what I thought about "the hunger games"

Well, gentle readers, I have finished the Hunger Games trilogy and loved it as much as everyone said I would.  It's a pretty gripping story, and far superior to the Twilight books, but of course you knew that.  One of my problems with "Twilight" was that there was no reason why what's-her-name . . . Bella, that's it, anyway, she was such a paste wax character, how could she have inspired passion in even one person, let alone two, even if at least one of them was a possessive misogynist?  She was a mewling, simpering ninny who had no depth or complexity or interests or hobbies of any kind, basically no identifying characteristics whatsoever.  Is that what attracted Edward to her, that she was essentially a blow-up doll onto whom he could project his fantasies?

But we're not here to discuss "Twilight."

I love Katniss because she is dynamic and complex and flawed and doesn't always understand what she wants or what her motivations are.  She makes some difficult decisions and has to live with the consequences, in a very believable way.  She is a real person, and so are the other characters in the story. I love the little hints of the depths to be plumbed in so many of the people in the world of Panem.  Plus the treatment of the corrosive effects of power, the blurred lines between good and evil and war and entertainment, the lasting effects of hardship and loss, the numbing influence of comfort . . . good stuff, Brother Maynard.  Highly recommend.

what I thought about "white corridor" and "tears of the giraffe"

Recently I read "White Corridor" by Christopher Fowler and "Tears of the Giraffe" by Alexander McCall Smith.  Recommend both.

what I thought about "because I said so"

This book is fun and fast and interesting.  Grant and Emmett are reading it now, and they keep re-reading passages of it to me.  Ken Jennings is that fellow who won a whole bunch of money on Jeopardy, and perhaps surprisingly, he not only knows stuff but also knows how to present it in a way that doesn't make you want to staple his mouth shut.  The book's aim is to debunk or verify a bunch of the collected bits of folk wisdom that we tell each other.  Recommend.

catching up

Oh you guys, I have been a terrible reader/reporter.  Let me try to catch up.

I loved "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" immensely.  The protagonist is a delightful little boy and I want to hug him.  It's an interesting, heartwarming story, and it has such a unique style.  There's a moment where I was afraid it was going to get Oprah's-book-clubby, but thankfully it did not.  I highly recommend it.

I'm reading "Cooked" and seething about the people who call Michael Pollan an anti-feminist food scold.  Have they ever actually read any of his books?

I read "The Cooking of Provincial France," one of the Time-Life series of books.  I loved it, because it's written by M.F.K. Fisher, whose convictions are similar to mine.  So far I've only cooked the savory crepes from it, and I was not as attendant to the recipe as I should have been, but they were good.

Next I'm going to read "Salt Sugar Fat" and "Birds of America."

go check out "the selected works of t.s. spivet" right now

I cannot adequately describe this book or recommend it highly enough.  I'm only about halfway through, so you have time to catch up if you go check it out right now.  Then we can talk about it.  I love this book something fierce.  It's like nothing I've ever read before.  It's not exciting, per se, but it is very interesting.

what I thought about "french women don't get fat"

I saw this book at the D.I. the other day for two bucks and snatched it up, because I remember the furor about it when it first came out.  I am amused by our country's ambivalent attitude toward France and all things French--either we hate them for being cheese-eating surrender monkeys or fetishize their perceived superior taste.  Obviously France doesn't have all the answers any more than America does, but what little I've read about their gastronomic culture makes me think they've got some things worked out pretty well.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it is full of good advice.  I appreciate the French attitude about food, and I was thankful to see that no real food is demonized.  I was also thankful to have her blow the lid off the absurd perception that French people eat copious amounts of mille-feuille and duck confit while remaining tantalizingly slim--they succeed in maintaining a healthy weight by the revolutionary method of eating proper portions of a wide variety of food with a high percentage of seasonal fruits and vegetables, being physically active, and getting enough rest.  Seriously, could people just take a quick glance at the WoW?

Anyhoodle, I went in expecting an annoying hagiography of the alluring, mystical French Woman (which, to be honest, it leans a bit toward), but it was a useful, entertaining book with recipes that I look forward to trying.  Recommend.

what I thought about "the white plague" by frank herbert

An interesting book.  I felt simultaneously too smart and too stupid to read it.  The premise is that a man is in Ireland with his family, and his wife and two children are killed while crossing the street when an IRA car bomb detonates.  Being a molecular biologist, he creates a plague, as you would.  This plague infects anyone exposed to it, making men carriers and killing all the women.  There is discussion about how the virus bonds to the DNA of the host that was a bit over my head, but you don't need to know exactly how the virus works to enjoy the book, if enjoy is the right word.

There are two token female scientists at the beginning, and then a woman who plays a key role in the denoument who is a cotton-headed ninnymuggins.  She and her boyfriend enjoy a very traditional male fantasy type of relationship (he is thinky, she is hysterical) that irritated me immensely.  When there is talk about premarital sex and unwed pregnancy the Catholic church is portrayed with some pretty dinosaurian and sexist doctrine, which may be a function of this book having been written in the early eighties.  I am not familiar enough with Catholic doctrine to know if they still believe that use of condoms or being a victim of statutory rape brings damnation to your soul.  I would hope not.  And the end, in which women are being asked to take secondary husbands, is a bit unbelievable.  With men outnumbering women five thousand to one and the fate of humanity hanging in the balance let's not pretend that women are going to have any control of their sexual lives.

But it wasn't all depressing.  There is some interesting history of why the Irish hate the British so much, and a sweet moment of forgiveness and tenderness that I enjoyed.  And as in World War Z, Israel is way more prepared to deal with the problems than everyone else.  Paranoia--it's a good thing.

what I thought about "in a sunburned country," also, "fodor's australia"

I love Bill Bryson!  Anytime I discover a new writer I enjoy it's like my birthday, and to find out that there are more books by the same writer is like Christmas.  I had never even heard of Bill Bryson until my sister who has moved to Australia for a year recommended this book to me, and I was charmed from the first page.  He is funny and erudite and helped me to understand Australia much better.  I think his writing actually made me more excited to visit than I already was.  I'm reading  Bryson's "Mother Tongue" now, and one of these first days I'm going to read "A Walk in the Woods," because I hear it's a good one as well.  Yay, new books!

Fodor's Australia gave me some good ideas for what to do in Sydney, but in retrospect I think I would have like the Dorling Kindersley one better.  Bygones.  It's not like I ran out of things to do or had a miserable time or anything like that.

shut up, "the bone lady"

Nope.  I am not going to waste another minute of my time on this book.  What a bore.  Mary Manhein is probably a very nice person and fun to know, but a writer she ain't.  She keeps referring to her ability to be a storyteller, and I wonder if maybe that means something different where she's from.  I got this book hoping it would be like Bones, but it's not.  I hope Kathy Reichs is better.  What if she's not?  I've always believed that books are better than the tv/movies based on them, but what if my theory is disproven?  The universe will tear, is all. 

what I thought about "the horse whisperer"

I haven't seen the movie of this--is it good?  The book was very engaging, and I slurped it right up like that coconut/banana/white chocolate boba drink I love so much.  You can tell that Nicholas Evans is a screenwriter.  I was glad that Tom Booker's father was not nearly the piece of human garbage that Buck Brannaman's father was.  I disapproved of the cheating, obviously, but at the same time I totally wanted them to do it because I am vulgar and Tom Booker sounds like a dreamboat.  I could see why Annie would dig him--not why he would dig her, though.  I had no idea what was so great about her that she could attract not just one, but two great guys.  She is the proto-Bella, I guess.  Ugh, now I'm remembering how angry that Twilight book made me.  

Anyhoodle, it was a fun book.  I wish horse ownership were more practical.  

what I thought about "mr. fox"

This book has revolutionized my concept of writing and storytelling.  It was very freeing.  Mr. Fox has this interesting format where the protagonists keep appearing in different stories within a larger story, and it bends the rules, and I found it charming.  It was so different from anything else I've read in a long while that it helped reboot me.  I was told a while ago that people don't like essay collections or books of short stories (this is obviously a lie--I love short stories and essay collections--why did I listen to him?), and I made a lot of changes to a book I'm writing because of this, and promptly found myself in a creative tar pit.  I haven't been able to figure out how to extricate myself from it, but Mr. Fox has been very helpful and given me some ideas that may or may not turn out to be good, but at least it will get me somewhere.

what I thought about "tim gunn's fashion bible"

I enjoy Tim Gunn.  He seems to be a very sensible man, and he says some very smart things in this book.  Why is it that women are simultaneously made to feel bad about their appearance, and bad for caring about their appearance?  THAT'S SEXIST!  Anyway, I like his position that presenting yourself well is not frivolous.  I'm less of a stickler than he is, obviously, because I frequently leave the house in less than tip-top condition.  But still, I like looking nice.  And he is so practical and balanced, and doesn't like wearing a trend for trend's sake.  This book was helpful to me, and I have been trying to figure out if I am a Greek or an Egyptian dresser.  I think I tend toward Greek most of the time.  I have an entirely new perspective on knits!  I would like Tim Gunn to come shopping with me. 

what I thought about "the prisoner of heaven" and "the shadow of the wind"

Okay, I got done with "The Prisoner of Heaven" and loved it immensely.  It is magical.  The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a place I want to visit.  Also, I have always thought of Spain as a boring Italy, and the soft S makes me crazy, but this book changed my mind. 

Then I read "The Shadow of the Wind," and I liked it as well, but not quite as much--though not because the writing wasn't as good.  "The Shadow of the Wind" was more depressing and seemed more gratuitously sexy, and there is a truly horrible reveal near the end of the book (which in retrospect I should have seen coming) that just made me miserable and want to choke the life out of one character in particular.  I still recommend the book, but it might make you sad.  Carlos Ruis Zafon is a gifted, creative writer, and I'm going to read everything by him that I can find. 

I'm reading "the prisoner of heaven," and you should too

I'm remembering to tell you in time, before I have the book all read.  I am really enjoying this book and I want you to go check it out so we can talk about it.  Also if you've read any of the other books in the series I want to know, but don't tell me what happens in them.  I haven't read the others, and was irked when I found out there were previous books, but in the introduction it says the books can stand alone and be read in any order.  So it better work or I am going to personally write to Mr. Ruis Zafon and give him a piece of my mind. 

Read it!  It's fun. 

what I thought about a bunch of halloweeny books

I got way behind on books. 

1.  A Newbery Halloween, compiled by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh

2.  Spirits, Spooks, and Other Sinister Creatures, selected by Helen Hoke

3.  Seventy-seven Clocks, Chistopher Fowler

4.  We'll Always Have Paris, Ray Bradbury

1.  Many of these stories suffered from being extracted from larger works, and the maturity level varies widely.  Uneven and not very engaging.
2.  This one was better.  There's nothing too awful in it that would scare older elementary or junior high kids.
3.  I am conflicted about this book.  It's very creative, like the other Bryant and May book I read, but there was a referral to sexual assault as "having intercourse" that bothered me intensely.  Don't worry, it's not an Oprah-type book that will make you want to throw up while the flames from your eyes are burning the organs of all pedophiles past, present and future.  I mean, because you want to do that anyway, right?  But this one will not substantially intensify that desire. 
4.  This was not the strongest Bradbury collection I've ever read. 

what I thought about "the zombie survival guide"

I liked this book.  It inspired me to practice shooting so I can hit the thing I'm aiming at, and it made me realize that zombies are not so scary, as long as you can keep your wits about you.  There were some inconsistencies, though--at first he says that zombies can't climb, but then he says to be careful where you put your anchor (if you're avoiding the zombies on a boat), because a zombie could climb the chain right into your boat.  What?  How can a zombie climb a chain, but not a ladder?  It's like he thinks I'm not paying close attention to his advice or something.  By the way, a trench spike is a good zombie weapon.  This is one way in which zombie defense is different from human defense.

He says that at first, when the zombie apocalypse is still in its beginning stages, the most danger will come from the marauding bands of thugs, not the zombies.  Freaking thugs, am I right?  So pretty much any End-Times scenario includes blood cults or similar, and it sucks to be a woman or a child NO MATTER WHAT.  So pumped about that. 

Go ahead and read this book.  It might depress you, but then again, it might make you feel a little better prepared for when everything goes pear-shaped, which it will. 

what I thought about "advent"

I'm kind of mad at this book, but not as mad as I could be.  I picked it up at the library, off the staff recommendations shelf, and at first when I saw that it was about a boy with strange powers whose parents didn't understand him, I was like, "Flippin heck.  Here we go through another inferior Harry Potter retread (see: The Magicians)."  But it got very different very fast, and it was so creative and so well written that I was just in love with it.  The characters were new and interesting, and the sense of place is very strong.  But then toward the end there is some heavy use of deus ex machina, and he lost me.  A whale for some reason?  Masks and open doors?  Eskimos out of nowhere?  It's like Treadwell was writing two different stories and forgot to connect them until the end, and then he was all slapdash about it, when his craftsmanship was so impressive for the rest of the book.  I felt gypped. 

I was a lot more angry until I saw that it's the first book of a trilogy.  So my criticism is conditional.  Maybe it will all make sense in a minute.  The conclusion is still a little jarring, but I will see what happens.  I'm very eager to read the next two books.  If you like fantasy or mythology you should read this book.  There is some use of the F word, if you'd rather not read that. 

zombie survival guide

I think you guys should go check out "The Zombie Survival Guide" and let's talk about it.  The counsel is surprisingly applicable to real life, except zombies are way easier to defeat than similarly bloody-minded humans. 

what I thought about "the water room"

It's such a delight to find new, well-written series.  I have a bunch of No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agencies and Peculiar Crimes Units that will keep me busy for a long time.

The detectives in "The Water Room" are old Englishmen, one of whom has false teeth and buys kidneys from street butchers.  It talks about London's underground rivers, and I found the whole thing thoroughly fascinating.  I am going to read the crap out of this series. 

what I thought about "let's pretend this never happened"

I started reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened a few weeks ago, because it was on the wall of librarian picks.  Boy, what a dud.  I had to stop reading it, which I almost never do.  But I've reached the point in my life where I don't have to finish books that are not worth my time.  It's uneven and self-indulgent, and it's simply not funny enough.  There are some good bits, like the time her dad woke them up to show them the squirrel puppet he had just made, and referring to intestines as "the poop rope," but it's all so self-aware, like she's so pleased with how unique she is, and her family is SO SHOCKING AND DIFFERENT.  It's a shockbrag.  Well, as the moral of the classic fable "Duckbilled Platypus vs. Beefsnakstick" taught us, just because you have a lot of stuff, don't think you're so special. 

It reminded me a lot of the Heather Armstrong book I read, in that the voice that charms in short-form writing becomes unbearably grating in long-form writing.  Is this true of all bloggers-cum-memoirists/novelists?  It makes me fearful for my own hoped-for authorial career.