This is Your Brain in a Bookstore

Updated 2009 Reading List: already read or reading, on my shelf, still at bookstore (or Miranda's)

cunt - Inga Muscio
Spin Sisters - Myrna Blyth
Spook - Mary Roach
The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Red Azalea - Anchee Min
The Small Rain - Madeleine L'Engle
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
He's a Stud, She's a Slut - Jessica Valentini
Purity Myth - Jessica Valentini
Self-Made Man - Norah Vincent
Opening Up - Tristan Taormino
Open - Jenny Block
Look at Me - Jennifer Egan

New Books and why I spent $17 on them collectively:

Age of Innocence - One of those classics I've never read. I've scanned the back a dozen times at the bookstore, it was never the right time. Plus after my last two heavy reads, some good old-fashioned parlor intrigue sounded nice.

To Kill a Mockingbird - It's one of the best books ever written, I haven't read it in maybe ten years. Girlyear seems as good a time as any to revisit old faves.

Red Azalea - Anchee Min wrote Becoming Madame Mao which I read a while back and really enjoyed. I always want to read stories out of China (and I am always wanting to go back there). Red Azaleo got more praise that Becoming Madame Mao, its Min's personal account of China under Mao. I'm interested to see how her style differs telling her own story than a semi-fictional accounting of Madame Mao's life.

Mrs. Dalloway - Believe it or not, I've never read anything by Virginia Woolf. I know! I was surprised too!

The Small Rain - L'Engle was my favorite writer in my pre-teen years (well, at least top 3). I've read a dozen of her books for young adults and A Wrinkle in Time is still one of my favorite books. Yet, I've never tackled her work as an adult. Saw this one and grabbed it hoping the magic between L'Engle and I is still there.

Afterthought, is this really a post for UBC? I almost put it there and then thought better of it. This is an accounting of my mental state during a shopping trip, its not really about literature. These books could easily be shoes or nail polish or groceries. But since they are in fact books, I thought Miranda might find my mental state interesting.

p.s. I need a new sign-off. "Vote Obama 2012" seems a bit premature.

Feminism

As I posted yesterday at UBC, I'm undertaking an experiment in Feminism. For one year (or possibly just for the remainder of 2009), I'll be reading only books by female authors. I'm toying with the idea of limiting all my reading material, but I will have a serious news-intake issue. My favorite website is 538 written by three dudes. All regular news outlets on the web are dominated by male authors.

Anyway, to hype myself up for this experiment I'm going to make a little reading list. I want to put in at least 25 books (my yearly reading goal of which I'm about 4 books behind already this year). Then I need a "post-poned" list of books to read when the experiment ends. I have several already purchased books that will be waiting.

2009 - Girl Year
cunt - Inga Muscio
Spin Sisters - Myrna Blyth
Spook - Mary Roach
Opening Up - Tristan Taormino
Open - Jenny Block
Look at Me - Jennifer Egan

2010
Omerta - Mario Puzo
The Sicilian - Mario Puzo
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth

Okay, I'll add as I find all the other unread books in my apartment. Open to suggestions, and especially lends.

Ava's Man

by Rick Bragg

I read this entire book in O'Hare Airport in two days. Yeah because I live in an airport. You've seen the movie "The Terminal"?

So anyway, this book is a biography of Rick Bragg's grandfather, who he never met. He was close with his grandmother Ava, and he pieced together the bio based on accounts of his relatives and friends of his grandfather.

Its sort of a typical "My family is from the parts of Georgia and Alabama you ain't never seen" book with all the necessary themes of pride and family and stickin' it to the man and whatnot. There are tales of the horrors of the Depression and how there is a generation that couldn't ever cope with technology.

I enjoyed the story, it was less self-righteous than you'd expect. The downfall was the style- there's a clear goal with the anecdotal passages, but Bragg completely fails to bring it together. In a lot of cases there are just two or three paragraphs paraphrasing a specific story, but they aren't integrated into the plot, they just stand alone. I feel it could have been 5 stars if Bragg hired a better editor and spent about 3 years working on the execution.

Still if you like stories about country folks in the south, complete with stories of fleeing the cops and brewing whiskey in the woods, you'll probably really like this book. Plus it can be read cover to cover during a bad delay.

About A Boy

This was my second Nick Hornby book (I read High Fidelity a few months back). I have to say that I'm totally sold. Mr. Hornby is welcomed into the AFA Club (Abby's Favorite Authors- President Ayn Rand).

This book was also made into a movie, the movie strayed a bit more from the original plot than High Fidelity. I liked the way it was in the book better for a book though. The climatic concert in the movie was effective for a film, but the awkward police fiasco in the book was a better read.

One of the big differences was the setting, its still set in London, but the book centers its timeline around the death of Kurt Cobain and the film is in the more modern Hip-Hop era. It translates surprisingly well though. The theme of a kid who doesn't fit in and a man who is too cool for his own good works in pretty much any time period.

So I recommend this book, its endlessly amusing and the fact that the main character is not a good person is a total bonus. Good people are boring.

It Takes a Village

I read "It Takes a Village" by Hillary.

Kerry: "On purpose?"

Ha, ha. The madre got it when she saw Hill speak in Chi-town so I stole it and read it.

It didn't make me hate her. Its all about the importance of supporting and educating children. Its about half political, half uber-sentimental with splashes of science mixed in for effect.

I actually felt like I was learning, there was a lot of sciency studies about how babies and chilluns learn and how most parents (as you may have expected) are clueless about parenting. Mrs. Clinton put forth a lot of reasonable, realistic strategies for helping our youth and makes a good argument for the importance of this from political, moral, and economic standpoints.

The book also didn't make me want to vote Hillary into the White House. I
think she'd make an excellent Cabinet member, Secretary of Education or something.

So the book was enjoyable, I cried through the first four chapters because they were all heart-wrenching tales of Hil's orphaned mother and Bill's abusive step-father and what being a mother means to her. Its pretty much the kind of stuff that makes women of all ages go all to pieces. It settles down though and the last 2/3rds are less of a sob-fest.

One entertaining aspect was noticing how very dated it is. It was written while Hil was in the White House so its only like 12-yrs old, but all of her hope-filled-promise-of-a-better-tomorrow-things-are-already-improving plans are non-existant today and things have very obviously gotten worse. Also she used the word out-sourcing and put it in "quotes" and then defined it. Because its a new-fangled idea that no one understands. Hahahahahhahahah. Awesome.

So I rate this book readable, but Hil should update it or something. Do a part 2 thats angry and bitter. That would be fantastic.

Love is a Mix Tape

Today I finished Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield.

Rob Sheffield is now my personal hero. During the reading of this book I cried repeatedly, bought music, laughed out loud and cried some more.

Its basically a mini-autobiography about the years he spent meeting and wed to his wife before she died suddenly in 1996. He uses song lists from mix tapes he found in his apartment to head off each chapter. Its brilliant. The stories about his wife are sweet and sad and funny and his thoughts on music are, well, more brilliance. Did I mention he writes for Rolling Stone? He does.

So read it. Everyone. Its yumminess.

Of Human Bondage

by W. Somerset Maugham

I enjoyed this coming-of-age tale, very Dickens-esque. The whole thing is terribly introspective, akward and painful. There are a lot of long speeches about art and the meaning of life, and in the middle that gets a bit tiring, but mostly its just like a night at Nick's (or your local bar filled with socialists, elitists, french-speakers and smokers.)

Contrary to the implications of the title, this was not a book about kinky sex. Basically its the life story of a club-footed Englishman called Philip, a quiet, intellectual boy who tries about every profession available to him. He also falls in love with an unpleasant girl called Mildred. I didn't like that bit so much.

What was really outstanding is that I liked the ending. Mostly I hate the ending of every book I've ever read, but Maugham does a brilliant job of wrapping it all up for me. Philip spent so much time mulling over his future, and all the characters are so well-developed that I didn't feel like I was missing anything by the book ending before Philip died. (I do like for the characters to die in a brilliant fashion at the end of a lot of stories.)

So 4 stars for this one. I've already plowed through 20% of Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. Predict I'll finish by Sunday.

Vote Obama

The Knight of Maison-Rouge

Yet another lovely book by Dumas. There was somewhat less violence and more gushy lovey-dovey stuff in this than in some of the others, but the characters were also less tortured.

Except Marie Antoinnette. She pretty much suffers in everything. But thats what happens to rulers during Revolutions.

Anyway, I particularly liked the ending, because most everybody was killed off. That's the proper way to end stories. It stays off my ending remorse. That sadness from losing touch with the characters while they continue to live out their lives. Its better they die. Truly, for my sake.

My only complaint about this one is that it required me to have a much deeper knowledge of French history than I have (or really care to have). Luckily my copy had an extensive notes section to catch me up. Although all the flipping made me feel kind of stupid. Eh, the French.

So Dumas stays in my Top 5 Favorite Authors for the time being.
Next on deck: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Vote Obama.

Literature.

Books I've read this year:

Hey, Nostradamus!
Douglas Coupland
Not the best book I've ever read, not the worst. Its written in four parts, each part narrarated by a different character, and set in a different time. The book spans about 12 years. It sort of centers around the fallout of a school shooting in which the first narrarator is shot to death. I liked the second part best, the dead girl's boyfriend narrarates and he's all tortured and strung out on drugs. Its written as a letter to his nephews to be read 18 years in the future. The 3rd and 4th parts are not as fascinating, and the last part in particular is a downer.
The consistent themes are religion and regret and loss and pain. And judgement. Lots of judging. And a little murdering. The murdering is sort of a nice change of pace from the religion and judging. So I liked it, its interesting and the style gives you that "full circle" feeling. Also I read it in something like 2 days, so its not too big a commitment.

Cash
Johnny Cash
I loved this. It just kind of winds along introspectively recounting the events of Cash's life. There is no grand plot or anything. He tangents and tells amusing anecdotes. He name-drops constantly. Its very much like you are just hanging out with Johnny Cash and chatting about the good old days. He communicates a lot of wisdom and some humor about his life. Which was crazy. The movie of it isn't quite so personal, and its more dramatic. Anyway its very enjoyable to read, even though it made me feel a little bit like a loser for not personally knowing every person in music in the last 60 years. I've still got some time though... right?

never have your dog stuffed
Alan Alda
This is an excellent read. Alan Alda had a really interesting childhood, and the adulthood is pretty cool too. By the time I got up to the chapter about MASH I'd forgotten he was in it. He's very humble and intellectual. He has a insatiable interest in science which is fun to read about if you are a geek. If you aren't a geek, his discription of the strippers in his dad's burlesque show is pretty entertaining. Also the thing about his stuffed dog. Excitement.

High Fidelity
Nick Hornby
This book is every bit as good as the movie, and is in the exact same style. Other than the book being set in London (as opposed to Chicago) and a few details being left out the movie is true to the book. The book is really funny and terrible to read. The characters say and do terrible things and you can't not love them. The peripheral characters-- Rob's parents, Marie DeSalle, and Rob's 5th breakup who is glossed in the movie-- all get a lot more background. Love Nick Hornby and intend to read all his books.

The Godfather
Mario Puzo
Yay! 600 pages of sex and violence! Just like the movie only more. And with the blood. And the revenge served icy cold. Murderous Rage! Plots to Overthrow the Don! Bribery of Government Officials! Gambling! Prostitution! And Bears, Oh My! This book is instantly being moved up into my top 10. Makes me want to reread A Clockwork Orange and to pick up American Psycho.


Currently Reading: The Knight of Maison-Rouge by Alexandre Dumas (One of my all-time favorite writers)


Books to read:

• Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
• Dreams From My Father - Obama
• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
• Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
• Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
• Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel
  
• Man in Black - Johnny Cash
• Man in White - Johnny Cash
  
• Princess Bride - S. Morgenstern
  
• Catch Me if You Can - Frank Abagnale
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
  
• From Hope to Higher Ground - Mike Huckabee
  
• Spin Sisters - Myrna Blyth
• Power, Faith and Fantasy - Michael B. Oren

Back to School

Hello 2007. I've now broken the month-long blog silence.

I really couldn't be bothered to blog over break, because cocktail hour was just so important.

New Year's Resolution: Read 20 books this year.
There's a girl who reads 50 books a year and talks about them on her blog (50books.blogspot.com) and she inspired me to read more. Unfortunately I'm a college student so a book a week seems a little out of my reach. I felt I could do one every 3 weeks during school and more than one a week during breaks. That puts me between 20 and 30 books this year.

So in honor of this new goal, I stole the book ticker from Miranda's blog and have been sucked into the world of librarything.com. Its fun.

As of now, I'm reading The Godfather. I'm nearly half-way through and its completely living up to the movies. Its (of course) somewhat better, but kudos to the movie makers for capturing the essence of the characters and staying true to the story. (Unlike some story-raping jerks I could mention involved in the making of the travesty that became "The Count of Monte Cristo".)

I've already read several books in the first few weeks of the year and I'm about to comment upon them in their own entries.

In other departments....
My crew is finally somewhat reunited- Dana and I are both on campus this semester, as well as Melissa as a grad student and JD as a graduate who is staying in town. JD has a pretty new girlfriend who we all like. Should make for a wicked fun semester. I'm taking 17 hours this semester, one is a easy "just show up" class and 3 of those hours are spanish so it should be considerably less demanding than last semester. Fingers crossed.

Ok. I've bored myself. Entries to come on "Hey, Nostradamus", "Cash", "Never Have your Dog Stuffed" and "High Fidelity".

-Abby the Literate

Home In One Piece

Well, we've returned from the Mountains. Twas a lovely weekend. The football game was awesome (obviously!) We did a little walking in Tryon. Abby bought two books, Melissa bought enough to start her own bookstore. I got The Awakening and Music For Chameleons. Super excited if I can ever finish Becoming Madame Mao. The style is slowing me down.

Other weekend highlights: While we were waiting for Michael and Ash to catch up with us I got these fabulous new shoes. Orange sequined wedges. So Clemsontastic.

Mostly it was just a nice relaxing weekend with no cable, no internet, and no cell phone! I hate that stupid thing. It rings a lot. Grrrrrr.

We did have a little excitement on the way down the mountain today when JD's brakes started smoking like crazy. Tiny bit scary! Apparently stopping and letting them cool off will fix it. Who knew?

Time for me to now take care of my girl getting into grad school. More later.
-Abby