Book Review - "Just Kids" by Patti Smith

I loved Patti Smith's Just Kids. I love the story she tells, the way she tells it, the people she talks about and the places where she takes us.

The book is Smith's keeping a promise she made to her friend, lover, and muse - artist Robert Mapplethorpe - as he was dying of AIDS in 1989. It's the story of their 22 year friendship, love story and collaboration - a coming of age story set in New York's art and music world. New York City is as much a main character as are Patti and Robert. It's not a pretty New York City - lots of drugs and hustling - but a vibrant art and music scene. And my elusive Shengri-La, the Chelsea Hotel is also a star in the book. They lived there for several years and it was crucial to their development as artists.

I was actually more familiar with Mapplethorpe's work than with Smith's until recently. I've always admired Mapplethorpe's work even as it disturbed me. Reading about how his art evolved as a mirror of his life was fantastic. The name-dropping in the book is fabulous - Smith and Mapplethorpe were in the thick of the Warhol and Chelsea Hotel scene. That's how Smith came to be in the same room as Kris Kristofferson singing "Me and Bobby McGee" to Janis Joplin for the first time - can you imagine!

Smith's writing is beautiful, her love for Mapplethorpe is felt on every page. What started as an accidental meeting, led to a friendship, a love affair and a symbiotic artistic relationship - they fed off each other's creativity. It's really amazing how they each helped the other develop their talent.

While I loved it, I recognize it's not for everyone, the sotry is hardly universal and if you aren't familiar with or curious about this time period, you won't get the same out of it that I did, you might be bored.

Click this link to see Smith's amazing impromptu, a capella performance of "Because the Night" at the 2010 Miami Book Fair.

Book Review - "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Back in July I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road because of the wonderful reviews and comments I'd heard and read. While I recognize McCarthy's evocative writing and the narrative's emotional intensity, I definitely can't say I enjoyed it. The story of a father and son's journey "south" after an undisclosed apocalyptic disaster is brutal and unrelentingly depressing. There isn't a moment of levity or hope. "The Road" is an exhausting read and like a good story often does, it stayed with me for a while, popping into my mind at unexpected moments.

By never telling us where they came from or where they're going and never even telling us their names, McCarthy manages to make the story chillingly universal - it could be us. There is a constant sense of tension and danger with tragedy foreshadowed from the opening lines. There is unspeakable violence and cruelty fueled by other survivors' desperate circumstances. With little or no food, possibly contaminated water, societal order destroyed and some people's instinct to survive at all costs, the reader is constantly waiting for the next horrific scene of cruelty between people, or for the moment when our protagonists finally run out of food and safe water.

Do I recommend the book? Yes, but with the caveat that it is difficult and depressing to read. Will I see the upcoming movie? Eventually on DVD where I can stop it and walk away for a bit - I don't think I can sit through it in the theater.

Book Review - "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett

I had been hearing about Ann Patchett's Bel Canto for a while and was intrigued by the description on the back cover, so when a friend offered to pass it on to me I jumped at the opportunity.

It tells the story of an unnamed South American country whose Vice President is hosting a birthday party for a wealthy Japanese businessman in the hope he will invest in the country. In order to lure the business man his favorite opera singer, an American woman, is provided as the entertainment. The country's President is supposed to attend but for a sadly ridiculous reason he winds up being a no-show. So when the rag-tag group of "terrorists" arrive to kidnap him, they wind up stuck in a house full of people they didn't want and don't know what to do with. As time passes, the hostages bond with each other and with the hostage-takers - but they're still hostages. The terrorist leaders are too proud to give up but don't know how to continue, so they make it up as they go along with only the faintest hint of control and discipline.

What follows is a well-told tale of survival, endurance, understanding and personal growth. Patchett develops the wide cast of characters beautifully as you see them evolve from terror, to anger, to resignation and finally to friendship and love. There is plenty of humor, some romance and even a little bit of intrigue and the setting, while limited to the house, is well established. At one point I felt like one of the hostages watching the events unfold around me and becoming invested in how everything would turn out.

I definitely recommend this book. It's an easy read but it has substance and will make you think. Check it out!

Book Review - "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" - Junot Diaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was a challenging read for me, as is all magical realism. It took me a while to get the rhythm of the book, and to get comfortable with the writing style – no quotation marks for dialogue, copious footnotes explaining political and pop culture references, significant use of Spanglish, etc. But about half way through the book it finally clicked for me and subsequently – I really liked it.

It’s a complicated story that constantly flips through time and between narrators. It tells the story of Oscar Wao’s family on his mother’s side. We learn about the family curse or “fukú” and the suffering it causes through generations. A large part of the book focuses on his mother and grandfather as well as the politics of the Dominican Republic.

I didn’t have difficulty with the non-translated Spanish throughout the book, but I’m surprised that the general English-speaking public and critic community has embraced the book, even awarding it the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in literature. I’m also surprised that the pop culture references and the very necessary and lengthy footnotes didn’t turn people off. The footnotes were a god-send to me who will stop reading and Google references with which I’m not familiar.

The book almost reads like a fable for adults, full of symbolism and in its own way full of beautiful prose.

I definitely recommend the book, with the caveat that there’s a lot of non-translated Spanish and a lot of footnotes – sometimes half a page long!

Book Review - "Dreams from My Father" - Barack Obama

I’ll preface this by saying that I love Barack Obama and think he’s the best thing that has happened to this country in a long time – there I’ve said it, you can stop reading now if you have a problem with that.

While I think he’s a phenomenal speaker and I appreciate his writing ability and think his use of language is spot on, I have not been able to get through either of his books! I did better with Dreams from My Father than with The Audacity of Hope, but I still couldn’t finish it.

I started off fine, with the first section “Origins” where he describes growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia, meeting his father, his college years and living in New York. How he wrestles with his racial heritage and the conflicts therein is very interesting and his brief flirtation with Black militancy was fascinating. You can start to see how he grew up into the man he is today.

The second section “Chicago”, however, lost me. I found his narrative of the community organization stuff tedious. I got the people confused, all of his well-intentioned efforts were frustrating (at least as far as I got). So I started skipping around. I read about his meeting Reverend Wright and can completely understand why he chose to establish a relationship with the Reverend and it helps understand why Jeremiah Wright is the way he is. I read about when his Kenyan half-sister Auma visited him, and then I stopped reading that section.

The third section “Kenya” was OK, but by the time I got to it, I was tired of reading this book. I skipped around enough to learn about the complexity of his family in Kenya – where men have several wives and children with al of them. I’m not sure how many half-siblings Obama has on his father’s side but there seems to be a lot of them! There is some beautiful, contemplative writing in this section and you can see how this trip affected him deeply.

I may come back and read the whole thing some day, but for now I recommend it with the caveat that I found a lot of it tedious.

Book Review - "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" - David Sedaris

YAY! Sedaris is back! I loved this book!

I was wary because my Sedaris reading history had been mixed - ranging from the sublime "Me Talk Pretty One Day" to the awful "Barrel Fever". With "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" he's back to sublime.

I think I actually liked it better than "Me Talk Pretty One Day" because he seems to have mellowed with age. He still has a smart, acerbic wit - but he's not mean in this book. In fact there are even some stories that while still funny have more heart than his work in the past.

My favorite essay from the book was "April in Paris" where he talks about his *relationship* with a house spider he adopts and names April. Bitingly funny, but sweet nonetheless.

I definitely recommend it - IMO it's Sedaris at his best.

Book Review - "Little Women" - Louisa May Alcott

I've read Little Women several times through the years - the first time when I was about 10 years old I guess and always enjoyed it.

The story is simple and sweet, but I think it still carries a strong message about the strength in the bonds of women. Progressive for the time, Alcott presents in the March women different "types" - Meg, the pretty, domestic one; Jo, the tomboyish, independent rebel; Beth, the too-good-for-this-world moral angel; Amy, the flighty, spoiled, bratty princess - at least at first; and then Marmee, the redeemed wild child who is now their strength and moral compass. The men, while not maligned are almost incidental, serving as props to highlight the different personalities of the women.

The characters are wonderfully developed,as we see them grow through the years. The setting is very well described - you can "see" the gardens and rooms. And again, having been written for young women, the writing is easy to read and follow, if a bit long-winded. Despite Jo's detailed character development, I feel her love story was rushed and not developed enough - as opposed to those of Meg and Amy. I imagine her relationship with Bhaer is delved into more in the sequel Little Men, which I haven't read yet.

Although I like the book very much I think it suffers in comparison with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Even though the time frame of "Little Women" - during and after the Civil War - is almost 100 years later than "Pride and Prejudice" - late 18th century/early 19th century - I think Austen's classic feels more relevant.

I definitely recommend "Little Women" to everyone, not just pre-teen and teen girls. It's a beautiful, well-told and surprisingly progressive story.

Book Review - "El Juego del Angel" - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

NOTE - I read this book in Spanish, it's due out in English in June 2009

The book is beautifully written, there were literally parts I read two or three times for the sheer beauty of the writing. However, I just couldn't get into the story.

Unlike Ruiz Zafon's prior book, "La Sombra del Viento" ("Shadow of the Wind"), which I consider one of the best books I've ever read, I was never engaged with the characters. I found the story to be too long.

I thought it was too slow, had too many characters, had a confusing plot and had an unlikable (at least to me) protagonist. And then, he went all magical realism (not my best event!) on me. He completely lost me. By the end of the book I really didn't know what was going on, or why.

But again, the writing is just so beautiful that I pretty much finished the book just to keep reading the writing, not because of the story.

If you read in Spanish, and you enjoy beautiful writing - I recommend it.

Book Review - "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer

I liked Breaking Dawn. I didn't expect to, but I did. Not only had I read about so many fans of the series being upset and the reviews being mostly mediocre to poor, I had some serious misgivings about parts of the story.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a great book, there were a lot of inconsistencies, the biggest of which being how did Bella, a barely average girl, become a super-vampire? Why was she able to adapt so easily and wind up being such a force? If there was an explanation, I missed it. Bella's character development, while definitely there, wasn't logical. Had the Bella in the first three books been a logical predecessor to the Bella in this book I might have disliked her less. I also thought the build-up to the final confrontation was more than was merited and culminated with a fizzle.

Now, to what I liked. It kept me entertained and wanting to read more. It was exciting, unpredictable in parts and just a good story. I wasn't bothered by Jacob's resolution and was happy with how the Cullens were developed and other vampires introduced into the story. Clearly I like the story best when the vampires take center stage. I was happy that she finally told Charlie - sort of, but still believe she sold Renee short.

I'm glad I read the series, it was - except for "New Moon" - entertaining. However, IMO, it can't compare in quality to the Harry Potter series. In short, I will keep the entire Harry Potter series forever, but I will sell the Twilight series.

I'm still not sure I like the messages the series sends to young women specifically and don't think it has the universal life lessons offered in the Harry Potter series, but it was fun and easy to read.

Book Review - "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Spoilers)

OK, I liked "Eclipse" better than "New Moon". The pace of the story was great, we saw more Edward and more of the Cullens - which I liked. I loved learning more of the Cullens' back stories.

The build up to the battle was good and the alliance between the "good vampires" and the werewolves against the "bad vampires" led by Victoria was fun. The fight against Victoria was quite gruesome and well told. I still think the development of all the characters is somewhat weak and one-dimensional, except interestingly for Jacob - maybe because of his dual life, we get to know him better.

As for Bella, while she annoyed me less - I still don't really like her. As a heroine for teenage girls, I'm still having trouble with her low self-esteem, her neediness and the fact that she hasn't told her parents about what's going on. I don't like that so many people now know the truth about her and about Edward, including Billy (supposedly her father's best friend) and no one has told Charlie. Someone (maybe Edward?) should sit Charlie down and explain the whole thing to him.

Book Review - "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (spoilers)

I was having issues with New Moon as I was reading it. Now that I've finished it, the issues are still there and there are possibly more.

I am bothered by Bella's willingness to lose herself for her first love at the age of 17. I'm bothered by her recklessness and lack of self-preservation because he's gone. I'm bothered by the fact that she hasn't told her parents about Edward being a vampire. The parents are portrayed as hapless caricatures who need to be taken care of by Bella. I don't like that these are traits attributed to a heroine with which teen-aged girls are supposed to identify.

But then again, I'm 45 not 16. I'm probably over-thinking it.

Now, from a writing perspective, I found the first part of the book - the part where she's depressed - to be way too long. OK, she's sad - we get it! That section could have been edited a lot and made the book less plodding.

IMO, without Edward the story loses a lot of its appeal. Basically I don't really like Bella, particularly when she's without Edward. She's boring and self-centered and pretty much annoying. And she's one dimensional - to borrow from "Jerry McGuire", Edward *completes her*.

I found the Jacob Black character to be a forced complication. His presence in Bella's life is completely unnecessary, as evidenced when Edward finally returns on the scene and Black disappears for a while. I didn't care. I didn't miss him, and was somewhat disconcerted upon his return.

The story picked up considerably when Alice reappears and the eventual return of Edward begins. I think Alice is a fascinating character with a great back story and potentially many layers. The introduction of the Volturi was cool - I think that's going to be an interesting component to the series.

And finally we see the Cullen family again. I love them. I hope we get to learn more about the other family members as the series progresses. At this point, as far as I'm concerned the series can focus on them and leave Bella with Jacob!

I've started Eclipse, let's see how that goes.

Book Review - "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

OK, so I haven't been Twilight's target demographic in three decades (silent scream) but I loved it! I got totally sucked in (pun intended).

Meyer weaves a wonderful story with characters that are intriguing, yet despite being vampires are somehow familiar. Obviously, being a "young adult" novel, the writing is simple and straight forward, no complicated symbolism or language - just good storytelling.

We are introduced to a unique "family" of vampires through Bella's eyes. As a matter of fact, the whole book is in Bella's voice. First person narration is difficult to write, yet Meyer never messes up - good writing or good editing, or both.

Along with other younger "fanpires", I have a crush on Edward Cullen...no it is not sick, he's over 100 years old! But he is oh-so-romantic.

I've already started reading New Moon the next book in the series of four. I'll let you know how I like it.

Book Review - "Audition" by Barbara Walters

I finally finished "Audition". It took me a long time not because it's difficult to read - it's definitely not - I just read it in small increments. I really enjoyed the book. Although quite long (500+ pages) I didn't find it had any slow sections, which i find often happens in long books, particularly memoirs.

I've always liked Walters well enough, and this book may have made me like her a bit less. Although her professional accomplishments are spectacular, no question, I found her - at least the way she presents herself in this book - to be rather shallow. For example, I am bothered that she goes out of her way to not reveal her age (she'll be 79 in September) when anyone can do what I did and Google it! Hell, if I were 79 and looked the way she looks and was still working in my chosen profession I'd holler it from the roof tops!

The story of her professional trajectory is fascinating because of the barriers she broke down without really meaning to - she just did it. She talks about a lot of the interviews she had with a plethora of fascinating people, and I found myself remembering them. When put all together the way they're presented in the book, you realize she really has interviewed practically anyone who was anyone in the last 40 years! A clear representation of that is the inside of the front and back covers where the names of all the people she's interviewed are listed alphabetically - very cool.

Not only did she interview important people, in some cases, she actually played small parts in the actual history, serving as a go-between or delivering messages. Again, very cool. Also, in addition to describing the interviews, getting the interviews, etc. she also provides a brief historical overview, enough so that we can understand why the interview was significant and what the ramifications were.

Despite her exposure to the world however, she came across to me as somewhat naive and rather old-fashioned in some aspects. She is after all a woman of her generation and although I'm not in any way saying she's a racist, at points she views and reacts to racial issues as a person of her generation would, and it's a little jarring - at least to me. And although she's obviously clever, she doesn't strike as particularly intelligent.

There's also the matter of her affairs with married men (yes there was more than one) that personally disappoints me. However, she is very honest about her difficulties raising her daughter, her inability to maintain a marriage, and her inability to deal in a healthy manner with her family's issues.

I definitely recommend the book and encourage everyone to not be intimidated by the length of the book - again it is very easy to read and will bring back a lot of memories - as Walters has been witness to a lot of history.

By the way, I don't care what she says - I still think she slept with Fidel Castro!

Book Review - "The Masked Rider" by Neil Peart

The Masked Rider by Neil Peart is the author's first book, published in 1996. The book describes his month-long bicycle tour in Cameroon. Peart describes in detail the challenging riding conditions and "rustic" accommodations, in addition to his relationship with his travel companions and talks about the people he encounters. The book was an interesting, easy read. It is however the first time that I read a travel memoir that doesn't make me want to take the journey. It was difficult and uncomfortable and at times just nasty.

Although this is his first book, it's the third one of the four that he's written that I have read. Having already read his second book Ghost Rider - where he describes his cross-US motorcycle trip after his wife and 19 year-old daughter had died unexpectedly within a year of each other (accident and cancer respectively) - this was somewhat bittersweet. In this book he tells of how he can't wait for the end of the journey when he meets his wife in Paris to enjoy a vacation with her. At another point as he tells of the poverty he encountered and how the some of the children were underfed and sick, he says that he can't imagine the pain a parent must feel upon losing a child - little could he have known he would know that pain all too well the following year when he would lose his daughter.

It's also interesting to compare traveling conditions in that part of the world prior to 9/11. He complains about the inconveniences they had to endure at security checkpoints and when flying - it's nothing compared to what goes on now.

I'd recommend it to Neil Peart fans and to people who enjoy travel memoirs.

Book Review - "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield

I really enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale, a great Gothic thriller, in the tradition of "Rebecca", "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights", even though it was written in 2007.

There are lots of plot twists and surprises, so I don't want to spoil anything. Basically it tells the story of Margaret, a young woman who in addition to working in her father's used book store is also a biographer. As the story begins Margaret has been commissioned by a famous author named Vida Winter, known for making up different stories about her life. However, Ms. Winters tells Margaret that this time she will tell the complete truth.

Margaret has her own issues to deal with, but frankly, I think Margaret's story takes away from the main plot and serves as a needless distraction. It is Vida Winters' story that captured my imagination and had me speculating and guessing as clues were revealed.

This is a story with two narrators, Margaret and Vida, and Vida is revealed early to be an unreliable narrator. Due to the nature of the story character development is difficult, but despite this, you definitely see Margaret's growth.

I definitely recommend the book.

Book Review - "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly

I loved The Book of Lost Things. I had read and heard great reviews from several sources so I was looking forward to reading it.

It was much more violent and gory than I expected, and it's definitely not for kids - not even young teens. In addition to significant violence, there are subtle yet definite allusions to bestiality, cannibalism, extreme violence against children, etc.

I found the writing to be extremely accessible, in part because you are familiar with the stories - sort of. I know I'll never think of Little Red Riding Hood in the same way. The pace lags a little in the middle and I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but the story is so original and so smart that you overlook those minor narrative issues. It has that "makes-you-want-to-keep-reading" quality and was suspenseful, funny and a little scary - all the makings of a great story.

The character development, particularly David's (the protagonist), is fantastic - you clearly see him mature in his actions and reactions. The Crooked Man is a great villain with hints of Rumplestiltskin, Satan and other "tricksters".

I definitely recommend it for adults - not kids.

Book Review - "Embroideries" by Marjane Satrapi

I was disappointed by Marjane Satrapi's follow up to the two volume Persepolis. In Embroideries, the setting is an after-dinner tea party between several women of different ages telling their stories abut love and sex. The potential is fantastic to really delve into the beliefs and traditions surrounding these topics. Bit rather than tell the complete stories with depth, she merely flits over them, so that you get a taste but little substance. She tells the stories of about 7 women in 144 pages, but not narrative pages, comic-book style pages - this, like "Persepolis", is a graphic novel as well.

While the story left a lot to be desired, the drawings are wonderful. In this book, Satrapi didn't use the panel frames she uses in Persepolis, and that are common in graphic novels, the drawings are all over the page, less constrained.

I'll still read her other book about Iran, Chicken with Plums and hope that she's returned to her evocative story-telling.

I would recommend the book only to Satrapi fans.

Book Review - "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner

I really enjoyed The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. In the book Weiner, an NPR correspondent, travels across the world to understand why people are happy or unhappy. In the process he ponders on his own happiness or lack thereof. You will do the same when you read it.

Far from a dry, scholarly sociology study, the book is totally readable and at times very, very funny. In addition to the "happiness studies" we learn a little history and a lot of culture about the various countries. We also get to know some of the people Weiner meets as he investigates his topic, and in some cases you start to care about them.

The happiest countries may not be the ones you expect and the reasons for their happiness may also come as a surprise.

This is one of those books that I highlighted and wrote on the margins - there's a lot of good information and common-sense wisdom.

I definitely recommend the book.

Book Review - "Darcy's Story" by Janet Aylmer

Between reading this book and being in the midst of PBS' "The Complete Jane Austen" series, I have been submerged in Jane Austen's world the last few weeks. And you know what? I like it. Everyone is so civilized, and there are parties all the time and nobody seems to actually work for a living. They just have some sort of stipend allotted to them and they ride around in carriages and drink tea. I like tea.

Anyway, Darcy's Story is one in the ever growing genre of "sequels" to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, only they're not written by Jane Austen. This is actually the second of this genre that I've read. A couple of years ago, as part of my now defunct book club, I read Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston. I think I liked this one much more because I knew and liked the character of Darcy, but I had not "met" the daughters.

We see a new side to Darcy where we learn that he really is an arrogant snob, but for all the right reasons. See, the thing is, he's actually shy and socially inept. Really. I always wanted to know Darcy's side of the story regarding his meeting and tortured courtship of Elizabeth Bennett, and that is exactly the story this book tells.

Aylmer tries to write in the style of Jane Austen and does it well enough; she also often uses direct quotes from P & P. What I liked best is that she parallels the timeline in P & P so that we see what Darcy is doing when we don't see him in P & P.
Is this great literature? Absolutely not. Could it stand alone without P & P? No way. This book is only for tried and true fans of "Pride and Prejudice" - which I am. Otherwise, it's not worth the time it takes to read.

Book Review - "There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant To Say" by Paula Poundstone

I love Paula Poundstone, I think she is one of the best female comics of our generation. I love her humor, her delivery - just the way her mind works. And I so admire her getting through her much-publicized rough patch with drinking, and losing her kids, etc. I totally ready to absolutely love this book. As it turns out...not so much.

I just don't understand why she wrote the book the way she did. She has taken what to me seem eight random historical/cultural figures - Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Charles Dickens, The Wright Brothers, Beethoven and Sitting Bull - and mushed up her story and humor with their stories. What's up with that?

I have no problem with her stream of consciousness style, I expected it, as that is often how she performs. And when she writes about her life, family and general observations she's hilarious - but when she writes about those other people it's boring and meandering, barely making sense!

Maybe it just went over my head and I'm missing something, but I can't recommend this book.