TLC Blog Tour - The Western Lit Survival Kit

The Western Lit Survival Kit:  An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman

Published:  2012 by Gotham Books

Source:  Received from publisher for review

  Aside from a Shakespeare play every year in high school (The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and Hamlet), my education in "classical" literature was sparse.  I remember studying Bruce Springsteen's lyrics as poetry, so my English teachers were very much on the modern side of the spectrum.  I am on a quest to round out my reading experience by catching up with what I've missed, but let's face it -- books labeled classic also get an intimidating label upon them. 

 

  Sandra Newman has endeavored to relieve readers of some of the intimidation in these works in this witty and informative book. Starting with the ancient Greece and moving chronologically to the early twentieth century, she provides readable synopses of "key works" (well-represented but of course subjective) that explain not only the point of the piece (novels, short stories, plays and poetry are all represented) but also discussions of the historical periods and places in which these works were written and the evolution of the genres:

While Restoration literature is the voice of the nobility, eighteenth-century literature is by, for, and about the middle class.  Literature becomes professionalized, ...

... the eighteenth-century novel is subtly different from our conventional novels.  It tends to break the fourth wall, reminding the reader again and again that this is a novel and that the author can, if he wishes, turn the hero into a rabbit at any moment.

  The "key" players --  Homer, Dickens, Shakespeare (he gets his own chapter), Tolstoy, Hemingway, et al -- are well represented, and there are many names that I have never heard of.  Most of the writers are male, but Jane Austen, the Brontes and Virginia Woolf among others are in there too.  And the title says it all:  Western Lit Survival Kit; Asian and African literature is not represented.  

  The book is written in a very tongue in cheek tone which annoyed me at times -- it seemed she felt the need to add a punch line to everything -- but it is informative and a good reference for both literature enthusiasts and neophytes alike.  

  Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour:

Monday, January 2nd: Sophisticated Dorkiness

Tuesday, January 3rd: Chaotic Compendiums
Wednesday, January 4th: DBC Reads
Thursday, January 5th: Book Hooked Blog
Friday, January 6th: Bibliophiliac
Tuesday, January 10th: Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, January 11th: The 3 R’s Blog
Thursday, January 12th: Library of Clean Reads
Friday, January 13th: Books Distilled
Monday, January 16th: Lit and Life
Tuesday, January 17th: Shooting Stars Mag
Wednesday, January 18th: Luxury Reading
Thursday, January 19th: Joyfully Retired
Friday, January 20th: Book Snob
Monday, January 23rd: Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms
Tuesday, January 24th: Sarah Reads Too Much
Wednesday, January 25th: Literary Musings
Thursday, January 26th: Between the Covers



The Warmth of Other Suns

The Warmth of Other Suns:  The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

Published:  2010 by Random House

Source:  Received as a gift

  I cannot give this book a proper review.  Reading it made me mad, it upset me, it made me cry, but at times it also made me smile.  And I don't know if I have the right to any of those emotions.

 

  The Warmth of Other Suns is about the migration of thousands of black citizens from the segregated Jim Crow South to cities in the officially (though not always in practice) desegregated North.  The general migration story is explained, but Isabel Wilkerson, herself the daughter of such migrants, specifically tells the story of three people: 

• Ida Mae Brandon Gladney: A sharecropper's wife in Mississippi who, with her husband and young children leave the cotton plantation to join her sister in Milwaukee, but who eventually settles in Chicago
• George Swanson Starling:  An agitator for better wages for orange grove pickers in Florida, he flees just ahead of the lynch mobs for New York City
• Robert Joseph Pershing Foster:  The son of the principal of the colored school in Monroe, Louisiana, he becomes a doctor and - not wanting to be merely a country doctor for the colored people - heads to Los Angeles to seek his fortune.

  We see their stories almost in their entirety:  The demeaning existence they had to endure in their hometowns (though it must be said there seemed to be an incredible sense of community within the black population which must have been what got some of them through such difficulties); the struggle to leave, the difficulties of life in a completely new environment up North.  What was extremely surprising to me is how much discrimination they had to put up with even once they were settled in these large metropolises, and this is where I started feeling outrage and shame;  neither myself nor my immediate ancestors had any part of this injustice but I kept wanting to just look up some of these people and apologize.

  The three stories are similar, yet very different at the same time.  Ms Wilkerson tells the three stories so well that they read like fiction.  I wish that some of the events described were fiction, but sadly ......

   It's a fairly long book, but it is definitely worth the effort. 

   I started this book just after Christmas, and finished it on January 3, so I just might make this one of my favorite books for 2011 and 2012.  Highly recommended. 

TLC Blog Tour - New

New:  Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change by Winifred Gallagher

Published:  2011 by The Penguin Press

Source:  Received from Publisher for Review

  When I began reading New:  Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change, I was expecting a diatribe about how today's consumer culture gives almost every product a limited life span to encourage more and more consumption.  This topic is touched upon, but instead what I found was a very interesting account of the value and importance of novelty in civilization.

  As the author, Winifred Gallagher, describes, neophilia (desire for novelty) has had an evolutionary purpose; it has helped civilization react to events or situations which in turn has led us to the world we live in today, for better or worse.  Using the example of Homo sapiens versus Neanderthals in prehistoric times, Gallagher notes that  Homo sapiens, as strong neophiles, were able to adapt to periods of potentially disastrous change and evolve into the "human race" as we know it today, while the Neanderthals, as neophobes (novelty-resistant), preferred the comfort of their insular surroundings, didn't interact with anyone else, and as result drove themselves into extinction.

  In the present era, novelty works on a spectrum.  There are extreme neophiles - those who are extremely sensitive to and distracted by new stimuli in their environment - and extreme neophobes - those resistant to any newness at all - but most of us fall somewhere in between.   It is a survival instinct to react to novelty and change (as Gallagher explains, a swerving car on the highway is a novelty in one's average existence and is thus reacted to as such) and how we determine an event on a separate danger spectrum is likely to determine how we react to it from a novelty point of view.

  Going into my preconcieved notion of the essence of this book, Gallagher does go into the consumer side of novelty and especially how in our present day novelty is represented by the latest gadget or even the buying experience itself.   This appears to be a relatively new phenomenon, which Gallagher compares to an almost religious experience:

By the lights of the old Protestant ethic consumer meant something like "spendthrift" or squanderer.  the avid customers queuing up for Black Friday sales and the latest Apple productcts, however, resemble religious pilgrims who prove their devotion by sleeping in front of the shrine on the night before they're permitted to purchase the Holy Grail.



  Related to this is Gallagher's thought that the pursuit of new "stuff" has resulted in society - specifically, American - losing touch with the purpose of novelty.  In today's turbulent economy, with young people fearful of what the future has in store for them; and the increasing number of seniors who are typically more conservative (and more neophobic), Gallagher notes:

All of these social influences contribute to a newly fretful America that's wary of original ideas that have uncertain outcomes, much less of active problem finding.

  Aside from the descriptions of studies on the science of novelty which I found uninteresting (I am NOT a science person), I found this book to be extremely interesting and a pleasant surprise to what I had originally expected.  The concept of novelty is much much more than material, and is more important than I had ever thought.



Falling for Me by Anna David

Falling for Me:  How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love by Anna David

Published:  2011 by HarperCollins

Source:  Received from the publisher for review

  Once again, I am drawn to a project memoir that I was fully expecting to dislike, but am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed.

   Anna David, a successful writer, has been unlucky in love one too many times and -- like many of us bibliophiles -- heads to the bookstore to search for that one perfect book that will cure everything that ails her seemingly bleak situation.  Her search appears to come up empty until she sees a pink cover on the shelf -- a copy of Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown.  The first line "I married for the first time at 37.  I got the man I wanted."  intrigues David and she purchases the book, but with the realization that is not likely to be a miracle worker:

I'm not the sort of person who transitions from a state of hopeless despair to one of zany optimism just because of a book - let alone some guide to living as a single girl in the 60's - so part of me wonders if I'm in a delusional state where I only think I feel better.  But I also know that I'm not really in a position to care.  This is the first time I've felt something other than miserable since my birthday, and these days, I'll take whatever I can get.

  And here is where I expected to start disliking the book.   I had preconceived notions of what a book written in the early 1960s would say about finding and keeping a relationship, and I didn't want to read about a woman in the present day changing herself just so that she could meet Mr. Right.  With some women, that may have been exactly what happened, but with David, what she learns about herself is much more than just how to get a guy.  For example, after some less than successful dates arranged through an online dating service, she realizes that her comfort zone is too small, she dusts off the Rollerblades that have been sitting in the closet and heads to the park to reacquaint herself with the activity; before she realizes, she is a fair distance away and is thrilled with herself and of the experience:

This place I've discovered because I'd forced myself to do something I'd long wanted to do, in other words, reminds me of some of the happiest times of my life.

 This experience resonated so strongly with me.  I've had the same types of experiences with things I've wanted to do but were afraid of trying because I thought it would be too hard; when I "just did it", the results were nothing but positive, even if there were some bumps along the way.  And in this sentence she sums this up beautifully:  "I can be whoever I want to be, provided I'm willing to not give up even when it's difficult." 

  In addition to expanding her comfort zone, David also picks up more domestic pointers from S&SG (as she refers to the book throughout her own); like how to cook a proper meal, how to decorate your home/apartment, how to "dress for success".  Ostensibly, these are improvements designed to impress a man, but to David they provide self-satisfaction; that you should be doing these things for yourself all along.

  Of course, the memoir does talk about David's adventures in dating and romance, and I found these parts to be uninteresting, even though I know they are a main point of the book.  However, I absolutely loved the overall message I took from reading it -- that anything you do should be done with you in mind first.

  Highly recommended.

  Here is a podcast interview with the author, Anna David (also available on iTunes)

Hamlet's Blackberry

Hamlet's BlackBerry:  Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers

Published:  2011 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Received from the publisher for review

  There are days when I pine for a smartphone.  The ability to be able to check my e-mail, Facebook and Twitter accounts wherever and whenever I wanted to seems like a good thing to me.  The fact that I check them several times during the day anyways on my computer and very little happens between each check  and that I rarely have my current "dumb" phone on and yet still rarely miss calls should be a sign that maybe that new shiny gadget isn't a priority in my life. 

 

  Reading Hamlet's BlackBerry has reinforced this justification to stay behind that trend-following curve, at least for a while longer.  William Powers is far from a technophobe and I think that is what makes this book so interesting and useful.  Not only does he take examples from his own life on his experiences in occasional "unplugging" (disconnecting from the Internet for entire weekends, for example), he also goes back into history and profiles the contemporary "technology" of seven great thinkers from Plato to Walden to Marshall McLuhan that provide lessons for us in the current era.  I especially appreciated his thoughts on Seneca, who encourages us not to allow outside distractions to disturb one's focus on the task at hand:

I force my mind to become self-absorbed and not let outside things distract it.  There can be absolute bedlam without so long as there is no commotion within.

For me, that means ignoring the e-mail and social media when I am in the midst of any work or personal project; and to give proper attention to the book I am reading now rather than think of the (many, many) other books sitting on my shelf that I want to read.  Right now that is still easier said than done -- old habits die hard -- but I am aware of these tendencies in myself and when I have made the effort to focus on the task at hand it is not as difficult to complete. 

Ultimately, technology is a great tool but should be used in conjunction with the other ones that civilization has given us over the centuries.

Highly recommended.



You are Not so Smart

You are Not so Smart:  Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney

Published:  2011 by Gotham Books

Source:  Received from the Publisher for Review

  Here's a newsflash:  it turns out that I am not so smart.

  Upon reading David McRaney's book, I discovered a few things about myself, some of which I might not have wanted to know.  He describes 48 different psychological principles that we all experience and which give us the illusion that we are always conscious of what we are doing.  For example:

1. Apohenia -- My niece and I share the same birthday.  Coincidence?  Sure. Meaningful?  Just to me (and hopefully her, but she's only 5 and right now birthdays are all about her as it should be)
2. Dunbar's Number -- I have over 500 followers and followees on Twitter (@bibliosue if you don't already follow me!) but I regularly interact with less than 10% of that group. 
3. Procrastination -- When I add foreign films and documentaries to my Netflix queue I feel so smart and cultured, but when push comes to shove I either keep moving them down the list to get something more popular or I let the DVD sit in its sleeve for a week before giving up and sending it back unwatched.

   Of course once I read about the principles they make perfect sense, but because I now know that I am not so smart it will not prevent me from experiencing them; but I will be aware of them.

   At times I found the narrative to be a bit heavy with details of the various experiments used to prove these principles, but they are necessarily included to show their effects.  Apart from that I found You are Not so Smart to be an interesting and entertaining read and a book that I think could make for interesting discussions with the right book group.

  The publisher has provided a copy of You are Not so Smart to giveaway to a lucky commenter (US and Canada only -- sorry!)  Please leave your e-mail address in your comment and on Sunday November 13, I will randomly select a winner and contact them by e-mail.

  Thank you to TLC Blog Tours for allowing me to participate, and be sure to check out the other stops on this tour:

Monday, October 17th: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Tuesday, October 18th: Simply Stacie

Wednesday, October 19th: Luxury Reading

Thursday, October 20th: Girls Gone Reading

Friday, October 21st: Patricia’s Wisdom

Monday, October 24th: Overstuffed

Tuesday, October 25th: Today’s Path

Wednesday, October 26th: Unabridged Chick

Thursday, October 27th: 1330V

Tuesday, November 1st: Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Wednesday, November 2nd: He Geek/She Geek

Thursday, November 3rd: Acting Balanced

Monday, November 7th: Bibliosue

Wednesday, November 9th: EvolutionYou.net

Thursday, November 10th: A Bookish Affair

Carrots 'N' Cake

Carrots 'N' Cake:  Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time by Tina Haupert

Published:  2011 by Sterling Publishing

Source:  Purchased

  For me, this book is another indication that I might be a little bit too impulsive when I am browsing the bookstores.  I picked up the book because I liked the catchy title, and in my ongoing effort to maintain a healthier lifestyle I thought I could learn a few things from it.  I may have read the jacket copy that said the author maintains a blog of the same name, but it didn't fully register.

  Hindsight now tells me that when I see a book that is based on a blog, it might be a good idea to visit said blog first to see how I like it before purchasing the book.  

  It's not that what she writes about isn't interesting; in fact, I'm very much drawn to personal stories of weight loss struggles because I can completely relate to them, and I appreciate the author's thesis of maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program while including occasional indulgences.  There was just something about her style that I didn't like; the book reads like a collection of blog posts, though I could not determine by a quick look through her blog if the content was taken directly from it.  This is where I should have put the book back on the bookstore shelf, gone home, and looked at the blog first.  And I didn't feel that I could relate to the author; she is describing her personal lifestyle but I found it very close to being preachy.

  Aside from some recipes that might be worth a try, I don't feel like I learned much by reading this book. 

  My recommendation:  Check out the Carrots 'n' Cake blog first,  If you like what you see, you'll probably enjoy the book.

Thoughts on In My Time

In My Time:  A Personal and Political Memoir by Dick Cheney (with Liz Cheney)

Published:  2011 by Threshold Editions

Source:  Borrowed from the Library

  OK, I finished it.  And frankly, it's kinda boring.

  I think I expected a detailed explanation/analysis of Mr. Cheney's tenure as Vice-President of the United States,  but this time of his life took up a fairly small portion of the book.  Instead what I read was a thorough autobiography of a man who came from rather humble origins and who came to hold some very important and influential positions.

  I'll admit that I don't support Mr. Cheney's view of politics in America, and I was hoping to read about why he held such conservative views and why he made the decisions he did; however the stories of his political career felt like they came directly from his calendar and lacked insight.  Whether he agreed or disagreed on an issue was the only indication of his position and I wanted to know more.  As he also served as Secretary of Defense under the first President Bush, the narrative emphasized the military and of course the two Iraq Wars and the war in Afghanistan, and the economy and other domestic issues were almost ignored.

  I didn't hate reading this book, but it is certainly not going on my list of favorites.  

  By the way, I did borrow this book from the library and it was only the other day I noticed the labels on the book's spine:

Someone at the library must have a sense of humor!

  

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Just My Type:  A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

Published:  2011 by Penguin

Source:  Received from publisher for review

  I consider myself to be a bit of a font geek.  Although my life in the real world that requires my writing production to be professional and (ahem) mature, I love playing with fonts on whatever report or project I am working on.  That said, I found my knowledge of fonts to be sorely lacking; the fascinating book Just My Type by Simon Garfield highlighted these gaps but rapidly filled them in for me as well.

  From the beginning of moveable type printing with Gutenberg's press, to the choice of fonts unleashed with Apple's Macintosh computer, Garfield describes the history and evolution of fonts, which is surprisingly rich:  for example, Nazi Germany's decision in 1941 to outlaw Gothic script - the traditional font used in Germany -   because of its association with Jewish bankers and Jewish-owned printing presses in addition to the lack of proper Gothic fonts in the countries they occupied.  There is also some really interesting stories about the use of fonts in branding -- for example, the fonts used in The Beatles' iconic logo and their album art; and the controversy surrounding IKEA's switch from Futura to Verdana in their signage and advertising.

  "Font piracy" is also discussed, which is something I never realized was an issue.  Owners of fonts do make money from licensing, but as Garfield notes:  "... if your font is any good, it gets copied."  And one of my favorite fonts, Arial, is deemed to be one of the biggest copies of them all - created by Microsoft as an alternative to Helvetica to save money on the licensing fees.  The differences in the two fonts are there but subtle but I suppose one could be mistaken for the other and that it must matter to some people.

  Included throughout the book are "fontbreaks", highlighting certain fonts and their creation and popular use,  and some (to me) incredibly insightful nuggets of information about symbols - I never knew that the ampersand (&) is a combination of the letters "e" and "t" (Latin for "et", which in modern French is the word for "and").  There is also a chapter devoted to the worst fonts in the world, which I'm sure in font-geek circles causes no end of heated discussion.

  Given my natural curiosity of seemingly-trivial topics, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now find myself trying to guess the fonts on signs, posters, and other printed matter I encounter during my day. 

  Highly recommended.

  Be sure to check out the other stops on Just My Type's TLC Blog Tour:

  Monday, August 15th: Melody & Words
  Tuesday, August 16th: Mockingbird Hill Cottage
  Wednesday, August 17th: Chaotic Compendiums
  Thursday, August 18th: Books Like Breathing
   Monday, August 22nd: A Home Between Pages
  Tuesday, August 23rd: Steph and Tony Investigate
  Wednesday, August 24th: 1330V
  Thursday, August 25th: 2 Kids and Tired
  Friday, August 26th: Amused by Books
  Monday, August 29th: Unabridged Chick
  Wednesday, August 31st: Simply Stacie
  Thursday, September 1st: BookNAround
  Tuesday, September 6th: Bibliosue
  Wednesday, September 7th: Man of La Book
  Thursday, September 8th: My Book Retreat
  Monday, September 12th: Lit and Life
  Wednesday, September 14th: In the Pages

Summer at Tiffany

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

Published:  2007 by Avon

Source:  Purchased

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

     So begins this wonderful memoir of an era that could easily be viewed as the best of times and the worst of times (apologies to Charles Dickens).

     It is 1945.  At the end of their school year at the University of Iowa, Marjorie Jacobson and her closest friend, Marty Garrett, head to New York City for the summer with high hopes.  Some of their sorority sisters have landed coveted jobs at the big department stores, and the girls want to join their ranks.  Turned away from them all ("Come back in the fall" they are told), in a very bold move they decide to call at Tiffany, one of the hallmarks of luxury then as now. 

     Thanks to the still-ongoing war in the Pacific, young men are scarce for filling positions, and the girls are hired as pages for the store's sales floor.  It is not the most glamourous job, but for Marjorie and Marty it is the opportunity of a lifetime.  They are provided dresses from Bonwit Teller (one of those much admired department stores) as uniforms, at times act as models of the jewelry in the showroom, and catch glimpses of celebrities.

     Outside of work, the girls have an active social life; their apartment in the city is party central for their sorority sisters coming in for the weekend from the outer boroughs.  And they meet new people as well that have the potential to change the course of their lives.  Marjorie, an aspiring cellist, meets a Yale music professor at the home of the girls' landlady who encourages her musical ambitions; and she meets a Navy sailor, Jim, who might be more than just a summer acquaintance.  

    

     What I truly loved about this book is that it re-created the time and the place so well.  I often say that I was born in the wrong decade and would love to go back in time to live in the 1940s and this book put me back there.  The innocence of these 20 year old girls -- "Good Night!" "Judas Priest!" "Oh my gosh!" were the harshest phrases coming out of their mouths -- and the simplicity of the era (despite the war raging overseas) is just wonderful to experience.  It's also entertaining to see how much prices and the value of money have changed over the years -- who wouldn't grab a dozen etched cocktail glasses from Tiffany for $12 these days?

     I also loved the element of suspense contained in the memoir -- at the end I found myself exclaiming "NO!" out loud, totally surprised at the outcome.

     Highly recommended.

 



Paris to the Past

Paris to the Past:  Traveling Through French History by Train by Ina Caro

Published:  2011 by W.W. Norton

Source:  Borrowed from the library

  Either books about Paris and/or France are more prevalent on my radar because I'm contemplating a trip in the spring, or the publishing gods are releasing more books about them.  I'm drawn to travel narratives anyways, but even so I think this is the third or fourth new book about Paris that I've read this year.

 

  This book details 25 day trips from Paris that take you back into French history -- from The Middle Ages and the era of Louis XIV to the French Revolution and the age of Napoleon.  I admit, I don't have a real affinity for any of these periods and would not necessarily have selected a lot of these sites as a "must-see. Having said that, one of the sites mentioned -- The Place des Vosges in Paris -- was one of my favorite spots when I last visited and I wasn't entirely aware of of its significance.  Another site -- the cathedral at Rouen -- I only know from Monet's paintings (reason itself to visit, in my opinion), but I did not know of its connection to Joan of Arc.  *sigh*  I might need a longer vacation.

  I found the author's tone to be too upscale and a tad snobby for my taste, and the only restaurants/hotels she does mention are certainly not for the budget-minded traveller.  Otherwise, this is a good non-touristy travel guide that is a starting point for anyone planning a Parisian adventure.

  Recommended.

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World:  A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter

Published:  2011 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Received from the publisher for review

Paris belongs to its piétons – the pedestrians



   Regular readers of this blog, tell me:  is there any doubt as to what I think of this book?

   It's about Paris.  About walking in Paris.  About viewing the history of Paris on these walks through the eyes of some of the writers and other cultural luminaries who made their mark in the city:  Hemingway, Picasso, Sylvia Beach, to name just a few.  It's a book written by a Parisian resident who,  I think because he is not a native of the city,  still has a bit of the tourist in him to be able to express his wide-eyed admiration of the city and all that has happened to it.
 
  That's not to say that the book is all sunshine and roses about the city -- Baxter describes a few incidents typical of life probably anywhere, but for me, since they take place in PARIS, they seem so much more bearable. 

  Although not really a travel guide, for those interested in visiting Paris for the first or fortieth time is full of information disguised as narratives that would only enhance the experience;   my copy is covered in Post-It flags and highlighted throughout so that WHEN I can plan my next trip I will have new resources available to me.  Even for the armchair traveller, though, this book is simply a wonderful escape into one of the world's great cities.

  Highly recommended. 

  I also recommend another John Baxter memoir set in Paris:  Immoveable Feast:  A Paris Christmas; an account of his attempt to prepare a traditional French Christmas meal for his French in-laws.  A wonderful holiday read.

My Year with Eleanor

My Year with Eleanor:  A memoir by Noelle Hancock

Published:  2011 by Ecco

Source:  Received from publisher for review as part of the TLC Book Tour

  Yes, this is another "project" memoir.  After losing her job as an entertainment blogger, Noelle Hancock is unsure of her future; however at her local coffee shop she sees a quote on the wall that inspires her:

"Do one thing every day that scares you."  Eleanor Roosevelt

As she is about to turn 29, Hancock takes it upon herself to follow Mrs. Roosevelt's advice and create a "Year of Fear" before her 30th birthday. 

  Most of the book details the "big" things Hancock did that scared her -- trapeze lessons and skydiving, for example -- but throughout we see her growth as a person as she deals with less glamorous issues like her dependence on sleep medication and the status of her relationship with her boyfriend.  And as it becomes clear to her -- and to me -- that scary things aren't always big things, she also makes important realizations about what it means to conquer a fear-inducing feat:

"If I could take this kind of risk maybe then, if I had a chance to make a difference in someone's life someday, I'd have the courage to do it."

"The scariest thing I'd done in my life so far turned out not to be all that scary - fun even.  It made me wonder what else I was missing out on.  Also, what other things in my life was I unnecessarily wasting time and energy worrying about?"

  At first I thought this book was going to be shallow - I blame my preconceived notions of the writing style and interests of an entertainment blogger.  However I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Hancock's account of her exploits and by the inspiration she took from Eleanor Roosevelt's life.  Most books I read usually lead me to add one or two more books to my to-read list, and this one is no exception, as I do want to read more about Mrs. Roosevelt myself.  And in addition to the quote that started Hancock on this journey, I have several other quotes (including the two noted above) that I hope to use as motivation myself to attempt at least some of those things that scare me.

Highly recommended.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour of this book:

Monday, July 11: Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, July 12: Bibliosue
Wednesday, July 13: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
Thursday, July 14: Melody & Words
Tuesday, July 19: Scandalous Women
Wednesday, July 20: Unabridged Chick
Monday, July 25: One Book Shy
Tuesday, August 2: “That’s Swell!”
Wednesday, August 3: The Book Chick
Thursday, August 4: Cozy Little House
Wednesday, August 10: Kahakai Kitchen
Thursday, August 11: Stephanie’s Written Word

The Battle for Spain

The Battle for Spain:  The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 by Antony Beevor

Published:  2006 by Penguin Books

Source:  Purchased

  Back in university (many many years ago) I wrote a paper in my 1st year international relations class about the Spanish Civil War.  Since the focus was only on the diplomacy (or lack thereof) surrounding the conflict, though,  I did not do much research outside of that topic, but I retained a curiosity of that war and tried to learn more about it over the years.  Some wonderful novels, Guernica by Dave Boling, and The Return by Victoria Hislop provide emotional images of the war and its effects on the civilian population, but I hadn't read a good non-fiction account of it; so when I was browsing a bookstore in a college town and saw Antony Beevor's book The Battle for Spain I picked it up.  It took me about two years to finally read it (thank you 2011 TBR Pile Challenge) and I still don't know if I understand the Spanish Civil War any better.

  It's not that the book isn't good -- it is thorough, but perhaps too thorough for a "general" reader like me.  Beevor provides a lot of detail about the two sides of the conflict - the Republicans and the Nationalists, and though there is an index of abbreviations at the beginning I still found it difficult to keep track of all of the organizations that fell under the two sides, and in fact to keep track of which side was which (The Republicans were the government of Spain at the time and received support from the Soviet Union and Communist/anti-fascist volunteers from around the world; the Nationalists were led by General Francisco Franco and were supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy).  The book also goes into a lot of detail about specific battles and I have to admit that my attention waned during these descriptions.  Beevor is an objective writer, though, and his account of the war is balanced;  he shows the good and bad of both, which I believe exists in any war.

  If and when I read another novel set during the Spanish Civil War, I think I will have this book at my side as a reference for any actual events depicted.  For me, it was not a book that I enjoyed reading as I normally do, but I appreciate its value as a resource for detailed information.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Stories I Only Tell My Friends:  An Autobiography, by Rob Lowe

Published:  2011 by Macmillan Audio

Source:  Purchased (audiobook)

  As a rule, I avoid celebrity books of any sort like the plague; partly because I am a mild book snob but also because I never see any that would interest me.  I don't care to read about the "troubles" of being a celebrity or whatever else they choose to write about, because most of the time they are just doing it for the paycheck.

 

  That said, I still was skeptical when I saw Rob Lowe had written an autobiography, but I thought I'd give the audio version a try because:  a.  I had a HUGE crush on Rob Lowe back in my teenage years; b. Rob Lowe narrates the audiobook; and c. I had heard favorable things about it.  Oh, and if I may be so shallow -- that cover photo is AWESOME.  Mr. Lowe is still a fine-looking man.

  So I spent about two weeks listening to it driving to and from work, and I absolutely LOVED it.

  This is a true autobiography.  Lowe starts almost right at the beginning, from his young years growing up in Dayton, Ohio, to his move to Malibu, California as a teenager with his mom and brother after his parents' divorce, to his start as an actor, his spectacular rise (The Outsiders -- what a great movie!), his fall (the sex scandal at the Democratic Convention in Atlanta, his battle with alcoholism), and his revival. 

  Through the highs he is generous with praise to those who helped him along the way, yet with the lows he does not really blame anyone but himself; even though it appears at times that there were those deserved blame.  It is an honest story of his life, where he admits he made mistakes, but also recognizes that he had and continues to have a very privileged life.

  And aside from his personal story, Lowe provides a unique insight into the entertainment industry.  He specifically highlights the process of making The Outsiders (did I mention that I loved that movie?), which was his "big break"; and his efforts to be cast in The West Wing.  For me, since I listened to the audiobook, what made these anecdotes that much more interesting was Lowe's pretty decent impersonations of his castmates. 

  Add some fascinating stories of his life in the fast lane (a brief relationship with Princess Stephanie of Monaco, for example) and an eerie connection to the 9/11 attacks and you have a book that is never boring.  This is the first audiobook I've listened to in a long time where I can say that my mind didn't wander once from the narration.

  And now I have to get on Netflix to put The Outsiders on my queue so I can relive my lost youth :-)

Highly recommended (especially the audiobook)

A Game of Character by Craig Robinson

A Game of Character:  A Family Journey from Chicago's Southside to the Ivy League and Beyond

 by Craig Robinson

Published:  2011 by Gotham Books (paperback edition)

Source:  Received for review as part of TLC Blog Tour

    Craig Robinson is Barack Obama's brother-in-law, the older brother of Michelle Obama.  In the world of publishing today, when just about anyone can get a book deal (Snooki, anyone?), this family tie likely did not hurt his chances, but it is a shame that some people might judge him and his book on that point alone, because Mr. Robinson has put together a pretty successful and inspirational life of his own.

    It's not a "rags to riches" story; the Robinson family was working class and made do with what they had, and even when Craig achieved his dream of coaching college basketball I don't think he would consider himself wealthy.   But when at the age of nine a classmate commented that he wanted to have a family like the Robinsons because they were "rich":

At nine years old, I didn't know what rich was.  But I did suspect what he meant was that my sister and I had both a dad and a mom, and that my parents really cared.  And if that was being rich, then there was no question that's what we were.

  The fact that the Robinsons were a rare entity in their neighborhood - a strong, cohesive family -- not only makes the achievements of their children understandable, but you still have to respect and admire Fraser and Marian Robinson for their parenting abilities.

  When Craig starts playing basketball, first in neighborhood pickup games and then at the high school and college levels, he takes the lessons he learned from his parents and builds on those provided by his coaches.  The details of basketball strategy are a bit too heavy for my taste, but he as he is so passionate about the game he seems to be able to use them to explain anything. 

  The historic Presidential election of 2008 is covered in the book, but only as another anecdote in the life of the Robinson family.  Barack Obama just happens to be his little sister's husband who happened to achieve a very important position.  Of course Craig's political views are implied, but not overtly so, and there is no political message to be taken from the book.

  This is a very positive book and since I generally avoid these types of stories (I'm a bit of a cynic) I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed reading it.  It is at times a bit too cheery (the editor should have limited the use of exclamation marks) but it is a book that anyone can read and can learn from.

Recommended

Make sure to check out the other stops on A Game of Character's blog tour here

The Great Typo Hunt

The Great Typo Hunt:  Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

Published:  2010 by Crown Publishers

Source:  Purchased

  I work for a company that sells its products by catalog, and one of my (many) responsibilities is to proofread said catalog before it heads to the printer each quarter.  Officially, I am only supposed to ensure item numbers and prices are correct, but I take it upon myself to also read through all of the copy to find any mistakes in spelling and/or punctuation (and since we sell equipment and supplies to auto body shops, the copy is not the most interesting reading, let me tell you).  Yeah, people might not notice if it's should really be its in a sentence, but I notice, and it bugs me when it goes uncorrected.

  So it goes without saying that I loved The Great Typo Hunt. 

  Jeff Deck is a twenty-something with an ordinary desk job.  He attends his college reunion and, since the college is Dartmouth, listens to the many noble accomplishments of his classmates while lamenting the lack of his own.  After some thought he decides to take a road trip across the United States to raise awareness of typographical errors and to correct them whenever possible.   He is joined by several friends throughout the journey, but Benjamin Herson is his primary sidekick.

  So they go about the country, searching for typos.  When they find one, they ask permission to correct it, and are met with a wide range of responses - from apologetic to downright hostile.  Through it all they also offer some thoughtful insight into the power of written communication and how much correct spelling does matter.

  The road trip took place in early 2008, at the beginning of the United States Presidential election campaign.  The guys were in Atlanta and noticed a typo on a t-shirt supporting Barack Obama.  They politely mentioned it to the shopkeeper, who was embarassed and promised to fix it before the next production run.  The discussion then turned to the impact of race in the campaigns, and afterward Deck thought:

Slavery had been abolished from the United States a bare hundred and fifty years ago; segregation, not even fifty years ago! ... The scars were fresh, some of them still oozing.  Factors like typos could only infect the wounds.  In 2002, for instance, an African-American spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality appeared on MSNBC.  His name was Niger Innis.  Picture the worst way you could misspell his first name onscreen.  Yeah, that actually happened. ... these errors were, I'm sure, completely unintentional, but they - and the outrage that followed each incident - speak to the dangers of carelessness ... 

Now I'm a good speller, but reading this was further motivation for me to check my writing every single time.

  Another civics lesson - a significant one - comes to pass for the primary members of TEAL (that is, the Typo Eradication Advancement League), one that I can't really understand, but I guess I'm not surprised by it either. 

  Yes, the problem of typos isn't the biggest one our world is facing at the moment, but it was entertaining to read about the efforts of these guys to make typos relate to those more important things. 

Highly recommended.

(And I have checked this post three times for errors and made corrections, but if you've found one that I've missed, please let me know!)

Of Hockey and Hijab

Of Hockey and Hijab:  Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman by Sheema Khan

Published:  2009 by Coach House Printing

Source:  Purchased

  This book is a collection of essays that initially appeared in The Globe and Mail as a series of monthly columns that Ms Khan wrote for the newspaper as a means to bridge the gap of understanding between Canadians as a whole and the Islamic community.  Written between 2002 and 2009, one would think that some of the material would be dated now, in 2011, but I found them quite timely.

  In an essay about reform in the Muslim world, she writes:

The wretched conditions faced by Muslims will not cease until there is a fundamental change from within. 

 and

Muslims will not solve homegrown problems of corruption, illiteracy, and sectarianism by constantly blaming the West.

  Declarations that now, given recent events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya seem almost prescient. 

  Included are also some personal essays that I found wonderfully poignant.  One tells about taking her son to a Montreal Canadiens' game and the memories it evoked of her childhood love of the team and of the game; this wasespecially enjoyable for me -- I was a long-suffering Winnipeg Jets' fan before they moved to Phoenix and though I hated the Canadiens I think I would have enjoyed attending a game with Ms Khan.  There is also a lovely tribute to a family neighbor, a Jewish woman, and the sadness that came at her death a few days before Khan's wedding:

And I wanted her to be part of the celebration the following day.  She was just like family.



  Overall I found this essay collection enlightening and look forward to reading more from Ms. Khan.  I know so little about Muslims and of their faith and books like this provide a personal side that is sadly lacking in news coverage.

  Highly recommended

 

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominque Bauby (translated by Jeremy Leggatt)

Published:  1998 by Vintage International

Source:  Borrowed from the library

  In my ongoing attempt to learn French, I have started to watch French movies (still with the English subtitles - I'm not that fluent yet!) and one that I enjoyed recently was The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby.  After watching the movie, I felt I needed to seek out the book upon which the movie was based (I'd like to try reading it in French, but for now I read the English translation).

  Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor of Elle magazine in France when at the young age of 43 he suffered a massive stroke.  While his mind was not affected, his body - except for one eyelid - was left completely paralyzed; this condition is colloquially known as "locked-in" syndrome. 

  One of his therapists devised a method of communication where one would read him the letters of the alphabet in the order of their frequence of use and Bauby would blink his eye when the correct letter was reached.  This is how Bauby "wrote" this memoir - memorizing what he wanted to say, then dictating it to the transcriber.

  I use the term memoir to describe this book but I'm not sure if it is correct.  It seems rather to be a collection of vignettes of his "locked-in" life and the language he uses is incredibly vivid:

My dving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly.  There is so much to do.  You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court.

You can visit the woman you love, slide down beside her and stroke her still-sleeping face.  You can build castles in Spain, steal the Golden Fleece, discover Atlantis, realize your childhood dreams and adult ambitions.

And, in describing a visit to the seaside near his hospital with some of his caretakers who find the smell terrible around the shacks on the beach:

But I never tire of the smell of french fries.

The book is not long - about 130 pages - but it is full of inspiration and should make one appreciate their own life a little bit more.

Recommended.



The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies:  A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Published:  2010 by Scribner

Source:  Borrowed from the library

  Why would anyone want to read a book about cancer?  It's a terrible disease that has affected most of us in some way  (disclosure:  my dad is a colon cancer survivor) -- how can a writer create a readable narrative that is accessible to those of us without any science background?

  Though still a bit heavy on the science, Siddhartha Mukherjee has for the most part succeeded in this task.  A cancer specialist who works in both clinical and experimental arenas, he traces not only the scientific evolution of diagnosing and treating various forms of cancer but also the politics involved.  Cancer has been around since essentially the beginning of time and was viewed as an age-related disease.  As life spans extended in the nineteenth century, cancer appeared to become more prevalent; but where some doctors said that civilization caused cancer, Mukherjee argues that because people were living longer civilization merely unveiled it.

   What was fascinating to me as a decidedly non-science person was the fact that though the term cancer is used broadly, the disease presents itself in a wide range of forms depending on where on the body it is affecting; and as a result, the types of treatments vary widely as well.  What works to treat leukemia will not necessarily work to treat lung cancer, and vice versa; however, many examples are given where treatments for a particular cancer (especially leukemia) lead to research and discoveries of treatments for others.

   In addition, Dr. Mukherjee provides some anecdotes about his patients and, with one of them specifically, he writes the story (spread throughout the book) almost like a novel where you really want to know how their story turns out. 

  No book about cancer can be without sadness and this one is no exception, but there are happy endings too and it is hopeful for future treatment and prevention.

  Highly recommended.