Summer Goal Update

Well, that’s it. My 30th book. I met my goal just in the nick of time. (Summer ends and school starts on Monday.) I learned many valuable lessons on this journey, such as:

• I am definitely more critical of fiction than non-fiction. In my opinion, a decent novel must have an engaging, original plot, lots of imagery, superb writing style, in-depth characters, it has to make me laugh AND cry, and I have to learn something. When it comes to non-fiction, I just have to understand it and learn something.
• Everyone has a limit. Somewhere around my 24th book I had a miniature nervous breakdown, couldn’t read another page, and spent three days cleaning my closets. This made me realize that my students need breaks, too.
• You’re never too old to challenge yourself.
• While it’s important to set goals, these goals should never rob you of the enjoyment of an activity. I had to postpone several books I was interested in because they weren’t short enough to fit into my quota.
• Good books are hard to find. Out of the 30 books I read, I would have normally abandoned at least half of them after the first chapter. There were only four that I would definitely recommend to just about anyone. They are: The Five Minute Iliad and Other Instant Classics, Everything is Illuminated, Interpreter of Maladies, and Teacher Man. If you are an English Teacher and/or a person who completely devours books, I would also definitely recommend Ex Libris.
  
  So that’s it for my summer reading. I will keep posting future books throughout the coming months, so check in once and a while, and keep those recommendations coming!

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Precious Ramotswe is a pudgy African woman in her late thirties. After her father dies, she sells his cattle and starts her own detective agency. The stories of her cases are sweet – tender characters and creative solutions that always culminate in a happy ending. Her father’s death and the bit about her abusive husband were less sweet. Favorite Quote: “one nostalgic thought she allowed herself, one indulgence, was to imagine her Daddy walking through the door and greeting her again, and smiling at her, and saying ‘My Precious! You have done well! I am proud of you!’ And she imagined driving him round Gaborone in her tiny white van and showing him the progress that had been made, and she smiled at the pride he would have felt. But she could not allow herself to think like this too often, for it ended in tears, for all that was passed, and for all the love that she had within her.”

Dawn by Elie Wiesel

Elisha has survived the Nazi death camps and, shortly after WWII, goes to Palistine where he becomes an Israeli freedom-fighter. He is commissioned to murder a captured British officer, an action that is intended to serve as vengeance for Britain’s execution of a Jewish prisoner. The novel is short – mostly a character study during which Elisha struggles with the inner turmoil of his assignment. It reminded me of the movie, Munich, in which the hero attempts to fight terrorism but ultimately becomes a terrorist himself. Favorite Quote: “ ‘We say that ours is a holy war,’ she went on, ‘that we’re struggling against something and for something, against the English and for an independent Palestine. That’s what we say. But these are words; as such they serve only to give meaning to our actions. And our actions, seen in their true and primitive light, have the odor and color of blood.’”

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novel is more complex than it seems on the surface. Set in Nigeria, it describes tribal (Ibo) lifestyles at the turn of the century – just as they began to encounter colonialism and Christianity. Many shocking Ibo traditions are described in detail, such as the practice of abandoning twin babies in the woods and mutilating the bodies of babies whose mothers have lost many children. (It was believed that these children somehow returned to the womb and caused continual suffering for the mother with their repeated deaths.) However, the clan does have several traditions and laws designed to protect each other from harm and to honor their ancestors as well as their gods. When European cultures begin to settle there and missionaries start to convert tribal members, much of the beauty of their culture is lost, which is why the novel’s hero ends up completely dismayed and destroyed. This would definitely be an interesting text to use in a book club discussion. Favorite Quote: “His life had been ruled by a great passion – to become one of the lords of the clan . . . And he had all but achieved it. Then everything had been broken. He had been cast out . . . Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.”

The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne

The title of this book is somewhat deceiving because it’s not nearly as entertaining as it looks. Actually, if you are over 50, southern, divorced, and looking for new ways to humiliate your children you might find it enjoyable, but quite frankly the humor was lost on me. In this series of essays, the Jackson, Mississippi-born author describes various adventures with her set of middle-aged friends as they eat fatty foods and beat men into submission. Though the overall content did not interest me, I was able to find one favorite quote – a selection from the author’s grandfather’s favorite piece of advice: “Be particular. That is, without a doubt, the Best Advice Ever Given in the History of the Entire World. Consider, if you will, the profound effect that following that advice would have on, say, your diet, your love life, your financial situation, your decision on whether to have that next drink. I mean, what do those two words not cover?”

The Five Minute Iliad and Other Instant Classics by Greg Nagan

This book was just plain silly. So, of course, I loved it. I laughed so hard there were tears streaming down my face. Greg Nagan is a humor writer and playwright who previously wrote for Prairie Home Companion and founded two award-winning theater companies. This anthology includes a brief overview of 15 beloved classics, from Homer to Kerouac. “If you don’t familiarize yourself with the themes and ideas of the Great Books, you’re going to lead a miserable life and die,” writes Nagan. “You’ll probably lead a miserable life and die anyway, but an acquaintance with the Great Books can help you understand your misery and death in a broader context.” I loved how he imitated the authors’ styles in addition to summarizing their prose. There were too many favorite quotes to pick just one:

From John Milton’s Paradise Lost
“His anguished cries roared out, unheard
By his thousand self-abhorring Peers.
Like Ganglyass, and Vulvatron,
Thus too even Puffles the Wanker:”

From Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility
“ ‘I love Willoughby, and he loves me,’ Marianne said. ‘That is all I require of a man’s character.’
‘Tell me at least,’ Elinor said, struggling to contain herself, ‘that you have examined his dental records and had his handwriting analyzed. No? Oh, Marianne . . . you will regret it!’”

From Bram Stoker’s Dracula
“Patient Renfeld continues to exhibit a strange religious mania. He continues to talk about the coming of the Master, and continues to devour insects. Diagnosis: batshit crazy. Treatment: morphine.”

From George Orwell’s 1984
“And suddenly he felt filled with warmth; realization poured over him like milk over corn flakes; he had finally conquered himself. The future didn’t suck after all. He loved Big Brother.”

Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot

Eliot wrote this play to be performed at the Canterbury festival in 1935. It is his best-known drama and part of why he won the Nobel Prize for literature. At its foundation, the story is about the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury (Thomas Becket) in 1170. However, the story has enduring themes about the relationship between religion and politics, and the various definitions of (and motivations for) martyrdom. I found myself wondering, in the end, if Becket could be considered a true martyr. That is part of the basis for my Favorite Quote: “The true martyr is he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, and who no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of being a martyr.”

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

I typically don’t read a book that has been made into a movie if I’ve already seen the movie, but I’m so glad I gave this one a chance. Cunningham's characterization is exquisite and his storyline is innovative and thought-provoking. It was amazing how he was able to communicate Virginia Woolf’s mindset while she was writing Mrs. Dalloway, and then link those themes with the stories of two other women: a 1950s housewife and a modern-day “Mrs. Dalloway” who is caring for a friend dying of AIDS. Cunningham’s style in this book is similar to Woolf’s in that he spends a lot of time in the minds of his characters, but for some reason it isn’t boring when he does it. Favorite Quotes:

“Venture too far for love, she tells herself, and you renounce the citizenship in the country you’ve made for yourself.”

“Here, then, is age. Here are the little consolations, the lamp and the book. Here is the world, increasingly managed by people who are not you; who will do either well or badly; who do not look at you when they pass you in the street.”

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I should have learned my lesson from To The Lighthouse, but that was a long time ago. I had forgotten that Woolf gets so wrapped up describing her characters that they never have time to actually do anything. Here’s the basic plot: Clarissa Dalloway is throwing a dinner party. Peter, a man who has pined after her for 30 years, stands in her living room and cries briefly. A WWI soldier goes bonkers and jumps out a window to his death. That’s it. But I pity Virginia Woolf, I really do, because you can see her in the novel, trying to work it all out, trying to convince herself that there is a God and that people are actually genuine and tolerable, but we all know that she ultimately throws her hands in the air and drowns herself. Favorite Quote: “A young man (that is what Sir William is telling Mr. Dalloway) had killed himself. He had been in the army. Oh! thought Clarissa, in the middle of my party, here’s death, she thought.”

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Safran Foer writes himself as a character in this novel, which takes place over several generations ranging from the 1700s to the 1900s. The hero travels to the Ukraine in order to research his grandfather’s escape from the Nazis. There are several stories taking place at the same time: the history of Safran’s family, the translator’s story about Safran’s research, and letters that this translator (Alex) about editing both stories. It’s kind of hard to explain. But, I loved this author’s style and characterization. Despite the dark content and sickening descriptions of Nazi torment, he tells the story with great love and humor. (In fact, he mentions that humor is the only true way to tell a sad story.) It is definitely the novel you should pick up if you’re looking for something new and original. I had trouble picking my favorite quote, so I narrowed it down to two. (Originally I had seven.)

“The bruises go away, and so does your hate, and so does the feeling that everything you receive in life is something you have earned.”

“I saw Herschel and he saw me and we stood next to each other because that is what friends do in the presence of evil or love.”

Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen

Have you ever wondered about the history behind the company that made (makes) the “Sweet ‘n Low” sugar substitute? Me neither. But, this was a surprisingly interesting story about a Jewish family in Brooklyn who discovered this money-making substance and invented a way to package it. I really enjoyed the memoir portions about the Eisenstadt family and the way the author’s mother was disinherited from the Cumberland Packing Company fortune. It also touches on the history of sugar, the dieting craze in America, FDA involvement and a mafia scandal that almost put the company out of business. This was definitely an entertaining and informative bit of non-fiction. Favorite Quote: “Marvin is a man telling a joke that he himself does not get.”

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

If you live alone, do not read this book after dark. This is the story of the Clutter family murders that took place in Kansas in 1959. In penning this true crime story, Truman initiated what was then considered a new genre: the non-fiction novel. His descriptions are gruesome but not sensationalist – they are strongly connected to the facts of the case. With so much plot exposition it was difficult to get into the book at first, but Capote succeeded in establishing the character of the victims, gaining the reader's sympathy and deepening the true horror of the crime. The following quote shows some of the inner conflict that Dewy experienced, as did several other officers assigned to the case. “Dewy could not forget [the victims’] sufferings. Nonetheless, he found it possible to look at the man beside him without anger – with, rather, a measure of sympathy – for Perry Smith’s life had been no bed of roses, but pitiful, an ugly and lonely progress toward one mirage and then another. Dewy’s sympathy, however, was not deep enough to accommodate either forgiveness or mercy.”