Secret Lives of Walter Mitty and of James Thurber by James Thurber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"The beloved works of one of America's most celebrated writers is ... gorgeously illustrated in this collector's edition. Illustrator Marc Simont imaginatively renders the fantastic adventures of the famed protagonist in Thurber's beloved story and his tongue-in-cheek autobiographical essay 'The Secret Life of James Thurber', which first appeared in The New Yorker."
A charming book -- the drawings are whimsical and delightful. And of course the stories are well-known and indeed beloved.
The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"The delectable new installment in the best-selling and beloved adventures of Isabel Dalhousie. When Mimi, Isabel's cousin from Dallas, arrives in Edinburgh with her husband, Joe, several confounding situations unfurl. First, Mimi and Joe introduce Isabel to Tom Bruce -- a bigwig back home in Texas. The roving eye of Tom's young fiancee leads Isabel to believe that money may be at the root of her love for Tom. But what, Isabel wonders, is at the root of Tom's interest in Isabel herself? Then there are the feeling that Isabel has for Jamie, which are certainly hard to ignore. And she musn't forget about her niece, Cat, who's busy falling for a man whom Isabel suspects of being an incorrigible mama's boy.
Of course, Jamie counsels Isabel to stay out of it all, but there are irrestible philosophical issues at stake -- when to tell the truth and when to keep one's mouth shut, to be precise -- and philosophical issues are meat and drink to Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. In any case, Isabel is certain of the ethical basis for a little sleuthing now and again -- especially when the problems involve matters of the heart."
~~front flap
I so much enjoy this series, precisely because it's almost like the Seinfeld tv series: almost nothing ever happens. Instead, it's a look into the lives of ordinary people, most of whom are nice, caring, ordinary human beings. It's just comfortable, thinking about ethical issues with Isabel, who does tend to obsess over them. I love it that it's set in Edinburgh, but it could be anywhere and the stories would be just as enchanting, just as comfortable.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
"Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy's debut novel is a modern classic that has been read and loved worldwide. Equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama, it is the story of an affluent Indian family forever changed by one fateful day in 1969. The seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevokably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies accidental and intentional, exposing 'big things [that] lurk unsaid' in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest. Lush, lyrical, and unnerving, The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary that continues unabated."
~`back cover.
I always feel so odd, so substandard, when I don't like a book the rest of the world is raving about. What did I miss? What didn't I see?
But I didn't much care for the book. I'm not a big fan of a plot disjointed in time (except for The Time Traveler's Wife, where the disjointedness of time was essential to the plot.) You get the plot in dribbles and drabs, never enough to anchor you in the story. Why is Baby Kochamma so jealous of Ammu? Who is the mysterious person to whom Estha is Returned? etc.
The book is a very elegant political commentary on the caste system, and human nature. But dark, bloody, vicious.
I didn't like it.
Inspector Queen's Own Case: November Song by Ellery Queen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
"The murder weapon was a white lace pillow soiled by the mark of a grey, dirty hand. The victim was a soft, gurgling baby. The trail led Inspector Queen to a vicious racket that preyed on unwed mothers and to a deadly encounter with a desperate killer."
~~back cover
A nice, gentle mystery -- an American cozy, in fact.
Legend In Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"It was a dream come true.
"Susan loved all things Scottish. So, when the opportunity presented itself, there was no question in her mind but that she would go on the archaeological dig in the Highlands. It was everything she could have wanted. And more. Much more.
"It was a living nightmare.
"A cryptic message slipped to Susan by a sinister soap box orator was the first puzzle. Why did he choose her? Why was he chasing her? And why, Susan had to wonder, were she and the handsome young laird Jamie Erskine suddenly being pursued by the police who wanted to talk to them about ... murder?"
~~back cover
I bet you, dear reader, can recreate the plot from just the back cover blurb alone. Wanna guess whether or not the mysterious archaeological professor was the ringleader of the bad guys? Wanna guess whether or not Susan and Jamie initially hated each other, but then ...?
Never mind. It was a lovely read, made ever better by kilts and tartans and Highland songs. There's nothing quite so bonny as a man in a kilt, you know.
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"A feathered version of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" ~~ Outside magazine
"Every January 1, a quirky crowd storms out across North America for a spectacularly competitive event called a Big Year -- a grand, expensive, and occasionally vicious 365-day marathon of birdwatching. For three men in particular, 1998 would become a grueling battle for a new North American birding record. Bouncing from coast to coast on frenetic pilgrimages for once-in-a-lifetime rarities, they brave broiling deserts, bug-infested swamps, and some of the lumpiest motel mattresses known to man. This unprecedented year of beat-the-clock adventures ultimately leads one man to a record so gigantic that it is unlikely ever to be bested. Here, prize-winning journalist Mark Obmascik creates a dazzling, fun narrative of the 275,000-mile odyssey of those three obsessives as they fight to win the greatest -- or maybe the worst -- birding contest of all time."
~~back cover
This is a fascinating book. Who knew there are people who are daft enough to put their whole lives on hold and spend an entire year compulsively racing after tick marks on a list of birds? They eat, sleep, breathe and dream birds: rare species, everyday back yard species, pelagic species, desert species, mountain species, swamp species. It's rather like those contests to see who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes -- nobody tastes the hot dogs, they just cram as many as possible into their mouths before the final whistle blows. The men (& I suppose sometimes there are women) are only interested in "bagging" enough birds to break the record. They don't care which birds they see (or just hear), they're not interested in the beauty or rarity of the birds themselves. They just want to break the record, become someone famous.
It was intriguing -- I could hardly put it down.
And even though the movie is never as good as the book, I can't wait to see it!
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
"things go right, I read. When they go wrong, I read more.
"Sometimes subtle, sometimes striking, the interplay between our lives and our books is the subject of this unique memoir by well-known publishing correspondent and self-described 'readaholic' Sara Nelson. The project began as an experiment with a simple plan -- fifty-two weeks, fifty-two books -- that fell apart in the first week. It was then that Sara realized the books chose her as much as she chose them, and the rewards and frustrations they brought were nothing she could plan for. From Solzhenitsyn to Laura Zigman, Catherine M. to Captain Underpants, the result is a personal chronicle of insight, wit, and enough infectious enthusiasm to make a passionate reader out of anybody."
~~back cover
It didn't make a passionate reader out of me. (Well, perhaps that's unfair -- I already am a passionate reader. However, if I hadn't been, this book wouldn't have converted me.) Perhaps the problem here is that I come to books with expectations about them, generally based on the title, or the descriptive blurb, or the fact that someone whose taste I share thought it was a good book.
"fifty-two weeks, fifty-two books" -- I've done that challenge for the last three years, so I was prepared for a book that talked about the fifty-two books she read, why she liked them or didn't like them, etc. Secretly hoping for some authors or titles representing the hard letters: Q, X, Y, Z. In other words, I thought this book would be about the books.
It wasn't. Well, not exactly. It was more about the author, her family life, the crises in her life, etc. And how her husband doesn't understand why she reads so compulsively. And the way she intuitively gravitates toward a book depending on her current emotional state.
I have my share of "comfort reads", don't we all? But I don't chose what to read next based on how I'm feeling at the moment -- I have genres I like, and then there's titles that catch my eye, etc. Her process of choice didn't resonate with me, and neither did most of the books she chose to read.
I lusted after her built-in bookcases, though.
Watson's Choice by Gladys Mitchell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
"Wealthy and eccentric Sir Bohun Chantrey numbered among his enthusiasms an absorbing admiration for Sherlock Holmes. To celebrate that great man's anniversary, he gave a party at which guests were invited to impersonate characters from the Holmes stories. A good time would, no doubt, have been had by all -- if only the struggle for Sir Bohun's money had been less competitive, and if he himself had not, to the dismay and consternation of his relatives, suddenly announced his decision to marry a governess.
"Fortunately, Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley and her secretary Laura Menzies were among the guests, so that, when events began to go sour, they were on hand to investigate a rapidly intensifying mystery.
There was the unexpected meeting at a nearby inn; the sudden disappearance of the Lady in the Case; the menacing presence of Sir Bohun's toreador son. And, last but not least, there was the arrival, startling and unheralded, of the Hound of the Baskervilles ...
Watson's Choice, first published in 1955, is one of the best loved of Gladys Mitchell's many classic crime novels."
~~front flap
I've always liked this author in the past, and indeed have collected most of her books. This was a reread for me, and I was astonished to realize I didn't like it as much as I previously had done.
Possibly I'm just getting grumpy in my old age, but I think my taste in mysteries has changed somewhat over the years. I no longer care much for contrived plots, and endings that were impossible to figure out during the course of the book.
Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
"This collection of mainstream stories, which have been published in such distinguished magazine as The New Yorker, Harper's Omni, and Playboy, is a stunning example of the virtuosity of the legendary Ursula K. LeGuin.
In her own words:'These stories span twelve years of writing, from the early eighties to the mid-nineties. It took them a long time to gather themselves into a whole, with the shape and the subtle interconnections that make a bunch of stories into a book.
'Recently I have published two collections of science fiction stories. The stories in Unlocking the Air aren't science fiction; they belong variously to plain realism, or magical realism, or surrealism, or post-modern genres that don't even have names yet. They approach reality sometimes frontally, confrontationally, in daylight; sometimes deviously, by a back road in the dark; but they always approach it. Some take place in realistic setting, such as the central European country of Orsinia or the town of Ether, OR. Others take place in high fantastic settings, such as Oakland, Cleveland, or Portland. Several of them use a multiple voice, or a mythic voice, to talk about reality, because reality is a slippery fish that often can be caught only in a net of spells, or with the hook of metaphor. These stories are explorations of the mysteries of name and time and ordinary living and ordinary pain.' "
~~front flap
This is one of my favorite authors, so I was glad to dive into this book. The first story put me off a bit -- I didn't quite understand what was being done, or hinted at -- multiple realities? parallel universes? It got worse before it got better -- about halfway through I caught myself feeling disappointed, that these stories weren't the same caliber I've come to expect from the author. The last half of the book picked up, and I think that's my opinion because the stories toward the back of the book are more like science fiction. I think Ms. LeGuin is at her best when she's creating a reality tailored to her specific plot and message.
I'll keep the book, because I keep all the books I get written by her. Maybe a second reading, a few years from now, will sharpen my appreciation for this facet of her writing.
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
"First published in 1863, The Water-Babies is one of the most enchanting children's classics of all time. It tells the story of how little Tom, the chimney-sweep, runs away from his bullying employer, Mr. Grimes, falls into a river and is turned into a water-baby, and of his many adventures in the river and sea."
~~front flap
Why in the world did I ever think I wanted to read this book? Generally the books on my wish list are books that someone has recommended, or that I've come across by virtue of liking the author, or perhaps the illustrator, or else by a reference that intrigued me. I cannot for the life of me remember any of those, so I'm at a lost to know why I had this book in my TBR shelf.
The book is quite dated, not just because of the characters, but because of the social caste system inherent in the plot; because of the very thinly disguised strictures on how to be a good little boy, and to know one's place in the world, and to not grumble at one's lot in life. The plot is unbelievable for today's audience, and the "adventures" dull and unappealing.
Unless you're really an aficionado of Victorian children's literature, I wouldn't bother with reading this book.
Dunwoody Pond: Reflections on the High Plains Wetlands and the Cultivation of Naturalists by John Janovy Jr.My rating: 2 of 5 stars"In a small and -- to the untrained eye -- unimpressive pond, microscopic life abounds, breeding myriad mysteries. Indeed the mysteries ripple well beyond the pond's edge, where budding scientists stoop over their specimens, and one question in particular intrigues John Janovy Jr.: What make these otherwise normal young people want to study parasites? The parasites that Janovy peers at in Dunwoody Pond, living their intricate lives on or in beetles, damselflies, frogs, toads, fish, and tiny crustaceans, are no less interesting and involved than the lives of the young scientists he observes in their pursuit of these microorganisms.An exploration of a small farm pond in Nebraska, the creatures that inhabit it, and the people who study them, this engaging book captures the spirit of scientific inquiry at its source. Janovy, a celebrated scientist, naturalist, and teacher, introduces us to five of his most gifts students at critical junctures in their scientific careers. As we watch these young people at work and learn about the fascinating microscopic universe that preoccupies them, we also learn firsthand about the curiosity, wonder, and excitement that animate scientific practice. As closely observed and warmly written as all of John Janovy's works, Dunwoody Pond is, above all, a highly original and insightful meditation on the nature of science itself."~~back coverI missed it. All that insightfulness about the students and then the metalevel of science itself -- I missed it all. At least I think I did. The book was so specific, so tied to dreary, isolated water tanks or ponds in ditches by the side of lonely dirt farm roads, that it was hard for me to relate. I tried to correlate my experiences as a graduate student in archaeology -- why did I choose prehistory over historical archaeology? Why lithics, rather than faunal analysis? But somehow the students, as portrayed in the book, didn't come across as real people struggling with those kinds of questions. Oh, they got close a couple of times -- I almost felt that I could understand what I was being shown. But in the end, I missed it.
Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I Have Known by Molly Ivins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"The dazzling, inimitable Molly Ivins is back, with her own personal Hall of Fame of America's most amazing and outlandish politicians -- the wicked, the wise, the witty, and the witless -- drawn from more than twenty years of reporting on the folks who attempt to run our government (in some cases, into the ground).
Who Let the Dogs In? takes us on a wild ride through two decades of political life, from Ronald Regan, through Big George and Bill Clinton, to our current top dog, known to Ivins readers simply as Dubya. But those are just a few of the political animals who are honored and skewered for our amusement. Ivins also writes hilariously, perceptively, and at times witheringly of John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, H. Ross Perot, Tom DeLay, Ann Richards, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and the current governor of Texas, who is known as Rick "Goodhair" Perry.
Following close on the heels of her phenomenally successful Bushwhacked and containing an up-to-the-minute Introduction for the campaign season, Who Let the Dogs In? is political writing at its best."
~~front flap
Well, as most of you already know, I just adore Molly Ivins. She was incredible: extremely politically astute and devastatingly funny. Any other book written about the Dubya era would probably seem dated and irrelevant, but almost everything Molly wrote is timeless. She had such a gimlet eye for the political arena and its denizens that it's a pure joy to read anything she wrote.
I often found myself laughing out loud through tears -- laughing in appreciation of her wit and assessment of some political boondoggle or malfeasance; crying because she's gone and I miss her so. Whatever would she have said about Sarah Palin? Michelle Bachman? Rick Perry as a Presidential candidate? Jerry Brown redux? She left just before the going got good.
RIP Molly, but damn! we hated to see you go.
The Tale of Mrs.William Heelis: Beatrix Potter by John E. Heelis
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
"Much has been written about Beatrix Potter but one area of her life which has been neglected is her relationship with Willie Heelis, to whom she was happily married for thirty years. Here, their great-nephew casts a welcome look at this relationship, and tackles controversial issues, such as whether Beatrix ever did like children. Included are first hand reminicences of family and friends, and extracts from previously unpublished letters. Line drawings and photographs enhance the picture of Beatrix Potter's life which this engaging book provides."
~~back cover
I was so disappointed with this book! I was all set to dive right into her life, vicariously living in Cumbria and soaking up the country atmosphere. But that was not to be!
The book is a hodge podge, and confusing with it. Letters and comments attributed to people who were related to her or him, or else neighbors or villagers. The author apparently thought we all had the family tree, complete with branches, in our heads as there were seldom, if ever, any placing references given. Her aunt? His sister? I should have drawn it all out before I plunged in, but who would have thought?
Family pictures in the middle of the book generally followed the same philosophy: "Judith Heelis with her prize-winning Herdwick at the Great Yorkshire Show, 1993." (Wikipedia: "The Herdwick is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District of Cumbria in North West England. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse herdvyck, meaning sheep pasture. And Beatrix herself was a prize-winning Herdwick breeder.") Lovely photo, nice looking young lady. But as Ms. Potter died in 1943, the rationale for including this photo in the book escapes me, as does the photo of "Two of the author's grandchildren, Sarah and Rebecca." (I am assuming they are the grandchildren of the great-nephew, as Beatrix herself was childless.)
I came away from the book quite confused, and feeling more distant from Beatrix than when I began. If you're a fan of her and her work, I'd stick to the 2006 movie "Miss Potter, a biopic of Potter’s life focusing on her early career and romance with her editor Norman Warne." It's delightful, and there's absolutely no necessity whatsoever to know anything about any of her family, or the Heelis family. What a relief!
