My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

My Reading Life is Pat Conroy’s love song to the books that made him the writer he is today.  It is also a love song to the people who introduced him to these books—his mother, his high school English teacher, the irascible owner of his favorite book shop, along with countless friends with whom he has shared books and talked about books.

The vignettes are sometimes poignant, sometimes funny.  One of my favorites is the story of how he was ousted from an Adrienne Rich poetry reading at his first ever writers’ conference.  He had gone to get coffee for his group of friends, and when he returned, carefully balancing the coffee cups, he didn’t notice he was the only male in the audience until they started hissing at him.

He tells other stories about the experiences that made him a writer—for example, he feels a desperate need to portray the family abuse he was forced to hush up as a child—alternating with chapters on the books that formed him and are still among his favorites today, such as War and Peace, Gone with the Wind, and Look Homeward, Angel.

Never having read Conroy before, I was amazed at his passionate prose.  He has an endearing way of launching into a high-flown sentence, then adding a self-deprecating little shrug at the end.  For example, he writes poignantly about his lonely boyhood as the child of a military family and how books provided his only solace:  “Before I’d ever asked a girl out, I had fallen in love with Anna Karenina, taken Isabel Archer to high tea at the Grand Hotel in Rome, delivered passionate speeches to Juliet beneath her balcony, abandoned Dido in Carthage, made love to Lara in Zhivago’s Russia, walked beside Lady Brett Ashley in Paris, danced with Madame Bovary—I could form a sweet-smelling corps de ballet composed of the women I have loved in books.”  I must say he made me want to read the books he praised.  Several of his favorites are favorites of mine as well, and I found myself saying, “Yes, yes!” as he praised so eloquently books that have been formative in my own life, such as James Dickey’s Deliverance, which Conroy called “a palace of light for a white-water river of words.”

To anyone who loves books, I say, “Read this one.”  Even if his tastes are different from yours, Conroy’s passion for the written word will take you by storm and leave you remembering why you love to read.

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Freakonomics by Stevin Levitt and Stephen Dubner

As Levitt sees it, economics is a science with excellent tools for gaining answers but a serious shortage of interesting questions.  This book asks interesting questions.  If you want to know which teachers are cheating, which criminals are actually getting rich, and how the KKK is like a group of real estate agents, then Freakonomics is exactly the book you want to read.  Even if those particular questions haven’t been burning up your brain pan, the book is still a fun and interesting read, full of counter-intuitive ways of looking at the world around us.

Levitt’s blatant disregard for stereotypical economic applications (say that three times fast) allows for math and science to be used to measure something far more interesting:  people.  While the questions asked in the book are interesting (say, what do sumo wrestlers and schoolteachers have in common?) it is the answers that are absolutely fascinating.  Often the answers challenge our preconceptions and force us to really look at the world around us in ways that might be a little uncomfortable, but are almost certainly valuable.  Dubner’s writing style is smooth enough that the reader doesn’t feel like their face is being pulled off while they go through some of the data sets in the book (have no fear, there aren’t that many).  He also brings enough humor to the writing to offset any potentially “heavy” effects of certain questions that Levitt asks.

For anyone who enjoys the little idiosyncrasies that life puts out there, this book is a rare gem.  Standing standard procedure on its head, Levitt and Dubner deliver a humorous take on a wide variety of subjects, from the fairly mundane to the truly extraordinary.    I had a very hard time putting this one down, even when I had finished it, and I cannot wait to read the sequel:  Superfreakonomics.  With a title like that, you just know the book is going to be good.  If we’re all a little lucky, it’ll have some funny Rick James references, too.

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The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

I had known of Sherman Alexie as a Poet, but until I saw the movie “Smoke Signals” and noticed in the credits that it was based on this book, I had never read Alexie’s short stories. I seldom read fiction at all, but upon starting “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”, I was immediately enthralled. The book contains 22 short stories, which take place on or near the Spokane Reservation in Washington State. In “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven“, Sherman Alexie does for reservation life what Jack Kerouac did for the Beat Poetry movement in novels such as “The Dharma Bums“.

The main characters are Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, two very different people. Victor, a former high school basketball star is a popular figure, while Thomas is a storyteller looked upon largely with contempt or amusement. Still, their lives are intertwined with each other and everyone else on the reservation. Through stories of their families and relationships, Alexie paints a vivid picture of the reality of modern Native American life on and off the reservation. Powwows, fry bread, and fancydancing are interspersed with basketball, alcoholism, and poverty in stories that invoke strong feelings of poignancy and longing; along with fatalism and injustice. Even within the reservation community, tensions are present between traditionalists and non traditionalists; urban and reservation dwellers; employed and jobless. Yet a close sense of identity surges through the stories like a tide. Even those who leave the reservation are pulled inexorably back.

With a backdrop of wit and bleak humor, Alexie masterfully uses dream sequences, flashbacks, and diary entries. Narratives will seem surreal and random, and then suddenly merge into the same tale. His stories are as deeply moving and lyrical as his poetry. “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” will resonate strongly with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or who wants a glimpse into the world of contemporary reservation life.

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True Grit by Charles Portis

True Grit is a great comic Western, a genre that does not usually include a lot of comedy.  One of the problems I have with Westerns is that they tend to take themselves too seriously.  You might say that there is not much to laugh about in the lawless brutality of the Old West, but there must have occasionally been some funny characters and comic relief.

Mattie Ross is one of those people who takes herself rather seriously, but then she is on a serious mission—to avenge the murder of her father.  No one else in her family can or will undertake the task, but 14-year-old Mattie is more than up to it.  She hires the toughest US marshall she can find—battle-scarred, one-eyed Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn—and together they head for the Indian territory, where Tom Cheney, her father’s murderer, is said to be hiding out.

Crusty old Marshall Cogburn is not happy about having a “kid” along (and a girl at that) and neither is his new sidekick LaBouef of the Texas Rangers, who is on a mission of his own to catch the same man, wanted for the shooting of a Texas senator.  LaBouef and Cogburn try every trick they can think of to shake Mattie off their trail, but she is even more doggedly determined than they are.  Finally, they reluctantly agree to take her along.

Mattie Ross is a tough character, but she recites Scripture and aphorisms like a school marm and turns up her nose at the men’s drinking and uncouth behavior.  However, she is all heart and incredibly brave, though her inability to handle her father’s horse pistol finally lands her in serious trouble.

LaBouef turns out to be nearly as much trouble for Cogburn as Mattie is.  He’s conceited, full of self-importance, and packs a big rifle that blows away whatever game he tries to shoot with it.  Still, Rooster later has good reason to thank LaBouef’s excellent long-range marksmanship.

The action moves swiftly, and there is never a dull moment.  The posse discovers that Chaney has joined up with “Lucky” Ned Pepper, whom Cogburn has tried unsuccessfully to kill on several occasions.  There is a fine line between the lawman and the outlaw, and there is a sense of grudging respect between them.  The climactic battle between Ned and Rooster is one of the highlights of the novel.

The original movie with John Wayne and Kim Darby is one of my favorites.  I have not seen the remake, but I hear it is good.  However, don’t miss reading the novel; it’s got all the great scenes from the original movie but with more insight into the characters.

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Fresh air with Terry Gross Just for Laughs : interviews with 18 stars of comedy.

I really enjoy learning about the art of comedy. It has always been an admirable skill to make someone laugh especially when life is not so funny. When I found this audio download available through my library, I was very happy. This 3-hour audio contains 10-15 minute snippets of past Fresh Air interviews. There is a nice variety of comedians old and new, working in a variety of genres, giving the listener a wide variety of experiences. The compilation includes the following interviewees: Aziz Ansari, Mike Judge, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, Sarah Silverman, Will Ferrell, Denis Leary, Sacha Baron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Mort Sahl, George Carlin, Don Rickles, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Joan Rivers, Steve Martin, Billy West and Woody Allen.

Terry Gross, recipient of the 2003 Edward R. Murrow award, is a fantastic interviewer. The interviews are a very casual experience. I never get the impression that she crams for the interview but draws from her own knowledge as a fan and asks questions that are important and interesting to the listener. She is completely engaging and most importantly, not afraid to laugh.

Although there are many laughs, there are also things to ponder. I love to hear about all the work that goes into being a seemingly effortlessly funny and successful comedian in a chosen genre. Much of what makes people laugh can be controversial. This discussion of controversy was most intriguing and thought provoking. Comedy to me is very raw and sometimes not pretty whether the comedian is taking from his/her own life experiences or holding a mirror up to society.

Also, it is interesting to see comedians out of their element. Guess what? They are people just like you and me. They are not always a laugh-riot which is even more proof that comedy is an art requiring hard work. So if you need a laugh AND like to think, check out this downloable audio book.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first novel of the famous Harry Potter series, became wildly popular, I wondered what all the fuss was about.  Not usually one to hop on the popular bandwagon, I was skeptical at first, but J. K. Rowling grabbed me from the first paragraph.  I avidly followed the fortunes of “The Boy Who Lived” as the series stretched into seven novels.  My daughter and I were so thrilled when each new book came out that we had to get two copies, one for each of us; otherwise, we would sneak into the other’s room in the middle of the night and steal it off the bedside table!

Fortunately for us, as the series came to its breathtaking conclusion, we discovered the audio version narrated by Jim Dale.  Now we could not only enjoy rereading the Harry Potter books, but also hear them read aloud to us on audio.  These fast-paced novels—full of brilliantly envisioned characters, and packed with suspense, pathos, and humor—are a treat to listen to, especially as narrated by Jim Dale.  He has a perfect voice and delivery for this story.  His smooth British accent is clear and easy to understand, with just enough of a clipped, wry expressiveness to it so that you appreciate Rowling’s humor.  These days, whenever I reread a Harry Potter book I hear Jim Dale in my head, because he has done such a good job portraying the characters exactly the way they are described in the books.

My ten-year-old son has become as big a fan as the rest of us, so he and I listen to Harry Potter books while we do chores around the house.  Our family loves to listen to the series while we are stuck in the car on long trips.  How many times have we listened to the whole series?  I’ve lost count.  The satisfying complexity of the story means that we are always figuring out new connections and discussing new insights.

You can get all seven of the Harry Potter books, narrated by Jim Dale, as audio books and also as downloadable audio, so you can listen to it on your home computer or portable device.  When you check out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, be sure you put the rest of the series on hold.  You’ll definitely want to hear them all!

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Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

“I’ve never had much luck with the abstract concepts that make up the study of philosophy. That’s just not how my brain is wired. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t long to understand the basic tenets of existentialism, pragmatism, emotivism, et cetera. This book, which attempts to explain all this and more, using jokes to help clarify them, seemed like it would be worth a try. After all, as the authors explain, philosophical concepts and jokes do have similarities. Both “confound our sense of the way things are, flip our worlds upside down, and ferret out hidden, uncomfortable truths about life. What the philosopher calls an insight, the gagster calls a zinger.”

I discovered that not all philosophy is deep and murky.  The chapters on ethics, the philosophy of religion, and social and political philosophy mostly made sense to me, and were definitely enlivened by the jokes. But I fear that I may never quite grasp metaphysics, relativity or existentialism, no matter how many jokes I’m told.  Here’s one from the metaphysics chapter that illustrates the debate between metaphysicians and non-metaphysicians about infinity:   Two cows are standing in the pasture. One turns to the other and says, “Although pi is usually abbreviated to five numbers, it actually goes on into infinity.” The second cow turns to the first and says, “Moo.”

       The library owns this book in both print and audio versions. For a light introduction to basic philosophical concepts, I highly recommend either version. The audio misses out on the cartoons included in the book, but is narrated by Johnny Heller, who used to be a stand-up comedian, and so is perfect for the job. There is also a website is devoted to this book, complete with videos.

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Redshirts by John Scalzi

Any geek worth his or her salt will know where the title for this book came from. For those of you who aren’t Sci-Fi nerds, it comes from Star Trek and a “redshirt” is a low ranking crew member who accompanies the Captain and other bridge officers on dangerous missions away from the ship. The redshirts almost always die. This concept is so ingrained into Star Trek lore, that J.J. Abrams even included it in his movie re-booting the franchise a few years ago. Here, Scalzi puts his own unique — and hilarious — spin on the idea in his newest* novel. (*Dang it, I wrote this review when the book came out last June, but we’ve had too many hold requests on it for us to promote it on our blog until now.)

Regular readers of this blog may remember what a huge fan I am of John Scalzi, and will note that I have blogged about several of his books before. So, suffice it to say, that I was really, really looking forward to this one! Ensign Andrew Dahl is a recent graduate of Space Fleet Academy and newly assigned to the Universal Union’s flagship vessel Intrepid. He makes a few friends with other new crewmen (and women) while waiting to board the ship and as soon as he’s on board he’s approached by the Chief Science Officer, Q’eeng. Dahl is accompanied to his assigned department (Xenobiology) and on the way Q’eeng asks him if he is interested in participating in away missions. Dahl isn’t necessarily keen to leave the ship on any dangerous missions, but he gets the impression that Q’eeng wants him to agree, so he does. After a few strange incidents in the Xenobiology lab, he and his friends discuss the odd start to their assignments in the mess hall — and they all seem to have noticed some of the same strange things about the U.U. ship Intrepid. Everyone on board, from bridge officers to department heads, to crewmen (and women), behaves VERY strangely about away missions.

Soon, Dahl and some fellow ensigns accompany a couple of Lieutenants to a space station which emitted a distress call to which the Intrepid has responded. The two away teams find themselves in some very deep doo-doo because the machines on board the space station have gone berserk and are killing all the humans. Needless to say, once the survivors have returned to their ship, Ensign Dahl and his crewmates begin to put two and two together about why everyone board is so twitchy about away missions and working directly with the bridge officers.  As the tagline on the front of the book says, “They were expendable … until they started comparing notes.” What follows is a rollicking send up of that old sci-fi show we geeks love, which also has some thought-provoking big ideas – and “meta-ness” – behind it.

If you liked Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide series of books, if you enjoyed the movie Galaxy Quest,  and definitely if you are a Fan of Star Trek (Trekkie or Trekker), you have got to read this new novel by this award-winning author and all around cool guy.

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Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Lynn W.’s Picks

Today’s blog talks about five audio books I’ve enjoyed during 2012. I listen to fiction and memoirs, and if read by the author, all the better. Each year, I stumble onto a children’s book title and find juvenile fiction altogether as engaging as adult fiction, so one is included here. — Lynn W.

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
Carol presents a series of short vignettes from her private and performing life. Some feature her grandmother, Nanny, a real character, who loved show business and the contacts she made through Carol and capitalized on them. There are funny stories, like how her adoration of Jimmy Stewart panned out the first time they met on a set when she got her foot stuck in a pail of whitewash and walked out with it still attached, too tongue-tied to say a word. The author reads this collection, adding to the emotional depth and also the comic moments.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – a Love Story by Ree Drummond
If ever there was a mismatch, it was Ree and Marlboro Man. Ree, a native Oklahoman, went to southern California for college and never looked back towards Tulsa except for holidays. Now in her mid-twenties, home is a pit stop on her way to the big time in Chicago. While there she hits a bar with friends and meets Marlboro Man, a tall, strong, real-life cowboy. Their story, read by the author in her authentic and charming Oklahoma voice, is a true love story. We never learn Marlboro Man’s name, but we sure feel the heat develop between them.

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith
This eighth Isabel Dalhousie mystery set in Edinburgh, Scotland pleases the ear with soft Scottish accents and descriptions of the gray city and green countryside. Isabel Dalhousie, a philosopher, is approached by a visiting Australian philosopher seeking her biological father’s identity. This is the “mystery.” Isabel and her fiancé Jamie are planning their wedding, all the while watching their beautiful son grow from day to day. This series is a leisurely walk through Scotland’s capital, meeting along the way fascinating people and places and everyday concerns.

The Night Train by Clyde Edgerton
Two teenage boys in 1960s small town North Carolina form a friendship over their love of jazz, a relationship not exactly accepted in this segregated community. Dwayne absolutely loves James Brown’s Live at the Apollo album, while Larry Lime is a pianist wanting to learn Thelonious Monk’s style from a jazz musician called the Bleeder. Their story and shenanigans will entertain while showing music is truly one of the ways humans unite and move beyond their differences. This audio is well-read, giving voice to accents and origins with accuracy.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
If your parents disappeared one stormy night and your fishing village neighbors were forced to take you in, how would you feel? Especially if almost everyone is sure your parents were drowned at sea and you are absolutely certain they are merely delayed returning? Primrose Squarp tells her own story; her twelve-year-old point of view of friends (does she have any left?) and neighbors (including Miss Perfidy, who is paid by the town to care for Primrose) is fresh and rings true. Over the months, Primrose rediscovers her uncle, goes into foster care, and begins work on a cookbook while she awaits her parents’ return. This is a delightful mood lifter.

Best ‘New to Us’ Books in 2012: Melissa O.’s Picks

I am what you would call an eclectic reader. I love mystery, science fiction, thrillers, inspirational, and I am an avid nonfiction reader. I also love young adult and even juvenile fiction. So you see my difficulty in describing my reading interests. The good news is this makes it easy for me to make reading suggestions! Here are five of my favorite older books I read or re-read this year. (Yes, I am a re-reader!)  — Melissa O.

Skull Duggery by Aaron Elkins
Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist (think old bones instead of recent murders). When Gideon joins his wife on a trip to Mexico he finds himself reluctantly pulled into yet another murder mystery. And it turns out someone will kill to keep it unsolved! Elkins manages to bring just the right amount of humor into his books, and you get the added bonus of traveling the world with the bone detective as he gets roped into, or manages to trip into, another unsolved crime.

A Spell For Chameleon by Piers Anthony
I discovered this book in high school and it remains my favorite humorous fantasy series. We meet Bink, the only citizen of Xanth with no magic, a tragedy for which he will be exiled. So he sets out to find his magic and just might win the girl of his dreams in the process. This is the first of the Xanth novels and I reread it this year to remind myself why I love these books so much. If you are a fan of puns you will die laughing!

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead
This is the first in the Pendragon Cycle and sets the stage for the next four books. Lawhead expands on the usual Arthurian legends by weaving the mythic city of Atlantis into the tale. Lawhead also skillfully weaves a more prominent Christian message into the novels, but in a way that will not put-off non-Christians. In addition to Taliesin we meet Charis, a bull dancer, and watch their lives come together in one of the greatest love stories I have read recently.

The Sacrifice by Robert Whitlow
When you read Whitlow’s inspirational legal thrillers you can tell he is writing from experience. A practicing attorney for decades, his books are gripping and believable. We also get the added bonus that Whitlow is a local author and sets many of his books, including this one, in North Carolina. Scott Ellis is an attorney who finds himself advising a mock trial team at a high school. Add in a school shooting and you won’t be able to put this book down.

The Loch by Steve Alten
Alten takes the legend of the Loch Ness Monster and twists it on its head while including the right amount of science to keep my inner biologist happy. Zach Wallace returns to Scotland when his estranged father is accused of murder. Unfortunately, Angus’s sole defense is that “something” in the Loch killed his business partner. Zach must solve the mystery even as more bodies continue to pile up. Much sleep was sacrificed as I was sucked into this story!