Reading

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde.

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco. Audiobook.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I finished (re)reading this for the Knit the Classics read/knit along. This was one of my favorite books and I still love it. Austen's wit and social criticism ring well with me. I got complètement sucked into this book this week, could not put it down! (posted 14 May 2006)

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall-Smith. I just re-read this and can still rank it among one of my top favorites! The combination of breathtaking scenery descriptions, intriguing mysteries, sweet humor, and down-to-earth philosophizing by Mma Ramotswe make this book a must-read. (4 May 2006)

 

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (readalong with Knit the Classics) was interesting and sometimes humorous, but I found the second half a struggle to get through. Once Moll turned to thievery to survive, the stories were a bit repetitive. I guess her machinations and manipulations got to be a bit much for me when they weren't strictly necessary: she admitted to being well-off financially by then but could not stop the game of thievery. (posted 19 April 2006)

 

 

Hello to All That: A Memoir of War, Zoloft and Peace by John Falk (2005), a fascinating memoir of Falk's battle with depression, reminded me of my own here-now-gone-again depression issues. Falk lives what most would call a charmed life, but finds himself unable to appreciate it. For years he is filled with self-loathing because he cannot make use of the many advantages life gives him:

"I became hyper-aware that I was somehow shut out from whatever it was that made other people tick. What the fuck did I have to do? I had tons of friends, family that loved me, had accomplished things, but it meant nothing. Why the hell did I feel so dead inside? I had tried so long and so hard to keep it together." (p 114)

For Falk, Zoloft is the magic bullet, bringing him out of clinical depression. However, living with depression for a decade and a half meant he did not learn to fully live and connect with people. He seeks a way to live deeper, fuller experiences, he has to push the envelope in order to catch up on all the living he's missed. Passing himself off as a war reporter, he enters beseiged Sarajevo, where he discovers that connections with other people — especially through helping others — are necessary elements of his recovery. (posted 7 April 2006)

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Fascinating characters, sweet love story, the workings of an interpreter's brain… all set in the Vice President's house which has been taken by terrorists — in Central America. Excellent writing and story. March 06.

The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith is the story of a 30-something (alcoholic) man searching for the autograph of his career. On the way he (drinks a lot,) discusses Zen and Judaism with his childhood friends, (drinks some more,) travels to New York for an autograph conference, (gets completely drunk there,) hurts everyone he loves, and searches for the meaning of life (while completely plastered). Just like real life, huh? The writing is beautiful — both colloquial and lyrical. For a better review check out Powells.com. (posted 26 Mar 2006)

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. 1981, Warner: New York. A sometimes laugh-out-loud, sometimes tearful coming-of-age story, Daisy Fay is a quick read providing interesting commentary of 1950s US society. (posted 07-March-2006)

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man who Would Cure the World. By Tracy Kidder. 2003, Random House: New York. A truly enlightening, exciting, sad, and depressing biography of Paul Farmer who takes his Harvard medical school education and devotes it to serving poor, particularly in the high plateau area of Haiti. Sociologically important, the story shows how poverty and political position in the world effect whether and what kind of medical care you have access to. Author Tracy Kidder shows a complex picture of "Dokte Paul," as his beloved Haitian patients call him, in both his faults and saintliness, but leaves us with a sense of his basic goodness and sanity in an insane world — a world where HMOs and the WHO discuss whether treatments are "cost effective" in poor regions of the world. Farmer brings us a vision of what it really means to see each human being we meet as a whole person, deserving of the best medical care this world can offer. He fights a "long defeat," but his example shows a way to a better world. Feb 06.

The Bodacious Book of Succulence: Daring to Live your Succulent Wild Life! By SARK. 1998, Fireside: New York. Handwritten and water-color-painted, all of SARK's books embody her definition of succulence: "We are each a gift, exactly as we are in this moment, with no improvements!" Thank you Ruth for loaning me these fun and beautiful little works of art! Feb 06.

A Language Older than Words by Derrick Jensen. 2000, Context: New York. A memoir and environmental treatise in one, Jensen's beautifully written work shows how our culture and educational system lead to the silencing of our voices. I cried a lot while reading this, but the poignant stories pointed to a hopeful "other path": one of respect for all creatures and each other. If we could remember how to listen, we might again learn to understand the language of the earth, a language older than words. Jan 06.