Still tons to catch up on

I haven't been reading too much this month, but still have a lot of books to log about. Apparently when I am stressed I am incapable of reading anything with any depth. All I want to do is devour romance novels and bury my head in the senseless fluff. Let's just say I read a lot of romance novels this month. But my attitude must be looking up because I am reading a book about the history of Alexandria- and enjoying it. I also read a Biography about Henry Eyring (the chemist) in one day- so must be feeling a little more optimistic. Able to accept some real life in my reading.

SOOOO- I have been reading with Marika's Sr English class. They just read A Brave New World by A. Huxley (am I spelling that right?) I highlighted many passages to share some thoughts with you- but that was a month ago and now I can't find the book. It is under the bed I think . I have to find it tonight because I need to take it back to the library when we go tomorrow. Anyways- I liked it. I don't know why I avoided reading it for so long. One of the ideas I kept thinking about was the scripture in Revelations (I think) about calling good evil and evil good. This book talks a lot about the importance of being a virtuous woman- which in this culture means forming no lasting attachments, having sex often and indiscriminately, avoiding any maternal feelings- the opposite of what virtue is. It is just an obvious example of the twisted values in this imagined future. To me the women seemed very much just there for men's pleasure- not valued for anything beyond physical attributes. I had many more comments than this so when I dig the book out from under the bed (I hope it is there) I will write some more ideas. Any on else ever read this?

The Tipping point by Malcom Gladwell. I had read Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking- a book about the subconscious which I thoroughly enjoyed. I especially remember the chapter about racism. Well I liked this one a lot too. I like any book that thoughtfully makes you examine your world in more detail. To see that around you in a different way. These sociology type books are also interesting to Alma- so we can talk about it too. This book looks at how trends or fads begin and spread. It talks about the different types of people who spread information and trends. Made me wonder- am I a connector or salesman? Read it and let me know what you vote for.

I also read two memoirs by Harry Bernstien. This is an author who has written for himself most of his life but didn't really publish anything. Then his wife died and in his nineties he has written and published two best sellers. He said he finally had some time to write after Ruby died. His first book, The Invisible Wall, is a look at his childhood in Lancashire. Very poor- very divided by religious lines. In fact he lives right on the edge of the Jewish ghetto and across the street is the christian ghetto. It was a mesmerizing. His writing in clear and poignant. His memory is amazing. I was especially touched by his mother and the way she struggled to feed her large family. The story of his sister's romance with a Christian boy was also very touching. His second book, The Dream, is about his families life after they immigrate to the United States. The poverty and ghettos here in the land of plenty- and yet I wonder if the life he ended up being able to make for himself and his family- even in the depression would have been possible in England. I thought both of these were worth reading.

So for Christmas Dad and Holly got me Mormon Scientist. This in the biography of Henry Eyring. So nice of them to remember that I wanted to read this. I read a collection of essays by him about science and religion when I was in High School and it had a big impact on me. I still think about many of his points on a regular basis. Anyways- some one in the academic world I admire tremendously. That all said this book was a little disappointing. It covers some of his childhood and his career well- but his personal life is ignored but for a couple of cute antidotes. The book was a like brief overview of his life without any real introspection or discussion of any detail. More like a time line of his life than a biography of the man. I enjoyed it, but it left me wanting more. This is the problem with a lot of Mormon writing. It too often wants to present just a glorified picture of life and brush over the difficult or awkward facts. Henry Eyring was a great enough man- formed by both the good and bad in his life- it in no way decreases his greatness to look honestly at both. His relationship with his children and wives was completely left out save a few short stories- how can you write about a man's life and not cover these areas in more detail. By the way his book of essays is out of print and I would love a copy of the book I value so much (the one I read belonged to Thelma Hunter) so if anyone has a copy or knows where to get on let me know.

I know I am forgetting some books I have read- but these are the ones still floating around the house.

Update- long over due

I know I know - a month? What is wrong with me. It has been pretty busy, and I am sure no one actually reads this soooooo- not too compelled to write.

What have I been reading the last several weeks?

I read 4 or 5 Charles Todd mysteries- I read these while I was reading Justinian's Flea. They were good, easy reads, but I really like Ian Rutledge and it is so nice to read a book with interesting and compelling characters. And there is a little romance starting- of course a little twisted and just a hint so far- but it left me looking forward to more books.

Justinian's Flea by William Rosen. This is an informative book about the great plague that hit during the reign of Emperor Justinian. It has been a fascinating look at the late Roman Empire. I am mostly amazed at how little I know about ancient history. Like I didn't know Attila the Hun came between Constinian and Justinian. I didn't know who the goths were (okay no one really knows who they were- not even this historian who quotes an ancient goth writing to describe who they are and where they came from and then said that no one believed this was true! my favorite part of the crazy book that yammered on and on) but now I know all about the Visigoths and Ostrogoth's. Also tons of information about early Christianity and the different sects- but I feel like it just brushes on the surface of this and I want to read a much more detailed book about this time period and religion. Anyways I am at the very last bit of the book- and it is just getting to the plague. This so far is sadly lacking in any really good medical history, or epidemiology- which is why I read the book in the first place. Sigh. Here is my favorite quote from the book- which also illustrates how dry it is. Also mind you- this is only three sentences! Oh how I love a rambling history geek.
"The forces that transformed the Mediterranean world of late antiquity into the medieval Europe were considerably greater in number than the significant gravitational forces acting on Apollo II, and any history that proposes a precise account of their interaction is bound to be, in some respects, unsatisfactory. These forces include, in no particular order, the geography and climate of the Mediterranean and surrounding territories, the eastward shift of the Roman empire from its Italian home to Asia Minor; the resulting westbound migrations of numerous peoples- preeminently the Goths- from the Black Sea region into the Italian and Iberian peninsulas; and the encounter with successive waves of nomadic horse archers emerging our of the Eurasian steppe (whose presence initiated a series of military innovations that led to the armed, armoured, and stirruped cavalry of the European Middle Ages). Other forces, no less powerful, acted directly on the minds of the peoples of the Mediterranean: the centuries-in-refinement philosophy of Plato, particularly as seen in the late antiquity development retrospectively known as Neoplatonism; messianic Christianity, with all its attendant and perhaps inevitable, doctrinal disputes; and the growth of powerful educational institutions drawing on both traditions, whose pupils rose to the highest positions in government."
I am exhausted just typing it, and this is pretty much how the whole book is written. It has been a very slow read as I am trying not to miss too much in these dense paragraphs.

So is it any surprise I had a crazy romance novel fit in the middle of reading this? I think I read one bought at a drug store in a fit of bath needing depression that requires lots of hot water mindless drivel, and silence. And surprise surprise- I really liked it. It was hysterically funny. Both intentionally and unintentionally. There was enough lead up that it was easy to flip past any icky sex scenes (Why why are they even there?). Soooo in a fit of the crazies I ordered the rest of the series (there was one book each for the 8 siblings- all very loud and opinionated) and then I was hooked. It took about twenty books and I am finally stated. The best part was the author is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe, she started writing romance novels during a break before she started medical school at Yale and they were so successful she eventually dropped out to write full time! What- how crazy is that! The other author I read (they use each others supporting characters) was a Miss Massachusetts and finalist in the Miss America pageant. She graduated from somewhere amazing too. But my favorite part about her was her picture in the back which is very sexy mall photo place and doesn't change over the course of a decade!

I have several other books to tell you about but this post is too long ans I am tired so I will have to write about them tomorrow.

A Flaw of the Blood by Stephanie (?) Baron

This is another mystery from Laura. I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately thanks to Laura feeling good enough to want to read again and then passing some of her books onto me. This author had written an earlier series where Jane Austen was the sleuth and they were okay- but definitely not great. This book was even worse. It is a mystery set around the time of the death of Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert. Here is my issue. When you write a historical novel with such well known characters and time period you have to have done a tremendous amount of research. Ms. Baron failed to do this. Putting the gross historical inaccuracies aside the book was still not any good. WHY are we expected to believe that this young women was bright enough to graduate from Edinburgh Medical college, to be a scientific advisor to the late Prince Consort- but is too stupid to not send for her things at her home when she goes into hiding. Well you say she is not a spy- just a young woman who doesn't realize how to hide effectively. Not so I say- this incident happens at the end of the book after hiding on the continent for months, sneaking out of one place after another as the bad guys track them down, after countless physical fights and shoot outs. No after all of these close calls- this"brilliant" woman still sends to her home for her luggage with a note saying where she is hiding. This is just one of countless things that made me grit my teeth while reading the book. Also if you are going to do a medical mystery on something from history do it on something that wasn't recently solved (and even more embarrassing she got it wrong). By the way it was solved several years before the book was published.

Houskeeping by Marilynne Robinson

This was not what I was expecting. It is a book about two sisters and their difficult childhood. As many of you know I hate the current fashion of depressing fiction about horrible abusive lives. It sounds like this book falls into that category- but it didn't really. It was beautifully written. One of those books you find yourself reading passages out loud just because the language is so beautiful. And the situation of their childhood is described but not is stupefying detail. And so much like life most of the things that happen to these girls is just life and inadequate people doing their best for the two little girls- it just isn't enough. I was surprised by the ending and a little befuddled by the main characters progression and would love some one else to read it so we can discuss, because I am still turning it over in my mind.

The Duchess by Amanda Foreman

Alma kept telling me this book was historical porn any time I tried to talk to him about it. It was fascinating- but really has there ever been people with fewer morals. Georgianna Cavendish was a troubled woman who was thrown into a completely amoral environment at a very young age. Seeing her struggle with all she lived through was heartbreaking. Hello- she lived most of her adult life with her best friend/husband's mistress living in her home! Not to mention all of their children. (just not her children born from her affairs).

The really interesting part of the book to me was how involved she was in the politics of her time. This was a very interesting time in politics- and she was an intimate of Grey, Fox, and Prinny. She was not only one of the first women very actively involved in politics, she was one of the first people to realize the importance of a party system and a party identity. She was the great organizer of the Whig party during a time when the leadership was torn apart by jealousies and inadequacy. She rallied the troops, she spread the message, she orchestrated group stands. She also brought the great thinkers together and helped them formulate a cohesive party platform. She was also a great public relations expert. She knew with out the king on their side they needed the people and developed some of the first publicity campaigns around a central idea and with simple symbol all could recognize. A very interesting read, well researched and well written. But- I have no desire to see the movie based on the book. Partly because I am sure it will not dwell on her political work- just the salacious little bits (okay major bits) of her life.

White Fang by Jack London

This was read for my online book club. I had read it as a child and loved it. I still found it interesting as an adult- but couldn't quite see what had caught my attention as a child. And the ending was a little toohappy-happy to flow with the rest of the book. Jack London is a wonderful writer and just reading his words is inspiring. (I have a thing for London and Stienbeck- my California feeling of kindredness).

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

I read this for our RS book club and I really enjoyed it. It is a romance in the pattern of Mrs. Mike (which you must read if you have not read it before). I love stories about good, strong men and women- who dream of a better future and work to make their dreams come true. This is a wonderful story about a heroic woman and the life she makes for herself after years of torture in Malay during WWII. Also is this time period is interesting to you there is a very good book about a Dutch family living in a Japanese internment camp in Java. I will try to find the title for you and post it later.

This is one of those books where you felt you had found a new kindred spirit when you finish reading it. Remember finding your first good friends as a young girl in books? If you are like me you still think fondly of Anne and Dicken and Mrs Mike. You will add Jean to that list of friends.

A Marriage Most Scandalous

This was a fabulous radiation book found under Becky's bed. By wonderful I mean it was perfectly awful!!!! Why in historical romance novels is the heroine always a precocious bluestocking? A women more fit for the 21st century. This had the age old plot device of a fake marriage- which of course leads to real love. There is a strange and unbelievable little mystery- but hello you are only reading this for the silly conversations and stupid characters.

Criss Cross by Lynne Raye Perkins

So I found this book in a pile of Becky's books and thought it looked cute, and maybe a little familiar. I also thought it was odd that I hadn't read it as I read all the Newberry award winners. And three pages in I realized I had read it, but had absolutely no idea about what happened in it. Usually as you reread things you remember the out comes of the plot or major twists in the story- but my mind was a complete blank other than a general feeling of pleasantness.

And when I finished it I realized why. The book is utterly charming, well written, and sweet. BUT lacks in any way a plot, dramatic climax, or really story at all. It is more like a snapshot of several teens summer (I think in the 70s). And like most summers it starts out with all sorts of promise of romance and adventure and slowly peters out in the reality of chores, lazy summer afternoons and missed opportunities. There are many different potential plots started but true to life things just never quite gel together and slowly the bright beginnings fade away.

This review I realize sounds negative- but it really isn't. This book is a wonderfully written description about a regular summer- just your average regular summer with your average regular kids. Nor plot twists, no dramatic climaxes. The romance is just in your head, things don't turn out quite as you hoped, and sometimes the lights at the used car lot are the most picturesque thing you've seen that week. So over all I recommend the book- but ask me what it was about next week and I may not be able to answer that question.

1984 by George Orwell

Well I have decided to read along with Marika's Sr. English class. This was the first book of there year. I don't think that I have read it since high school. It is just as depressing as I remembered it. I think that the doublespeak is so disturbing- and yet how many things are like it in our world today. I have always felt that the book looses some of its power in the last 50 pages- disturbing scenes of torture and capitulation- yet for me the neighbor and the doublespeak excerpt are so much more frightening in their own ways. The neighbor with his blind zeal and the linguist with his intellectual devotion to the party. I was also intrigued by how important it was to the party to destroy families. Only with families torn apart could the party truly control. Well I think that it is a book worth rereading- but I probably won't reread it for another decade.

A Fearsome Doubt by Charles Todd

Normally I feel like series start to suffer- especially mysteries. But Charles Todd's character Ian Rutlage continues to grow in complexity. I really felt like he is starting to move out of the inner world he has been living in and moving forward with his life (yet with set backs as well). Again the mystery was good- an interesting pain filled story- just what Charles Todd does best. If you aren't a mystery fan- this is worth reading for the wonderful character development.

Breaking Dawn Stephanie Myer (I hope this is how she spells her name, because I am to lazy to check)

Well, after the first 200 pages the book did improve greatly (see previous post). It lacked the creativity and originality of the first two books. I liked Bella much more after she became a protective mother type- but still only a little bit more. I do like Jacob and this book found him some happiness- so I liked that. But it still fell flat. I still wouldn't recommend it just based on the first section of the book.

Andrea's Book and a little not about Breaking Dawn

I LOVE this book (and not just because it was written by my kindred spirit dearest friend). I love YA fantasy. I think it is one of the areas with the best writting right now. With living writers like Gail Carson Levine and Shanon Hale- there is a lot of talent in this area. I felt this book would hold its own in this competitive area. Andrea and Kayli are equal or greater than these authors. The characters are so charming and likable- I like the format of letting the reader slowly discover the altered reality. The plot was strong and moved along at the right pace- which is rare in books by joint authors and books written in a letter format.

I think that the editors of the world should get off their heinies and publish this bestseller.

A little note about Breaking Dawn- I just really hate it so far. I admit I have had a problem with the marketing of this series from the begining- I think it is a fantasy romance, NOT a YA fantasy. This book is even more so this way- (I admit this is only a partial review since I am only 200 pages in). So far there is a lot of SEX- which is fine- but not in a YA book. Also- am I the only person in America who dosen't like Bella?

Mary Seacole The Most Famous Black Woman of the Victorian Age

This is a very interesting book about one of the early nurses. Actually she calls herself a doctress and the author describes her as an early nurse practitioner. A remarkable woman from Jamaica- who of her own resources went to serve the men of the Crimean war. For those who need a history brush up this was the conflict for which Florence Nightengale earned her fame. Mary was a likable and remarkable women who was extraordinary for her time. Mary had a strong sense of self- I found her internal drive and unshakable sense of self worth refreshing and inspiring.



The book is well written and an interesting read. The author has a voice that I appreciate- one that doesn't try and deny that her opinion colors the biography. She acknowledges the areas where there has to be some inferences about the actual facts. I appreciate this as so many authors fail in this area and just write as if their interpretations and guesses were actual fact.



After reading this book I looked at Gillian Gill's book NIGHTENGALES The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightengale again. Mary's autobiography is referenced to describe the war but nothing is mentioned of the two women's relationship. Not that there was much of one as Nightengale believed in a rigid social order. There must have been some strong feelings though as Florence wrote a scathing letter about Mary- inferring that she ran a home of ill repute, drunkenness always surrounded her and even hinting that she had an illegitimate child- all to keep her from going to the front of the Franco-Prussian war. There is no mention of thin in Gill's book. By the way I love Gill's book. It is one of my favorite autobiographies. It looks closely at the life of a complex and fascinating woman. I love it just from the nursing perspective, but it is also interesting on a human psychological level. A very interesting look at an accomplished woman who was mostly crippled through out much of her life by her enmeshed family and her own personal phobias and pride. Yet all she accomplished would probably not be possible with out these same issues. This book is much richer than Mary's biography. This is mostly because of the tremendous correspondence Florence left behind. There is a much deeper area of research to flesh out Nightengales. I recommend both books. But if you can only read one read Gill's. If you are a light reader than the book on Mary Seacole is for you.

Roanoke the Abandoned Colony by Karen Ordahl Kupperman

Well I had high hopes for the non-fiction looking at the early Roanoke colony in Virginia (some several decades before Jamestown). But like too many books by historians the writer took a super fascinating subject and made it boring and dull. The book is difficult to read due to the writing. I also felt the author failed to really look at some interesting facets of the story. Like how could a father just give up and accept that he had left his daughter and newborn grandchild for good in the wilds of the Americas? Over all disappointing. It did make me want to find a good book on this subject and also to find a biography on Thomas Harriet- an English scientist who made many amazing discoveries but has remained mostly unknown as he never published.

Legacy of the Dead; The Murder Stone; and Watchers of Time by Charles Todd

Well Laura introduced me to this mystery writer and gave me his first three books earlier this year. I am generally not a mystery fan, but I really liked these. The detective is a inspector returned from WWI with some severe PTSD. He struggles with and at times accepts his demon while he solves cases in his own curious manner. Wracked with self doubt and hatred he makes for a fascinating character. The mysteries are good as well, but I am not a mystery reader generally. Currently my two favorites are Legacy of the Dead in which he tries to save Hamish's fiance and Murder Stone which isn't really part of the series and stars a female sleuth. Very fun reads, fast, not to demanding. I have 5 more by my bed waiting to be read.

***Interestingly some of my very favorite books recently have been another series of mysteries set in post WWI England. Masie Dobbs in a nurse/psychologist/private detective with her own demons as well. Of the two series I fell that this one is superior. In Masie's books I felt the sorrow and pain of a generation decimated by war more deeply. While she does not have a Scottish man living in her head I feel like her background and outlook are more fascinating and unique. Hopefully there will be another in this series as I am refusing to do reviews of books I have read in the past. This isn't a review merely commentary on the genre. Right?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society By????????

My mother-in-law loaned me this sweet book about a reading group during the German Occupation of Guernsey Island. I loved it! It will make you laugh and cry. The characters are a charming ensemble of wack-a-doodle characters (which appeals to this person who lives with a charming ensemble of wack-a-doodles as well). I highly recommend. I have been in a reading slump lately where it seems as if there are no enjoyable books in the world and all of a sudden the last couple of weeks I have broken through and have a pile by my bed I am anxiously waiting to read. This book helped me break through the block. I highly recommend it.

***The use of the word Wack-a-doodle is in honor of my little sisters TJ and ANNA and MARIKA, they know why.

Gifts Form the Sea by Anne Murrow Lindbergh and Under a Wing by Reeve Lindbergh

I read this before I had children and just reread it for our RS book club. It is so much better if you are a mother! What a glorious look at how to balance your personal creative self and your role as a mother. It looks at the work of motherhood and women. With out giving any silly simple answers to these life long debates AML explores these difficult issues with grace and simplicity. I read this in a couple of hours outside while Coen ran around like a maniac so busy moms you can tackle this book.

Under a Wing by Reeve Lindbergh

I decided to reread this memoir about Reeves childhood after finishing her mothers book. It was interesting to read about her daughter's perspective on her childhood. One of the interesting parts was Reeve talking about how fiercely her father protected her mother's study when she was writing. It was absolutely forbidden to interrupt her. Yet Reeve was convinced that this was made up by her Dad and her mom really wanted her with her. Her proof for this was whenever she slipped into the study her mom would turn and smile and hold her looking at whatever little thing Reeve had brought to show her. Her dad would then storm in and shoo Reeve out of the room. For a woman who agonized over how to be a writer and a mother it sounded to me that she did well at both.