Women who don’t fit

Posted on April 2, 2004 by Katy K.

Here are two books about women who don’t fit in with the way society tells them to be – one who rejoices to be different, and one who desperately wants to fit in.

Bitch Goddess by Robert Rodi This book chronicles the career of Hollywood B movie icon Viola Chute. She’s had a long and colorful career, involving not only some gloriously bad acting but numerous scandals. Now (1997) she’s decided that it’s time to write her memoirs. But when she fires her ghostwriter, he decides to probe deeper into her secrets to write an unauthorized tell-all biography. Intriguingly, this book is told only through interview transcripts, articles and emails – no two-sided conversations, no narrative text. It’s as enjoyable, and requires not quite so much suspension of disbelief, as one of those notorious B movies.

For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani Anju is dutiful Indian girl, on the Quest for the Perfect Indian Boy. She believes in arranged marriage, and that the boy intended for her has already been born – but how will she find him? Her search takes her from Bombay to New York and even Paris, as chick lit meets traditional Indian culture. One sad note: the best I can say about the audio version is that the narrator was really good at imitating a voice over the phone. Please, just read the book.

And one extra:
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell I talked about this book earlier on the board, and it’s even better now that I’ve finished it. More than just talking enthusiastically about books, “Madame Esme” gets down and dirty with hundreds of ways to have fun with kids, including the appropriate books. Yeah, they’ll probably gain some reading skills in the process – but the focus is on fun, and lots of it.

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Themeless again

Posted on March 22, 2004 by Katy K.

Well, it would be nice if I could read along a theme, but I think I’ll just have to give up on that. Instead we have, as usual, a random assortment of books.

East by Edith Pattou East is based on one of my favorite fairy tales, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” Growing up in rural Norway, Rose was told that she was born facing the east, which meant that her nature was to stay at home. When she discovers that she was actually born facing north, the direction of adventurers, she is both outraged and excited. Then, an enormous white bear offers to save her sister’s life and her family’s fortune if she will come with him. Feeling that she is finally giving in to her true nature, she does. And of course this is only the beginning of the adventure. I loved this book for the strong characters, the narration, switching in first person between characters, the great sense of place and time – and of course, the romance and adventure.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon The book starts off as the narrator, 15-year-old Christopher, discovers his neighbor’s dog dead in her back yard. I’m not particularly interested in dead dogs, so it took a lot of many-starred reviews for me to actually pick up the book. I really enjoyed it. It’s a quirky and insightful look into the life of an autistic boy trying to understand the world around him. I loved his explanations of the world around him – things he likes, things he doesn’t quite get. For example (not a direct quote, as I don’t have the book here) “Chatting is where you talk with another person, but it is not questions and answers. I cannot do chatting.” Or … no, you’ll just have to read the book.

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They’re all recent

Posted on March 14, 2004 by Katy K.

This time, only books I enjoyed. Really. And they’re all recent, though I couldn’t get my hand on Jennifer Crusie’s latest. Otherwise, these books don’t have much in common.

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by R.A. Smith McCall. Here it is, the promised third mystery, this one the second book in its series. It’s another village, though now the village is in Botswana. The story moves along at a relaxing pace. Mma Precious Ramotswe, owner of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, takes some cases and contemplates life. Her assistant, Mma Makutsi, opens a new business, the Kalahari Typing School for Men. The book is full of old-fashioned African wit and common sense, somewhat alien to modern sensibilities: When a rival detective agency opens, there is some discussion of whether male toughness or female attention to detail make for a better detective. There is no argument over the characteristics themselves. Still, I very much enjoyed this book, particularly on CD with the musical African accents brought to life.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy by The Fab Five. You love the show – now there’s the book, too. Each of the Fab Five presents a section on his particular area of expertise – food, grooming, interior design, fashion and culture. The advice is presented with their characteristic humor, plus lots of gorgeous full-page photographs featuring the subjects and the Fab Five. The advice is sound, and brief – perfect for short coverage on these important areas. Of course, highly slanted towards men – but isn’t it about time?

Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie. To be honest, most of my friends would rather be caught dead than caught reading a romance novel. Here’s a book to tempt you. Jennifer Crusie writes hip modern romances that blur the boundary between traditional romance and chick lit, with heroines who have more than fluff in their brains and are not at all inclined to swooning. When Quinn’s long-term live-in boyfriend refuses to let her keep the dog she’s fallen in love with, she realizes that he has always tried to run her life, and she has had enough, both of him and of boring predictability. And why is she just now noticing how hot her best friend Nick is? This fast-paced story has suspense, Fleetwood Mac, and of course, lots of romance and good sex.

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Half Mysteries

Posted on March 11, 2004 by Katy K.

Today, for your enjoyment – two new and highly rated books, and a trio of mysteries.

The New Books

I know, I said I was only going to review books I liked. Well, I can’t say that I loved these books, but they were interesting and got good reviews from other people, so I thought I’d let you know what I think.

Alva and Irva, the Twins Who Saved a City by Edward Carey. Library Journal listed this as one of the best science fiction novels of 2003. Alas, the setting, a fictional European city, is as close as it gets to science fiction. Alva and Irva are painfully socially awkward, unsure even how to relate to each other. To save their own relationship, they decide to make a plasticine model of the entire city, with Alva taking notes on the buildings and Irva making them. When the city is hit by a massive earthquake, this model is the only remaining record of how the city was. The twins are lauded as the saviors of the city. The writer is not French, but lives in Paris, which perhaps accounts for the odd feel of the book, written like an experimental film with odd lighting and film angles, giving ordinary things unusual prominence. Was it enjoyable? The jury is still out. But memorable and thought-provoking, definitely.

Bandbox by Thomas Mallon. This book was billed as a romp through the exciting publishing world of the 1920s. It is that, chronicling the battle between two men’s magazines. The biggest drawback to this otherwise fine book is that the perspective switches from section to section between any one of about 20 main characters. It took me most of the book to remember all of them. Write them down at the beginning, and you should be able to enjoy the book.

The Mysteries

These are all mysteries of the type called “cozy” by librarians – no graphic violence or sex (romance allowed), usually set in a small village, and generally feel-good-at-the-end books. If you liked Agatha Christy, you’re likely to like these.

Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton. This novel is about as comfort-read as it is possible to get, with nary a sharp edge. Down-and-out American Lori Shepherd finds she must spend a month in a cottage in England (all expenses paid), to fulfill the last wishes of Aunt Dimity, previously known to Lori only as a bedtime story. No, no murders or thefts, but this book does feature some friendly ghosts, plenty of romance, and a stuffed pink bunny. This is the first book in the series, which is still on-going, and seems to get only better as it goes on.

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. A mystery classic – this is the first in a series that has been going on for nearly thirty years, and still has legions of fans. Our heroine, Amelia Peabody, is (at this point) a sharp-tongued Victorian spinster, who would rather have her mind than a man, thank you very much. She sets off on a journey to Egypt for some amateur archaeology, taking the waif-like Evelyn under her wing along the way. When somebody – with the audacity to try to look like a mummy – tries to kidnap Evelyn, Miss Peabody sets out to stop the miscreant. I really enjoyed this as a recorded book, where the snap of Miss Peabody’s character comes through especially vividly.

OK, I lied. It was supposed to be a trio of mysteries – I’m still reading the third. I’ll get back to that one.

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Escape

Posted on February 25, 2004 by Katy K.

It’s February here. I guess it’s February everywhere, but here, right now, this is meaning in-between temperatures. Warm enough to melt the snow that I love, leaving green mud and crusty black not-quite melted piles. Not warm enough for flowers or the shedding of winter clothing. Normally I love winter, but this year is just rough. It’s everyone I know depressed, overwhelmed, bones breaking and loved ones dying. Spring will make it better, right?

In the meantime, two books of the escapist variety:

Pirates! by Celia Rees who also wrote Witch Child, which I didn’t like but which was extremely popular. This one, however, is a great romp. Nancy Kington is the daughter of an 18th century Jamaican plantation owner, sent there for the first time after her father’s death. There she meets Minerva, first her slave, then her best friend. They run together from Nancy’s arranged marriage to an Evil Rich Man and Minerva’s Evil Overseer – straight to lives as female pirates! All the necessary elements are here – villains, true love, chases, duels and fabulous jewels. I know, it’s marketed for teens, but you’ll enjoy it too. Really.

Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan-Lori Parks. This is a road novel that starts in the mostly African-American community of Lincoln, Texas. Billy Beede is 15 and pregnant. When she learns that her mother’s grave, rumored to be filled with pearls and diamonds, is about to be paved over, she determines to make the trip to Arizona and dig them up. Her mother’s former lover is determined to stop her. Most of her relatives want a share in the loot. It’s told in first person, with each chapter being narrated by a different character. If you can, I recommend the book on tape – dead Willa Mae Beede’s chapters are nearly all blues songs, which the author sings beautifully in the recorded version.

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Babies – and their Daddies

Posted on February 25, 2004 by Katy K.

Just for the record, I am not pregnant. But yes, someday I do hope to become a mother, and I like to keep an eye out for good books on pregnancy and parenting. Here are a few on the earlier end of the spectrum:

My favorite pregnancy book is How to Have a Baby and Still Live in the Real World by Jane Symons. I find it’s a great mix of medical and practical advice, and assumes that you have some intelligence and a sense of humor. Symons looks at preserving your sanity as well as your baby’s health, and there are great retro illustrations.

The standard, most-stolen-from-libraries book on the topic, first on every other pregnancy book’s bibliography, which I haven’t read, is What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Some people like it; some find the tone a bit condescending (per Amazon). The Tome, which you can get for free from State Farm, is The Mayo Clinic Complete Book of Pregnancy and Baby’s First Year. (I think the password is “good neighbor”, but I’m not sure.) This has all of the medical details, written in doctor’s office pamphlet style. It assumes that you want simple, easy answers to everything, so all directions are black and white: don’t drink any alcohol or herbal teas while pregnant or try to conceive, for example. I find this annoying, personally, but it’s great as a reference.

For Daddies-to-Be, there are two easy-to-find books out there. They are both great in their own way.

First, The Expectant Father by Armin Brott. This is aimed at the Sensitive Involved Daddy, with short section month-by-month on what’s going on with baby and mother, and longer sections on Daddy’s emotional state and things to do to stay involved. I found it a good reminder for me that becoming a daddy is a big deal, too.

If, however, you are female and don’t think your sweetie would sit down to read a book of more than 100 pages on a baby, then the book that you want is My Boys Can Swim by Ian Davis. This book is hilariously funny, and designed to be read in an hour or less. It skips over all that internal development stuff, concentrating on the external things that the dad-to-be will have to deal with himself.

I had a friend looking for books like this for her Spanish-speaking husband. I was unable to find any books specifically for expectant fathers in Spanish (might help if I spoke the language.) But I did find a couple of good general pregnancy and parenting books:

Esperando a mi bebe: Una guia del embarazo para la mujer latina by Lourdes Alcaniz Criticas put this on their best of 2003 list, and it’s been on the Spanish bestseller list as well. It got high marks especially for addressing physiological and cultural issues particular to Latinas, and includes traditional Latin foods in its dietary reccs.

Guia de la salud infantil para padres: Desde el embarazo hasta los 5 anos by Steven Dowshen Again, a starred review in Criticas. This is a translation of Parenting Guide: Child Health from Birth to Age Five. They thought it had good comprehensive advice, reasonably priced (under $20). It seems to deal mostly with the post-birth child.

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Book Reviews – Fantasy

Posted on February 19, 2004 by Katy K.

Some of my friends (hi!) have asked me to post the book reviews I’ve been giving them, so they don’t get lost in the depths of board archives. So, here goes. These are books that I enjoyed reading. Maybe I’ll list a couple of books from my to-read list, too. I’m not planning to do deep critical analysis. Otherwise, please feel free to comment!

To start with, a trio of fantasy books:

Sunshine by Robin McKinley. McKinley is best known for her children’s fantasy, Beauty and The Hero and the Crown, among others. This is her first adult novel, a post-apocalyptic vampire novel starring a baker named Sunshine. Who would have thought that cinnamon rolls and vampires could go together so well?

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Also a first of sorts – Gaiman is best known for the Sandman series of graphic novels, so this is his first regular novel (I admit, a couple years old, but I just got around to it.) It’s an examination of the American spirit, framed around the premise that when people came to America, they brought their old gods with them. Now they’ve stopped believing in them, but the gods are still here, trying to make a living. Shadow, our hero, is released from jail early when his wife is killed in a car crash. On the wrong plane, in the wrong seat, he meets a man called Wednesday who extends his condolences and offers him a job.

In the Forests of Serre by Patricia McKillip. McKillip is a master of fantasy, the only author I know whose magic feels so, well, magical, not just a new set of rules. Prince Ronan has lost his wife and baby and doesn’t care when the Mother of All Witches, who lives in a house of bone somewhere in the forest, puts a curse on him. The Princess Sidonie agreed to marry the broken-hearted prince only to keep his father from invading her country. But it is even worse when she discovers that Ronan is missing, last seen chasing the Firebird through the enchanted forest.

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