In case anyone is still working on our blog, I thought I'd let you know I'm still alive, with bionic knees (matching, in pure titanium) and I have read so much the past year I'll have to go into regression hypnosis to remember them all.
The Tucson Festival of Books was an inspiration to us all! The writers who made presentations gave great insights into their work and I'm inspired with a whole new list of wonderful books to read in addition to the desire to write a mystery series myself.
Hugs, ladies!
Michaele
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friendship, Religion, Family
I read 2 books while we were camping over the New Year Holiday. What fun to be able to just lay around and read all day. I don't think I've done that for about 20 years (hmm coincides with birth of first son).
Several months ago my neighbors were cleaning their garage and I was being neighborly and chatting to keep them from their work. I spied boxes of books and who can resist? Karen said, "Take any you want. Please!" (and probably thought, and then go back in your house so we can get this done) I picked a few and deposited them on the night table where i eventually get back to them.
The first I read was The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart. The story follows 2 girls who become fast friends at the age of fourteen, that friendship that you are sure will last forever, that no one can put asunder. But we find that people, time and events can change anything and the friendship falls apart, mostly due to a man. But the characters are so finely drawn with a real complexity to the story that, like in real life, we realize the man is not the only reason. We all carry around ideas about who we are, who we want to be, truth, love, friendship and when those are challenged or found lacking, we must redefine our thoughts and sometimes ourselves.
This book has stayed with me-the questions about what is love? what is friendship? what is family? I'd like to read another by this author.
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds was an Oprah Book pick way back in 1997! This book was very pertinent to the discussions we've been having about religion. I've linked to the wikipedia description of the book which sounds a bit goofy but it's actually much better presented in the book. It does give insight into the cult factor of religious fanatics of any ilk. My view remains, it all depends on one's level of fear of the afterlife and who is interpreting doctrine.
This was not nearly as complex as the Stewart book but was a good read, I zipped through it in about 8 hours. The high point of the story for me was the central characters journey to becoming an artist and how her art was literally a part of her.
Today I'm suffering the beginning of a lousy cold but that gives me the excuse to lay around and read more. I'm reading the new David Sedaris book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and I'm still on the search for The Green Mile.
Several months ago my neighbors were cleaning their garage and I was being neighborly and chatting to keep them from their work. I spied boxes of books and who can resist? Karen said, "Take any you want. Please!" (and probably thought, and then go back in your house so we can get this done) I picked a few and deposited them on the night table where i eventually get back to them.
The first I read was The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart. The story follows 2 girls who become fast friends at the age of fourteen, that friendship that you are sure will last forever, that no one can put asunder. But we find that people, time and events can change anything and the friendship falls apart, mostly due to a man. But the characters are so finely drawn with a real complexity to the story that, like in real life, we realize the man is not the only reason. We all carry around ideas about who we are, who we want to be, truth, love, friendship and when those are challenged or found lacking, we must redefine our thoughts and sometimes ourselves.
This book has stayed with me-the questions about what is love? what is friendship? what is family? I'd like to read another by this author.
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds was an Oprah Book pick way back in 1997! This book was very pertinent to the discussions we've been having about religion. I've linked to the wikipedia description of the book which sounds a bit goofy but it's actually much better presented in the book. It does give insight into the cult factor of religious fanatics of any ilk. My view remains, it all depends on one's level of fear of the afterlife and who is interpreting doctrine.
This was not nearly as complex as the Stewart book but was a good read, I zipped through it in about 8 hours. The high point of the story for me was the central characters journey to becoming an artist and how her art was literally a part of her.
Today I'm suffering the beginning of a lousy cold but that gives me the excuse to lay around and read more. I'm reading the new David Sedaris book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and I'm still on the search for The Green Mile.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Twofer
I’ve just finished two books.
The first is called The Airmen and the Headhunters by Judith Heimann. She’s a career diplomat who picked up on the true story of how several downed WWII airmen (navy and air force)survived when their planes went down over the inner island jungles of Borneo. The good news was that the interior wasn't as thick with Japanese troops as the edges of Borneo. The bad news was that the interior was known to be inhabited by fearsome indigenous peoples. The jacket cover says, “Would the tribesmen turn the starving airmen over to the hostile Japanese occupiers? Or would the Dayaks risk vicious reprisals to get the airmen safely home? The tribal leaders’ unprecedented decision led to a desperate game of hide-and-seek and, ultimately, to the return of a long-renounced ritual: the triumphant and bloody taking of heads.”
I found it a fascinating examination and fastidiously researched by a woman who spent many years in that part of Asia. By the time she picked up on the story many of the involved had died…but it’s a wonderfully detailed description of the many months the Americans spent there, the grace and bravery of their hosts, and a bygone era in terms of American and Bornean (?) cultures.
The second story is Mary Tillman’s “tribute” to her son Pat in Boots on the Ground by Dusk. This was on the hurry-up-and-read shelf at the library, so I imagine it’s just come out. She is incredibly angry, and there is a lot to be angry about. I was aware of the basics: Pat Tillman football star (and ASU alum) leaves the NFL to enlist (ay yi yi!) in the Army, was shot and killed in a fratricide incident in Afghanistan. The book switches gracefully from the story of how she investigates her son’s death and flashbacks to his childhood. The beginning is full of wonderful memories of his baby days and growing up. I didn’t remember that he and his brother enlisted together, and I don’t think I was aware that they served in the same unit, even the same platoon! Anyway, Pat certainly was a remarkable young man and his death is shameful.
The family wasn’t told for many weeks that his death was due to fratricide, and then as they learned more details they had more questions. At this point I guess the family has forced two congressional hearings in addition to two formal “big” Army investigations (CID & another) (which were in addition to the local unit’s own investigations) and Mary is still furious that she hasn’t gotten answers/the truth/justice/I’m not sure what? She includes a great deal of detail and studies of documents—she certainly has become an expert on the event as much as anybody could. There are glaring errors in judgment and operation –things like his platoon getting separated causing a disruption in communications that meant one element didn’t realize the rest of the platoon was just beyond and so they were shooting at their brothers, and his body and uniform weren’t processed properly for autopsy or investigation. The idea that the Army was trying to formally investigate and discover details before letting the news go to the family seems reasonable to me, especially given that Pat’s brother was actually present at the scene. Still I would opt for much more transparency in this age of immediate information transfer. I sure hope the Army has at least learned that lesson. Apparently the family didn’t like President Bush or this war well before Pat enlisted, and she rails against this administration and thinks there is responsibility for covering up details about Pat’s death all the way up to General Abizaid and the White House. One of the documents describes an involved officer objecting to the general performing the fourth or fifth investigation saying, “look, it’s awful. How many times are we gonna have to drag our troops through this process?” and I have to sympathize. I don’t think soldiers “get over” having killed their own buddy—and it’s hard for a mother to recognize the intensity of the love in a brotherhood like that. I also don’t think it’s surprising that over three years and several repeated investigations there were many discrepancies and changes in details. The congressional hearings turned into a partisan debacle---ugh. She also left an omission in the tale—Bush has personally written every single family of the 4000 plus lost Americans and called and met many of them. She does talk about her conversations with some people--Schwarzenegger and McCain attended and spoke at Pat’s memorial service-- yet she never mentions contact from the White House.
In the end I feel for her, and think what she’s done to push for truth is amazing, but I also think she’s mired in the anger phase of grief. Pat should not have died in that manner, but what else besides more transparency can a mother or the American public demand?
So this book has hit a nerve with me, and been quite thought-provoking. Do I have the right to say somebody’s stuck in the grief stage? How would this compare to a sentinel event at the hospital? Why do I think that her stance on politics has made it harder for her? (never mind religion, that comes up in a painful manner) The contrast between the two stories also resonates with me---why do I think Americans are more likely to demand answers and make a scene in today’s generation than in WWII, and where do I rank that phenomenon on a good-to-bad scale? Why am I having such a hard time separating the political stereotypes from what I’m reading? It disturbs me that the stereotypical conservative supposedly doesn’t value an indigenous culture like the Dayaks, for example, and Mary Tillman’s Bush-hating stance colors my perspective of her perspective—at some point I felt my heart hardening toward her bitterness and I think it’s because I don’t have the moral objection to the war that she does.
This is heavy stuff, I would love to discuss this sometime…
Olga
The first is called The Airmen and the Headhunters by Judith Heimann. She’s a career diplomat who picked up on the true story of how several downed WWII airmen (navy and air force)survived when their planes went down over the inner island jungles of Borneo. The good news was that the interior wasn't as thick with Japanese troops as the edges of Borneo. The bad news was that the interior was known to be inhabited by fearsome indigenous peoples. The jacket cover says, “Would the tribesmen turn the starving airmen over to the hostile Japanese occupiers? Or would the Dayaks risk vicious reprisals to get the airmen safely home? The tribal leaders’ unprecedented decision led to a desperate game of hide-and-seek and, ultimately, to the return of a long-renounced ritual: the triumphant and bloody taking of heads.”
I found it a fascinating examination and fastidiously researched by a woman who spent many years in that part of Asia. By the time she picked up on the story many of the involved had died…but it’s a wonderfully detailed description of the many months the Americans spent there, the grace and bravery of their hosts, and a bygone era in terms of American and Bornean (?) cultures.
The second story is Mary Tillman’s “tribute” to her son Pat in Boots on the Ground by Dusk. This was on the hurry-up-and-read shelf at the library, so I imagine it’s just come out. She is incredibly angry, and there is a lot to be angry about. I was aware of the basics: Pat Tillman football star (and ASU alum) leaves the NFL to enlist (ay yi yi!) in the Army, was shot and killed in a fratricide incident in Afghanistan. The book switches gracefully from the story of how she investigates her son’s death and flashbacks to his childhood. The beginning is full of wonderful memories of his baby days and growing up. I didn’t remember that he and his brother enlisted together, and I don’t think I was aware that they served in the same unit, even the same platoon! Anyway, Pat certainly was a remarkable young man and his death is shameful.
The family wasn’t told for many weeks that his death was due to fratricide, and then as they learned more details they had more questions. At this point I guess the family has forced two congressional hearings in addition to two formal “big” Army investigations (CID & another) (which were in addition to the local unit’s own investigations) and Mary is still furious that she hasn’t gotten answers/the truth/justice/I’m not sure what? She includes a great deal of detail and studies of documents—she certainly has become an expert on the event as much as anybody could. There are glaring errors in judgment and operation –things like his platoon getting separated causing a disruption in communications that meant one element didn’t realize the rest of the platoon was just beyond and so they were shooting at their brothers, and his body and uniform weren’t processed properly for autopsy or investigation. The idea that the Army was trying to formally investigate and discover details before letting the news go to the family seems reasonable to me, especially given that Pat’s brother was actually present at the scene. Still I would opt for much more transparency in this age of immediate information transfer. I sure hope the Army has at least learned that lesson. Apparently the family didn’t like President Bush or this war well before Pat enlisted, and she rails against this administration and thinks there is responsibility for covering up details about Pat’s death all the way up to General Abizaid and the White House. One of the documents describes an involved officer objecting to the general performing the fourth or fifth investigation saying, “look, it’s awful. How many times are we gonna have to drag our troops through this process?” and I have to sympathize. I don’t think soldiers “get over” having killed their own buddy—and it’s hard for a mother to recognize the intensity of the love in a brotherhood like that. I also don’t think it’s surprising that over three years and several repeated investigations there were many discrepancies and changes in details. The congressional hearings turned into a partisan debacle---ugh. She also left an omission in the tale—Bush has personally written every single family of the 4000 plus lost Americans and called and met many of them. She does talk about her conversations with some people--Schwarzenegger and McCain attended and spoke at Pat’s memorial service-- yet she never mentions contact from the White House.
In the end I feel for her, and think what she’s done to push for truth is amazing, but I also think she’s mired in the anger phase of grief. Pat should not have died in that manner, but what else besides more transparency can a mother or the American public demand?
So this book has hit a nerve with me, and been quite thought-provoking. Do I have the right to say somebody’s stuck in the grief stage? How would this compare to a sentinel event at the hospital? Why do I think that her stance on politics has made it harder for her? (never mind religion, that comes up in a painful manner) The contrast between the two stories also resonates with me---why do I think Americans are more likely to demand answers and make a scene in today’s generation than in WWII, and where do I rank that phenomenon on a good-to-bad scale? Why am I having such a hard time separating the political stereotypes from what I’m reading? It disturbs me that the stereotypical conservative supposedly doesn’t value an indigenous culture like the Dayaks, for example, and Mary Tillman’s Bush-hating stance colors my perspective of her perspective—at some point I felt my heart hardening toward her bitterness and I think it’s because I don’t have the moral objection to the war that she does.
This is heavy stuff, I would love to discuss this sometime…
Olga
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wildfire by Nelson DeMille
Shayne loved it. Me, not so much. Man, am I picky or what?
Very witty and funny, but could've been about 300 pages shorter. Too much cat-and-mouse, to the point of being more implausible than the story itself.
Story line is based on an assumed standing government order for nuclear attack response, and a powerful, rich man taking on himself to launch a nuclear attack inside the United States in order to trigger the United States' automatic response - made without Presidential approval - which spells out large scale bombing of the Muslim World and a reset of world order. Story is told from the perspective of the NYPD detective who cracks the mystery and averts disaster...
The overall possibility is thought provoking and the hilarous banter between the detective and his FBI wife hits close to home...
Very witty and funny, but could've been about 300 pages shorter. Too much cat-and-mouse, to the point of being more implausible than the story itself.
Story line is based on an assumed standing government order for nuclear attack response, and a powerful, rich man taking on himself to launch a nuclear attack inside the United States in order to trigger the United States' automatic response - made without Presidential approval - which spells out large scale bombing of the Muslim World and a reset of world order. Story is told from the perspective of the NYPD detective who cracks the mystery and averts disaster...
The overall possibility is thought provoking and the hilarous banter between the detective and his FBI wife hits close to home...
Walkabout - Still on for January 3rd?
Are we still on for January 3rd? I can do the 4th, too, if eeryone else can & we need to move it. Lemme know! ~ Robinowitz
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I Forgot a Good One
Olga, I love your most varied list! I would hate it my friends only read one genre.
The one I forgot-A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. On New Years Eve four strangers meet at the top of a London building known as a suicide spot. They all have their reasons for being there. The book follows their travels and travails as they look for meaning outside themselves. Hornby is an author who can put a humorous twist on even the darkest subjects and he always makes me think.
I heard the rerun of a show with the author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle on Diane Rehm yesterday. I also heard the him on Whad'Ya Know a while back and he sounds interesting. Has anyone read the book? We won't hold the fact that it's an Oprah pick against it. Hey, here's an idea. Why not make this our first group read and we can discuss it when Robin picks the day for our WalkTalkCoffee?
ED. to add-great minds think alike-Robin and I simultaneously posting!
~Judy
The one I forgot-A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. On New Years Eve four strangers meet at the top of a London building known as a suicide spot. They all have their reasons for being there. The book follows their travels and travails as they look for meaning outside themselves. Hornby is an author who can put a humorous twist on even the darkest subjects and he always makes me think.
I heard the rerun of a show with the author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle on Diane Rehm yesterday. I also heard the him on Whad'Ya Know a while back and he sounds interesting. Has anyone read the book? We won't hold the fact that it's an Oprah pick against it. Hey, here's an idea. Why not make this our first group read and we can discuss it when Robin picks the day for our WalkTalkCoffee?
ED. to add-great minds think alike-Robin and I simultaneously posting!
~Judy
Walkabout - Reid Park - January 3rd
I'll be parked behind Einstein Bros. on Broadway & Alvernon at 0730 on Saturday, January 3rd. Bring your walking shoes and a couple of unmarked bills for coffee & bagels...the passcode is "Feliz Nuevo Ano."
Shall we begin our "asynchronous group reading exercise culminating in synchronous discussion" (note I didn 't say Book Club, either!) in February or March, but come with ideas for which book to choose on January 3rd?
Oh...bring three copies of a tried-and-true wintertime recipe you would like to share.
~ Robin
Shall we begin our "asynchronous group reading exercise culminating in synchronous discussion" (note I didn 't say Book Club, either!) in February or March, but come with ideas for which book to choose on January 3rd?
Oh...bring three copies of a tried-and-true wintertime recipe you would like to share.
~ Robin
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