A Journal of Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California

A Journal of Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California by the "University Excursion Party by Joseph Le Conte

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


"The Sierra Nevada was the scene of the first meeting, in August, 1870, of two men whose names and memories will forever linger in these mountains -- John Muir and Joseph LeConte. It was LeConte's first summer in the Sierra, and Muir conducted him and his party over the route which he himself had traced out for the first time only a year before."

~~Ralph S. Kuykendall


I was so disappointed in this book! I thought it would be a vivid description of Yosemite, and John Muir -- be filled with conversations between the two men, talk about the development that had taken place in Yosemite, etc.

But no. It was a journal, and recorded how far they traveled each day, what they ate, how the chores were on a rota, etc. There was some description of the various falls in Yosemite, and of Mirror Lake (as it was). There certainly were paeans to sunsets & sunrises & the majestic scenery (not well described but very much appreciated.) But overall, it was a pretty dry & boring recording of the statistics of the trip: what trails they took, how steep they were, how many days it took to get from this place to that place. Absolutely no description or information on the Native Americans they encountered, which was particularly frustrating to me as an archaeologist and anthropologist.

And frustrating that so little was said about John Muir.

Impossible Things

Impossible Things by Connie Willis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Here are eleven of Connie Willis' finest stories, surprising tales in which the impossible becomes real, the real becomes impossible, and strangeness lurks at every turn.

The end of the world comes not with a ban but a series of whimpers over many years in 'The Last of the Winnebagos.'

The terror of pain and dying gives birth to a startling truth about the nature of the stars, a principle known as the 'Schwarzschild Radius.'

In 'Space Pogrom,' an outrageous colony in outer space becomes the setting for a screwball comedy of bizarre complications, mistaken identitied, far-too-friendly aliens -- and even true love.

A distraught woman obsessed with the past learns that the simplest choices can lead to madness and death in 'Chance.'

In 'Jack,' the streets of London at the height of the Blitz bring out the courage and cowardice in humans ... and in creatures of the night."

Classic, vintage Connie Willis! Acerbic, witty, pungent -- she's a unique talent and one that never fails to send me howling with laughter, thinking about the world from a different slant. This book of short stories was no exception -- it's a gem, and be sure to make a nice cup of tea before you start -- you won't want to put it down.

A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively

A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Penelope Lively takes us on a journey of her familial country house in England and as her narrative moves from room to room, from object to object, she paints a moving portrait of an era of rapid change -- and of the family that changed with the times. As she charts the course of the domestic tensions of class and community among her relatives, she brings to life the effects of the horrors of the Russian Revolution and the Holocaust through portraits of the refugees who came to live with them. A fascinating, intimate social history of its times, A House Unlocked is an eloquent meditation on place and time, memory and history, and above all a tribute to the meaning of home."
~~from the back cover

I am rather at a loss to add anything to the above review. This is a brilliant book -- the author has the certain gift of easy navigation between now and the past, and the ability to bring objects and memories to vivid life with an economy of words and phrases. Coupled with her unerring sense of how an ordinary household object or piece of furniture is connected by gossamer threads to the social issues of the time, and the struggle to come to terms with the enormous changes thrust upon them by both the World Wars, the author's fond memories blend with her clear-eyed assessment of a once and future house and family.

I found it fascinating, compelling, entertaining -- everything a good book should be.

Grayson

Grayson by Lynne Cox

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


"This captivating best seller tells the true story of a miraculous encounter between a teenage girl and a baby whale off the coast of California."

"Together [Cox and Grayson] journey to the eventual mother-and-child reunion through a fantastical world of giant ocean sunfish, bat rays with five-foot wingspans and a school of dolphins."

I read this book at one go, mostly because it's not very dense, nor is it very captivating. The plot is well-known, of course: the baby gray whale has become separated from its mother, and will die if it can't find her again. The author helps.

I was offput by the New Age drivel woven through the story: "My thoughts were becoming negative.

"I knew that if I changed my thoughts, I could change the way I felt about what I was experiencing."

"Maybe if I think very hard his mother will hear me. Maybe she will hear my feelings with her sonar. Maybe she will hear me calling her through the water. Maybe brain waves can travel faster and longer through the water. Please, come this way, over here! I shouted with my mind.

. . .

Please hear me, Grayson's mother, swimming out there. If it's you swimming near the Huntington Brach jetty, please swim this wa: Grayson is here. Your son is here."

I suppose I sound like Scrooge -- bah humbug! to New Age Thought and attracting what you need out of the Universe. And actually, I do believe in all that. It just somehow sounded daft and pretentious in the book. Feel free to decide I was just feeling Scroogish when I read it, and ignore this scathing review. After all, it's a best seller, so millions other than me must have thought is was charming, sweet, mystical, and quite spiritual.



View all my reviews

Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests

Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849 by George E. Gruell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Interesting book -- clever idea to take photographs of the same areas as old pictures, showing how much the forest cover has increased in a little over 100 years.



View all my reviews

Emily Dickinson Is Dead

Emily Dickinson Is Dead by Jane Langton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"The guests at the Emily Dickinson Memorial symposium are all passionately devoted to the poet. Professor Peter Wiggins is eager to revitalize her image (and his own career) by exposing a very controversial photograph. Winifred Gaw, an obese graduate student, feels compelled to make public the special bond she shares with Emily Dickinson -- the awful pain of unrequited love. And even Professor Tom Perry's new girlfriend, pretty Alison Groves, finds that her indifference to poetry undergoes a subtle change when she's selected to wear Dickinson's famous white dress.

Soon academic and romantic rivalries begin to intrude on the cultured atmosphere, and the ardent tributes to Dickinson's memory are rudely interrupted by arson, forgery...and murder."
~~from the back cover

The book began with promise. The language was witty and polished, and the plot thickened nicely. Soon however, the machinations slid from merely eccentric characters and fairly outre but still believable actions and motivations over the edge of reason to outlandish and improbable, with a soupcon of deus ex machina thrown in for further suspension of credibility.

I hate when that happens!

Dewey

Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story by Vicki Myron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was just going to be the story of a cute little cat, who lived in a library. Wrong!

The book was about so much more: the values of life in a small town; how the town librarian used Dewey to strengthen the town's interest in the library, which in turn strengthened the town itself; the troubles and griefs and joys of the librarian herself and others; mother-daughter relationships ... a real treasure trove of life as a human being, decorated by an adorable cat.

Warning: this is a two hanky book!