The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People by Susan Orleans is a excellent book to pick up and put down and pick up again. She explores the life of all sorts of interesting people. The book starts with an "average" boy - aged 10. And it is pretty funny how she devotes her time to hanging out with him and discovering what he is about. It ends with the female bullfighter performing her tasks.
Her subjects include, among others, an Ashanti king (an American one who gets elected), a small town newspaper reporter who almost writes all the articles in the paper, three Bulgarian tennis pro sisters, Maui surfer girls (which later became the basis for the movie Blue Crush), the Shaggs, and a man who has been selling fans his whole life.
Orleans, who is a regular contributor to the New Yorker, has a wonderful way of describing a person and bringing out the dignity in her subjects. It doesn't matter what social class or economic status they are. She manages to make them fascinating. Orleans is such a good author that I will read any of her works. With her talent, it is easy to follow her down what ever path she has taken this time. A very good read.
Flowers and bee
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Trouble in Spades
It's always nice to have a second book in a series continue the fun that is in the first one. Heather Webber's book Trouble in Spades continues the fun characters, the fast pacing and the craziness that is the life of lead character Nina Quinn. She's a landscaper who manages to dig up dead bodies. Separated from her cop husband, with her bridezilla of a sister breathing down her throat and a peeping tom in the neighborhood, she has more than enough to handle in this one.
And thank god the author has her characters moving on and making decisions! I have read too many lately that make the heroine wishy washy and indecisive. Not what we want from our brave sleuths.
A nice fun mystery with a decent twist.
And thank god the author has her characters moving on and making decisions! I have read too many lately that make the heroine wishy washy and indecisive. Not what we want from our brave sleuths.
A nice fun mystery with a decent twist.
Grace (Eventually)
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott is not your average book on spirituality. Her essays can take you all over the place. Whether it is discussing the pettiness we can bring into our lives, or how to grow older more gracefully, she brings a lightness of touch and a faith that is strong. It doesn't matter if you are not into organized religion, she tests us by showing us the frailness that is humanity. And how most people are decent and trying to bring good to their lives and their loved ones. Is she perfect? No. And she would be the first to admit it.
Are her essays thought provoking? Yes. And funny and sad. Sometimes both in the same piece. They are about worldly issues and the deeply personal. And how we all struggle in this world. Lamott's style is unique. Try her - you will like her. And then you will have read her other works. I promise. A very good read.
Are her essays thought provoking? Yes. And funny and sad. Sometimes both in the same piece. They are about worldly issues and the deeply personal. And how we all struggle in this world. Lamott's style is unique. Try her - you will like her. And then you will have read her other works. I promise. A very good read.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Omnivore's Dilemma
The saying is "you are what you eat." Well, apparently we, 21st century Americans, are just walking and talking bundles of corn. Corn and it's by-products are infused within a majority of the foods we consume. Oh, no you say - I stay away from high carb food. If you have consumed "citric and latic acid; glucose, fructose, malodextrin; ethanol (for alcoholic beverages as well as cars), sorbitol, mannitol, and xanthan gum, modified and unmodified starches; as well as dextrins and cyclodeztrins and MSG" you, my friend, have eaten an organic - but corn - compound. And you thought it was just corn syrup to blame!
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to our attention the sprawl of the modern industrial food complex. And how it effects almost every aspect of the food we eat. Is it for the better? That is the question. The first section of the book is on corn and how it has been filtered through out lives. We eat it, feed it to our meat, drive with it, use it for other non-food (adhesives etc.) items. The ironic part of this - to get that corn, all that lovely corn, we need to use petrochemicals as fertilizer. And that is why food prices are going up with the recent rise in oil prices.
The next section is about a different kind of farm - self sustaining and more in tune with nature's cycles. Pollan spends some time seeing how this "non-industrial" farm makes it work. And in the last half of the book, he talks about forging - hunting in the woods for animals, and mushrooms.
Pollan is a writer who draws you in with his prose and practicality as he moves smoothly along from one section to the next. He definitely makes you think about your food choices. And that may bother some readers. Or be eye opening to them. But ignoring where it comes from is one of the problems. People have lost sight of how their food is made. Their health and the ecosystem are the ones that pay the cost. An excellent read.
Warning : It does have disturbing scenes of meat processing and killing animals. This may not be for everyone - but we watch thousands of people being murdered and dissected on CSI and other cop shows all the time - so why should this bother you?
Something to think about:
"The longer the ingredient label on a food, the more fractions of corn and soybeans you will find in it. They supply the essential building blocks, and from those two plants (plus a handful of synthetic additives) a food scientist can construct just about any processed food he or she can dream up."
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to our attention the sprawl of the modern industrial food complex. And how it effects almost every aspect of the food we eat. Is it for the better? That is the question. The first section of the book is on corn and how it has been filtered through out lives. We eat it, feed it to our meat, drive with it, use it for other non-food (adhesives etc.) items. The ironic part of this - to get that corn, all that lovely corn, we need to use petrochemicals as fertilizer. And that is why food prices are going up with the recent rise in oil prices.
The next section is about a different kind of farm - self sustaining and more in tune with nature's cycles. Pollan spends some time seeing how this "non-industrial" farm makes it work. And in the last half of the book, he talks about forging - hunting in the woods for animals, and mushrooms.
Pollan is a writer who draws you in with his prose and practicality as he moves smoothly along from one section to the next. He definitely makes you think about your food choices. And that may bother some readers. Or be eye opening to them. But ignoring where it comes from is one of the problems. People have lost sight of how their food is made. Their health and the ecosystem are the ones that pay the cost. An excellent read.
Warning : It does have disturbing scenes of meat processing and killing animals. This may not be for everyone - but we watch thousands of people being murdered and dissected on CSI and other cop shows all the time - so why should this bother you?
Something to think about:
"The longer the ingredient label on a food, the more fractions of corn and soybeans you will find in it. They supply the essential building blocks, and from those two plants (plus a handful of synthetic additives) a food scientist can construct just about any processed food he or she can dream up."
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
I usually do not write about a book that I have not finished. But I enjoyed what pieces of it I had read so much - I needed to record it.
Who is the last person you would expect to write a book on sports? This author is well-known in non-fiction circles for a certain type of book. True crime. What is a true crime author writing about sports? Especially soccer? European soccer? It is with the voice of the converted, that Joe McGinniss can write about about his newest passion - soccer. Italian soccer. In The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinnis takes an in depth look at the small soccer team from the remote village. They had managed a "miracle". They had moved up in the rankings and leagues of Italy's soccer standings. (The explanation of the leagues - is very intense and detailed.) Yes - for their fans, it was an amazing year. But the true miracle will be if they can hang on to their new standings.
Being an in depth writer, McGinnis plunges into this small community and their local team. His experiences with the Italian way of doing things - slower, a bit convoluted, seemingly simple - allows the reader to experience his year of living in Italy following "his" team. He takes us through the struggles that a young team has with owners who never expected that they would have to spend more money on the team now that it has been successful - see the complicated Italian soccer rules and guidelines for that bit. He allows us to peak at the players and coach who are trying to maintain their rankings for the following year. They are not looking to be number one - they just want to remain in the new league!
McGinnis shows us their triumphs and tragedies (is there any other way?) in his new beloved sport. A great book for soccer fans, sports fans, and those wishing to explore the Italian immersion experience. A good read.
Who is the last person you would expect to write a book on sports? This author is well-known in non-fiction circles for a certain type of book. True crime. What is a true crime author writing about sports? Especially soccer? European soccer? It is with the voice of the converted, that Joe McGinniss can write about about his newest passion - soccer. Italian soccer. In The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinnis takes an in depth look at the small soccer team from the remote village. They had managed a "miracle". They had moved up in the rankings and leagues of Italy's soccer standings. (The explanation of the leagues - is very intense and detailed.) Yes - for their fans, it was an amazing year. But the true miracle will be if they can hang on to their new standings.
Being an in depth writer, McGinnis plunges into this small community and their local team. His experiences with the Italian way of doing things - slower, a bit convoluted, seemingly simple - allows the reader to experience his year of living in Italy following "his" team. He takes us through the struggles that a young team has with owners who never expected that they would have to spend more money on the team now that it has been successful - see the complicated Italian soccer rules and guidelines for that bit. He allows us to peak at the players and coach who are trying to maintain their rankings for the following year. They are not looking to be number one - they just want to remain in the new league!
McGinnis shows us their triumphs and tragedies (is there any other way?) in his new beloved sport. A great book for soccer fans, sports fans, and those wishing to explore the Italian immersion experience. A good read.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig has a little bit of everything for the romance reader. A sassy heroine - Lacy who is still recovering from her divorce, but is leary to start dating - due to her family history - her mom and grandmom have been married and divorced over eight times. The hero, Chase, is a good guy, a police officer who is caught in a bad cop's web. He's currently on the run from an ambush from his corrupt partner. Lacy's dog catches him in her yard, and he needs to keep her quiet while he figures out what is going on.
So we have some excitement, a good getting to know you segment, cute annimals - she has three cats, too - some wacky friends and snappy dialogue to keep it all interesting. The best part is Craig writes some good thoughtful characters that you can like and enjoy. And she makes it work. A fun frothy read.
So we have some excitement, a good getting to know you segment, cute annimals - she has three cats, too - some wacky friends and snappy dialogue to keep it all interesting. The best part is Craig writes some good thoughtful characters that you can like and enjoy. And she makes it work. A fun frothy read.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Blue Jelly
Who writes essays about recovering from a relationship combined with canning recipes? Debbie Bell does, in her book Blue Jelly: Love Lost and the Lessons of Canning. And she manages to make it work in this small volume that makes one want to dig out the canning supplies from the basement.
Bell was a writer for Rolling Stone and other magazines. She found herself adrift after a bad relationship. During her recovery she started canning cause it was one thing - if you follow directions - "these steps take you to what you planned on. You become a person in a world in which things turn out the way you thought they would."
The book reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love - lots of weighty issues distilled with simple truths, but with a lot more humor and without all the pathos and angst. And some jelly recipes in between. Try it - it is a fast read (it is a tiny book!), but a very good one. I'm hoping we see some more of her writing.
Bell was a writer for Rolling Stone and other magazines. She found herself adrift after a bad relationship. During her recovery she started canning cause it was one thing - if you follow directions - "these steps take you to what you planned on. You become a person in a world in which things turn out the way you thought they would."
The book reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love - lots of weighty issues distilled with simple truths, but with a lot more humor and without all the pathos and angst. And some jelly recipes in between. Try it - it is a fast read (it is a tiny book!), but a very good one. I'm hoping we see some more of her writing.
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
Essays can be quite personal. In Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake, we find out about her family, friends, and twenty-something life in New York City. It doesn't sound fascinating, but she does it with such a mixture of humor, irony and pathos, that you find the joy she does in the absurdities of modern society.
Some highlights: finding a surprise on your bathroom floor after a dinner party with friends, failing as a butterfly volunteer, surviving a crummy boss, trying out to be Mary in a summer camp pageant and how to survive being a bridesmaid. I would not advise giving that one to any current bride to be - they will find no humor in it - but I thought it was one of the funniest things I have read about weddings in a long time.
This is her debut book. I looking forward to many more. A very good read.
Some highlights: finding a surprise on your bathroom floor after a dinner party with friends, failing as a butterfly volunteer, surviving a crummy boss, trying out to be Mary in a summer camp pageant and how to survive being a bridesmaid. I would not advise giving that one to any current bride to be - they will find no humor in it - but I thought it was one of the funniest things I have read about weddings in a long time.
This is her debut book. I looking forward to many more. A very good read.
We're Just Like You, Only Prettier
Sometimes when you find a new author that seems to just click with your present sensibilities, you want to go out and just read everything they have written. I plead guilty. Having just discovered Celia Rivenbark (see previous post), I decided to read all her published works. I just finished up her first collection of humor essays entitled -Bless Your Heart, Tramp and then her follow up book - We're Just Like You, Only Prettier : Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle.
Once again, she runs the gamut from talking about children, husbands and being southern, female and everything in between. Definitely a giggle per minute. But I want more. Thank goodness she has a new one coming out this year. But until then, I will have pace myself with just a dabble from her newspaper column - it's not weekly, maybe biweekly - to keep the laughs coming. Thank god for RSS feeds. You can get to it via her website http://www.celiarivenbark.com/ .
A very funny read!
Once again, she runs the gamut from talking about children, husbands and being southern, female and everything in between. Definitely a giggle per minute. But I want more. Thank goodness she has a new one coming out this year. But until then, I will have pace myself with just a dabble from her newspaper column - it's not weekly, maybe biweekly - to keep the laughs coming. Thank god for RSS feeds. You can get to it via her website http://www.celiarivenbark.com/ .
A very funny read!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Mouth to Mouth
In some romancees, the raciest thing in the book is a first kiss. Or they can get a little "H and H". That is Hot and Heavy for you new kids out there. Erin McCarthy's book Mouth to Mouth is definitely "H and H." But it is not just a steamy contemporary romance. It actually has some thought provoking story lines.
Our heroine, Laurel, is deaf. For readers not aware of the struggles of the deaf in the speaking world, it is an entry point into the conditions they face on a daily basis. She is meeting a guy in a coffee shop. She met him online. The problem is the police officer who shows up - has the right name - but he's the wrong guy. Russ is investigating an identity thief who also cons women. Laurel's meeting came up in a note in the garbage that the thief left behind.
He thinks she's naive. She's thinks he's hot but - is not looking to be lectured on identity theft. They keep seeing each other - to further the case. Much to his surprise, the good girl has a naughty streak (I can not believe I just wrote that...kinda cheesy - but descriptive in this case).
All sorts of issues are woven in this book. The concept of responsibility - to yourself and others, not taking first impressions for granted, making sure you don't get conned by a online romeo, and the importance of communication at all levels. And how to get a fat cat to loose weight. See not all of them are serious!
A fun read. A fun author. I would pick up another to see if she keeps up the quality of the story. Have a frothy good time.
Our heroine, Laurel, is deaf. For readers not aware of the struggles of the deaf in the speaking world, it is an entry point into the conditions they face on a daily basis. She is meeting a guy in a coffee shop. She met him online. The problem is the police officer who shows up - has the right name - but he's the wrong guy. Russ is investigating an identity thief who also cons women. Laurel's meeting came up in a note in the garbage that the thief left behind.
He thinks she's naive. She's thinks he's hot but - is not looking to be lectured on identity theft. They keep seeing each other - to further the case. Much to his surprise, the good girl has a naughty streak (I can not believe I just wrote that...kinda cheesy - but descriptive in this case).
All sorts of issues are woven in this book. The concept of responsibility - to yourself and others, not taking first impressions for granted, making sure you don't get conned by a online romeo, and the importance of communication at all levels. And how to get a fat cat to loose weight. See not all of them are serious!
A fun read. A fun author. I would pick up another to see if she keeps up the quality of the story. Have a frothy good time.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Take the Cannoli
Sarah Vowell's book, Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World is another collection of essays by the talented writer. My favorite selections include an essay on the Michigan and Wacker bridge in downtown Chicago. Vowell makes and proves her claim that she can "tell the whole history of America standing on that bridge." And she manages to do just that.
Other offerings are her story of how she and her sister traveled the Trail of Tears that her Cherokee Nation ancestors did. And the tale of the struggles that took place along the way and once they finally reached Oklahoma. The comparison of the Cheerokee and modern day car trips are an interesting diorama of garishness in modern America.
So join the Sarah Vowell bandwagon. You will enjoy the humor and the viewpoint on modern society. A very good read.
Other offerings are her story of how she and her sister traveled the Trail of Tears that her Cherokee Nation ancestors did. And the tale of the struggles that took place along the way and once they finally reached Oklahoma. The comparison of the Cheerokee and modern day car trips are an interesting diorama of garishness in modern America.
So join the Sarah Vowell bandwagon. You will enjoy the humor and the viewpoint on modern society. A very good read.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank
Okay - if that title doesn't grab you - or if you do not think it is funny - then this is NOT the book for you. However if that title makes you laugh, come on down and read Celia Rivenbark's Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank and Other Delicate Words of Southern Women.
Rivenbank is a syndicated newspaper columnist from North Carolina. And dang is she funny! Most of these humorous essays are from her columns where she tackles motherhood, wacky celebrities, marriage and plain ol' southern oddities. I haven't swallowed so many laughs in a long time ( I was trying to read this in a quiet environment.) She has a way of getting to the heart of the absurdities of modern day life. She's definitely a laugh out loud kind of gal.
I was so excited about her and this book - that I promptly ordered her other ones to read. My new "funny author" discovery. A very fun read!
Rivenbank is a syndicated newspaper columnist from North Carolina. And dang is she funny! Most of these humorous essays are from her columns where she tackles motherhood, wacky celebrities, marriage and plain ol' southern oddities. I haven't swallowed so many laughs in a long time ( I was trying to read this in a quiet environment.) She has a way of getting to the heart of the absurdities of modern day life. She's definitely a laugh out loud kind of gal.
I was so excited about her and this book - that I promptly ordered her other ones to read. My new "funny author" discovery. A very fun read!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Satisfaction
When you first pick up a book - something must catch your eye to draw it in. Maybe it's the title. Or colors on the cover, 0r the cover design. Then if you're a bit more particular, you check out the flyleaf or the backcover for more information on this book that is drawing you in. But every so often, even after you have read all the particulars, and you think you are just getting a typical book in your favorite genre, you get a surprise. Who the hell wrote the backcover copy anyway? Did they read this book? Sometimes it is even a pleasant surprise like Satisfaction by Marianne Stillings.
The back cover says that Georgiana is a tv show personality like Martha Stewart. Ethan is a private eye. Okay, it starts out as a cute romance. He has to protect her on her set where there are a lot of accidents lately. She then cooks her way into his heart.
Maybe in some other book!
The back cover left out the blackmail, the date rape, the secret family, the ties to the mafia, and a murder. Yeah. He is not what he seems. She is tougher than she looks and together they learn to trust each other and solve the mysteries that surround them. Stillings has written some good characters and a driving, fast paced book. Could of fooled me! A fun read.
The back cover says that Georgiana is a tv show personality like Martha Stewart. Ethan is a private eye. Okay, it starts out as a cute romance. He has to protect her on her set where there are a lot of accidents lately. She then cooks her way into his heart.
Maybe in some other book!
The back cover left out the blackmail, the date rape, the secret family, the ties to the mafia, and a murder. Yeah. He is not what he seems. She is tougher than she looks and together they learn to trust each other and solve the mysteries that surround them. Stillings has written some good characters and a driving, fast paced book. Could of fooled me! A fun read.
Friday, April 11, 2008
The Boys of Winter
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey is a book about a hockey game. But it was a game, that represented more than just a group of amateur young Americans taking the ice. It became a symbol of the country's daring do in a rather bleak point of our history. Coffey does some excellent research and interviews and he takes us along for the ride.
If you are an fan of the Olympics, you will enjoy this book. If you remember the game or the era - you will enjoy it even more. Coffey does a period by period breakdown of the game and brings in the backgrounds of all the players, coaches, and officials in the book. He even manages to make the former Soviet players human. He manages to bring vibrancy and life to an event that is over 25 years old. And he does so with a journalist's eye and perspective, so that the book is not just a puff piece. It made me eager to watch the game (not the glamorized movie version) all over again. A very good read.
If you are an fan of the Olympics, you will enjoy this book. If you remember the game or the era - you will enjoy it even more. Coffey does a period by period breakdown of the game and brings in the backgrounds of all the players, coaches, and officials in the book. He even manages to make the former Soviet players human. He manages to bring vibrancy and life to an event that is over 25 years old. And he does so with a journalist's eye and perspective, so that the book is not just a puff piece. It made me eager to watch the game (not the glamorized movie version) all over again. A very good read.
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