grown-ups” (p.175).

Girls’ Guide To Hunting

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Girls GuideBank, Melissa. The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing. New York: Penguin, 2000.

This is another book I picked up before the Book Lust Challenge. I think it’s from my sister, yet I found it in my mother’s collection at home. I loved Melissa Bank’s narrative in the beginning when the main character, Jane, is a child. She’s a little too smart for her age. Unfortunately, as Jane gets older, the voice/narrative loses some of it’s wit, sarcasm and charm. All in all what fascinated me was Bank’s ability to mature Jane through voice. The story about the neighbor was the only part that threw me because I took all the other stories to be about Jane, even the one about cancer. The neighbor story didn’t seem to fit with the sequence as well. 

I find it interesting that it’s now being made into a movie (due to be released this year).

BookLust Twist: From Pearl’s Book Lust in the chapter “Chick Lit” (p. 53). How appropriate!

Griffin & Sabine

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Bantock, Nick. Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1991.

Griffin & SabineNick Bantock’s trilogy evokes very romantic feelings for me. Way before Book Lust the first offering in the trilogy, Griffin & Sabine was given to me by a secret lover. 23 years old, I was in lust/love with the bearer, and I think initially as a direct result, the book won my instant favor as well. Later, I determined it was an aphrodisiac for the mind as I repeatedly poured over each gloriously illustrated page (also by Bantock). I was as careful and as loving as a caress. The delicious unfolding, opening, and reading of letters and postcards was as tantalizing and seemingly illicit as my affair. Never mind the storyline of ill-fated lovers, destined to never be together, however passionately in love. That wasn’t only what excited me. The artwork drew me in and captivated me to no end. If candles, soft music, and wine stir passion through sight, sound and palate then Griffin & Sabine is for the artistic intellect.Bantock

My affair has long since ended. The passion cooled to cold and I went on to marry someone warmer. I have kept every Bantock book ever given to me and will continue to collect them. For kids of all ages and passions on all levels.

The Blue and the Gray

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CommagerCommager, Henry Steele, ed. The Blue and the Gray: From the Battle of Gettysburg to Appomattox.2nd ed. New York: Merridian, 1994.

I’ve never been overly excited by historical novels, especially ones that spit out fact upon arid fact. To say that I was not looking forward to reading Commanger’s Civil War book was an understatement. To my surprise, I am delighted with the reading. It is a delicious combination of letters, journals, diaries, newspaper reports and so forth. With all the first-hand accounting, it lends itself to a very voyeuristic snapshot of one of the most widely studied wars of our time. Rereading the Gettysburg Address didn’t make me feel like I was back in high school. I enjoyed discovering the origin of the speech. “David Wills asked Lincoln to make “a few appropriate remarks” and the result was the most memorable of all American addresses” (p.59). Wish I knew that in 7th grade.

Some of the more pondersome passages: “I could stand by and and see a man’s head taken off I believe – you get so used to it here” (Cornelia Hancock, nurse in Gettysburg p.187). Makes you think. “We called all hands and gave three cheers and a tiger!” (Captain George Hamilton Perkins, p. 212). What exactly is a tiger? All I could think was, “They’re Grrrreat”, the Tony-The-Tiger exclamation. Something to look up later.
PS~ In addition to being a fascinating read, Commager includes maps of significant battles, although they are hard to follow. Maybe because I have the paperback version? (Not the edition pictured here.) The images are cramped and  blurry.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust (p. 58) under the category of “Civil War Nonfiction.”

Among the Tibetans

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Bishop, Isabella Bird. Among the Tibetans.New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1894.Isabella Bird

Holding this egg fragile book is amazing. I know there is a 2003 edition out there, but this 113 year old edition is certainly more tantalizing, magical even. What is it about an old book, with it’s tired binding nearly gone, its cover frayed and faded, its thin pages brittle and yellowed? Even the illustrations in Among the Tibetans are glorious in their ancient detail. I know I’ve said it before, but a book that is a pleasure to hold is even more enjoyable to read.

From the very beginning, I loved the narrative of Tibetans. Bird seemed like someone I would have loved chatting with over tea. With statements like, “…of whom the less that is said the better…” (p.9) and, “…was prepared to ‘wink’ at a moderate amount of dishonesty, so long as it affected only myself.” (p. 23) I formed an instant opinion that I would liked her. The fact that she carried a pistol at all times only bolsters my opinion.

As for the work of Among the Tibetans, I was drawn to images of the culture, the landscape – everything that painted a portrait of Tibet; for I imagine it to be much the same in the 21st century. I want to believe travels to Tibet in 1894 would have been similar to such a journey today and I read Bird’s narrative with that in mind. The only thing I could wrap my narrow mind around was the descriptions of polygamy. A woman marries the eldest son, always, and his younger brothers are all sub-husbands to her. While I think it’s practical to keep the land, traditions and heritage all in the same family I don’t think I could handle more than one husband. One is my limit!

BookLust Twist: Pearl appropriately calls Bird, “one of the more dashing and irresistible travelers” (Book Lust, p143). I couldn’t agree more.

PS~ Among the Tibetans is cataloged as being written by Isabella Bird. I took the author’s name from the title page where she is described as, “Isabella Bird Bishop, Hon. Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Etc. Author of “Unbeaten Tracks in Japan,” Etc., Etc.”

Collected Fictions

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Borges, Jorge Luis. Collected Fictions. Trans. by Andrew Hurley. New York: Penguin, 1998.Borges

I think anytime I read too many short stories in a row I tend to want each story to connect to the last. Like a string of pearls, cars of a train. It’s the wrong way to read them, I admit it. The cure for what ails me is to read slowly, digesting each story as if it were a single meal, designed to be eaten without accompaniment. As with any piece of written work, I am struck by phrases. Here is one of my favorites, “…said goodbye to myself in the mirror…” (p. 121). This stuck me not because it is am overly thought provoking statement(it is not), but rather because of it’s comment on society. We stop to stare at our image in the mirror (however critically), but how often do we say anything? I know me, myself & I. We just stare.

Other favorite parts include a short, short paragraph on toenails on p.296 (I thought of my husband for silly reasons) and a story called, ‘Captive’. ‘Captive’ is the story of a young boy who disappeared from home. After many years he is found and returned to his family. While happy to be home he “could not live a life that was hemmed about by walls and one day he went off in search of his wilderness” (p. 300). This all takes place in a handful of lines. Recently I read an article about a Cambodian woman found after 19 years in the wilds. She is having a hard time adjusting to society. Is it any wonder? I love it when fiction comes before reality.

All in all, I enjoyed Borges’s collection. The fact that he is a premier Latin American writer sweetened the deal because I was treated to cultures, ways of thinking, societies beyond these 50 states. In addition, Borges creates stories around Shakespeare, the Odyssey, and Quixote. A real pleasure to digest.

Booklust Twist: Mentioned in Book Lust in a list of Latin American authors (p.145)

Breathing Trouble

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BuschBusch, Frederick. Breathing Trouble, and other stories. London: Calder and Boyars. 1973.

I know Frederick Busch is on Nancy Pearl’s list of “Too Good To Miss” authors (Book Lust p.49). I try not to let that influence me as I try to read through his short stories. I have to stop myself from thinking, “you really should enjoy this stuff more than you do.” I can’t help it. Stories seem connected, some more than others. I slip in and out of making connections, imaginary and real. Then there are lines like this, “I would say stop chewing my throat” (p. 97) and I’m not sure what to make of it. The stories are definitely abstract in a Sort It Out Yourself kind of way. I think of each story more like poetry. What exactly is the author trying to say in this heavily veiled sentence? Stop chewing my throat. Stop choking what I want to say? Hmmm…I’m not sure.

Speaking of chewing, I guess I would say some stories go down easier than others.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Frederick Busch: Too Good To Miss” (p 49).

At War as Children (w/ spoiler)

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Reed, Kit. At War as Children; a novel. New York: Farrar, Straus & Co., 1964.kit reed

This is supposed to be a book for children. I’ve never read it, and it’s on the Book Lust list, so here I am.
Religion plays a big part in Reed’s novel, At War as Children. Told in the first person, Denny (Denise) tells the story of her only-child childhood. Her father is killed in World War II and as a teenager she is sent to a Catholic boarding school. I would have called this At War with Religion as Children because Denny struggles with religion throughout her entire formative years. As a child, she worries about going to hell for stealing a piece of candy. As a teenager her biggest fear is becoming a nun. Humorously, she prays to God she doesn’t become one, (yet in the end…she does). At one point she even baptises a childhood friend thinking he is dead. Overall, I can’t relate to the religious fears and constraints that Denny has throughout her life, but her general narrative is one of honesty and reality. When she says, “I make friends slowly, and I value them because I make them hard” (p.21), I know exactly what she is talking about. I operate the same way. My very best friends are the ones who have stuck by me for 20+ years. Another favorite line, “fall is the time of year when you want most to fly” (p. 191). I got married in September for that very reason.
At War as Children; a novel was a pleasure to read. In between reading The Blue and the Gray and Breathing Problems this was a breath of fresh air.

Book Lust Twist: From Book Lust, in chapter “My Own Private Dui”, Pearl says adults can feel “disappointed, betrayed, and embarrassed” by rereading certain books written for children (Book Lust p. 165). She goes on to describe At War as Children as a book that is better remembered than reread.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

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Hazan, Marcella. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. New York: Knopf, 1992.Essentials

I’ll admit it, I’ve never been big on expensive, take my whole paycheck cooking. While I love the authoritativeness of Hazan’s cookbook, I’m not turned on by the all-or-nothing dramatics. Take balsamic vinegar – it’s the champagne of Modena. Hazan says it’s “never inexpensive” and only sold in “perfume bottle” sized containers (p. 11). The attitude is absolutely nothing else will do. Modena or bust. Maybe so. I realize that champagne that comes from anywhere other than Champagne, France is a sparkling wine, but we still toast with the fraud and call it champagne. Same with balsamic vinegar. What we have in our pantry may not be the authentic born and raised Modena babe, but we still use it and we call it balsamic. It will do.
Aside from thinking I don’t have the right balsamic in my pantry, I loved reading through Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I enjoyed learning the classic names of techniques (battuto, soffritto & insaporire); I appreciated the education on pasta (it makes me want to make my own from scratch); I liked the conversational tone Hazan used throughout the entire book. The illustrations are beautiful and informative. My all-time favorite chapter is called, “At Table: the Italian Art of Eating” (p 649). It includes menus for elegant, classic, holiday, and rustic meals – just to name a few.

Book Lust Twist: From More Book Lust, Pearl says, “A whole category could be devoted to good books on Italian cooking, but the one you must read (and drool over, while thinking ahead to great meals) is Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” (Book Lust, p.49). I think I’ll agree more when I get a bigger paycheck!

Box of Stars

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Tennant, Catherine. The Box of Stars. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1993.stars

When I first saw Box of Stars I thought to myself, “unique” because it is. A box with a book, plates and supposedly, maps of the hemispheres (I was missing mine). I love the plates. Each plate gives an beautiful illustration of a constellation pierced with holes to mark the stars. Hold the plate up and the holes glitter like the stars you are supposed to see in the sky. The book describes the myths and legends surrounding each constellation. Definitely a fun read.
I wish I had gotten this in the summer rather than chilly winter. Every plate makes me want to grab a blanket, find a wide open field to lie in and search the heavens for Pisces or Delphinus. There is magic in the night sky, especially off the coast of Maine. I can remember searching for satellites in a sky so laden with stars it made my head spin. “The stars were so many they seemed to overlap” said Natalie I agree. Maybe I’ll get Box of Stars again when I go on vacation. This time I’ll find a box with the maps

.

Book Lust Twist: Nancy put this under the category of “Astronomical Ideas” in Book Lust (p. 27).

Breads

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Clayton, Bernard. Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads.New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987.

I wish I baked more. When I was a teenager my mother taught me how to make a white bread with a cup of mashed potatoes that was amazing. It was the most perfect carb I could create. Grilled cheese sandwiches were heaven with this bread. I always pictured my adult wholesome self, kneading and sifting on a Sunday morning, flour dust rising in clouds around me. I don’t know what happened to that “from scratch girl” but, Clayton’s book makes me want to jump in the car, rush to the baking aisle and buy dry yeast. In bulk. This 748 mammoth of a cookbook is cover to cover baking knowledge. There are no glossy photos to fill space. Even the illustrations are small and unobtrusive. It’s all about the bread. And Bread there is. From rye bread to crackers and everything in between. My favorite chapters were, “baking for dogs” (p 715), “little breads” (p 517), and “vegetable breads” (p 409). But, I can’t forget my other favorites like potato, croissant and cheese. Of course Clayton goes over equipment, technique, ingredients, and what went wrong should something go wrong, but he also includes storing, freezing, and there’s even a chapter on homemade ovens.

I would even go so far as to say this book demonstrates culture. In addition to all the different recipes Clayton gives a little history on the more unique ones, “…In Portugal, the bread is served warm or cold with a famous dish of peas and eggs, and a potato- sausage soup” (p 183). Now I want to go out and find that recipe for the soup!

BookLust Twist: One of the reasons why I love reading Book Lust and More Book Lust is quotes like this, “For me the best part of baking bread is theupper-arm exercise involved with kneading, and the times that you can curl up on the couch with a good book while the dough is rising.” Pearl goes on to say, “I’ve used Bernard Clayton’s bread books since the first one was published in 1973, and have never found a bad recipe” (More Book Lust p72).