Book Thirty Five

Well, my aspiration of becoming an official bibliophile will have to wait one more year.  But I'm proud nonetheless that I worked my head around 35 books.  I KNOW that I can hit 50 in 2010!

The last book I finished in 2009 was the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Craziest book title ever but a poignant story.  I love reading about the occupation and World War II and felt pleasantly introduced to the Guernsey Islands and its inhabitants.  My fascination for London is quickly escalating and I would LOVE.  LOVE.  LOVE to travel to Guernsey in person. 

The love story . . . didn't do much for me.  But I enjoyed reading all the letters describing Elizabeth and others who demonstrated great acts of courage.  The author writes in a style that resembles Maeve Binchy.  The characterization and sense of place is spot on.  This was a quick read.  I couldn't necessarily predict the surprises that lay in store and I wanted to read more.

I am happy for Mary Ann Shaffer that she could write such a novel in her golden years.  I won't remember this novel for long but am glad it has been published and will fill library shelves.

Book Thirty Four

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  It had guts.  I thought it would be just another book about a male ego but it was more than meets the eye.  I'm desparately sad about missing this book club as I feel I could gain a lot from the discussion.  Unfortunately, it snowed today and I had a commute from hell.  Somedays, it is awfully hard to appreciate Minnesota.

But, back to the book.  Guterson's writing was very detailed which caused me to detach from the characters initially.  Clearly, John William Barry was depressed and his depression was aggravating as most depressions are.   I found myself more taken with the setting than the characters at the outset.  Guterson writes about the Seattle mountains and environs with great admiration.  I'm not a hiker but I felt as if I was breaking my own trail.  A mix of action and contemplation, this could be a book for both genders.

As the book continued on, it made me think.  Similar in plot but  more developed, this novel seems more ambitious and enhanced than Krakauer's Into The Wild.  It is thoughtful about existentialism and delves further than just the actions of the hermit.  It wonders about nurture and nature and if John William Barry suffered the effects of bad parenting.  It makes you question Neil Countryman's decisions and motives and consider what life might be like if 19 million dollars fell out of the clouds one day into your hands.

This is a novel that I might recommend (to some) and would certainly be on a personal Top 10 list of my own IF it were just a little less verbose OR if I was just a little more male.  Know what I mean?

Book Thirty Three

I've been hearing in blogland (the place I go to check out & simultaneousy be inspired) that Ruth Reichl is the bomb.  And also that the world is now coming to an end with the close of her Gourmet magazine.  I had to find out for myself and read Garlic and Sapphires.  Here, Reichl discusses her reign as the restaurant critic for the New York Times.  The title drew me in but the cover turned me off.  Ick.  I had to strip the book down before I could read it.  And yes, I accidentally ordered large print through Better World Books.  Maybe this is a book I'll read again in thirty years when the eyes are shot and trips to NYC are a distant memory.

That said, the memoir was a tad bit self important and vapid.  And yet, I have to admit that I was hungry reading it.  I have heard of all these executive chefs before: Rocco DiSpirito and Daniel Boulud, for example.  Famous haunts like Le Cirque and Tavern on the Green.  The book was very cosmopolitan and good background reading if you are a fan of the Martha show.  I nearly put Martha back in my Tivo so I could taste the dishes and glimpse the celebrity in person.  I will never eat at Le Cirque (never say never) but I feel as if I have eaten there after finishing this book.

I wonder what Reichl will do next?  What adventures does she have in store for us now?