Crying Over Books

For some reason, Traci-the-librarian and I were talking about books that have made us cry. I told her that there are only two books that have ever brought me to tears: The Last Unicorn (I'm sure you can imagine the massive eye roll that elicited from Traci), and Rumblefish by S.E. Hinton. (Two books I hadn't read since high school.)

Despite the memory of such strong emotion around Rumblefish, I couldn't actually remember what it was about the book that had made me cry. In fact, I couldn't really remember what the story was even about. I figured it might be a good idea to read it again.

So I did. And not only did my eyes remain dry, I didn't even think the book was that good. I wondered if it was really That was Then, This is Now that had made me cry. So I read it. It wasn't. Maybe it was Tex. Nope. Next thing I knew, I'd re-read Hinton's entire catalog. Nothing.

Luckily, there's other great stuff out there to read (even if it doesn't make me cry). Here are some the books I've enjoyed lately:

One More Thing: Stories and More Stories - BJ Novak
Who knew that Ryan the Temp from The Office was also such a strong writer? Not all of the pieces in this collection of short stories are winners, but there are more hits than misses.

Boxers & Saints - Gene Luen Yang
I never thought I'd enjoy a graphic novel about China's 1898 Boxer Revolution, but I loved Boxers & Saints (especially the Boxers half of the collection). Right after I finished it, I moved on to Yang's American Born Chinese, which was also excellent.

The Visible Man - Chuck Klosterman
I love Klosterman's nonfiction, but this very fictional piece really drew me in. I followed this up with Klosterman's nonfiction I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villans, which was only so-so. I'm curious to see where Klosterman's fiction will head next.

Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love & Karaoke - Rob Sheffield
Sheffield's Love is a Mixtape is still near the top of my all-time favs list, so I was very excited to check out his latest book. As someone who doesn't karaoke, I almost gave up on Bright Eyes after the first two chapters. But then Sheffield did what he does. Suddenly, a book about karaoke wasn't really about karaoke anymore. Two thumbs up.

Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile - Nate Jackson
Former Denver Bronco benchwarmer Nate Jackson gives a very behind-the-scenes look at what the NFL is really like for guys who are always on the verge of getting cut from the team.  Infinitely interesting.

Sometimes I Read Books

I just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants. It was a quick, enjoyable read. Much like 30 Rock beyond season two, it often made me smile but never laugh out loud.

I took the book to the ranch with me last weekend. My two nine-year-old nephews looked at the cover and were highly amused.

"That girl's got man arms."

"That's weird! That girl is a man!"

"Wow. Her arms are sooo big."

In other literary news, Traci recommended I read the The Hunger Games years ago. I finally got around to it, and knocked out the entire trilogy in a couple of weeks. I really enjoyed all three of them.

But you don't have to take my word for it...

The Return of the Librarian

Back in the day (after much coercion), Traci would write book reviews for the Manifesto. Though she now withholds her literary opinions from me--and thus you as well--she's sharing them with Murray Library patrons.

Here are a few of her recent reviews on MurrayLibrary.org.

Chains and Forge – Laurie Halse Anderson
Strength in What Remains – Tracy Kidder
29 by Adena Halpern 

October Raves: She's the Man, Hard-Boiled Wonderland, Alternative Press

Movies

Traci and I have only been to one movie in the past year (and that was sub-par Nacho Libre), so we're not really the ones to ask for box office suggestions. However, we do watch a lot of DVDs. We finally got around to watching "She's the Man," starring Amanda Bynes. 

The movie is about Bynes pretending to be a boy so she can play on the men's soccer team to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she's a better soccer player than he is. Of course it's dumb, but Amanda Bynes is hot and David Cross, aka Tobias Funke, plays the high school principal. What more could you ask for? Traci won't admit that she liked it, but I think she secretly did.

Books

Part-time rockstar and full-time librarian Danny Hansen often has book recommendations for me. After reading two crap graphical novels by Daniel Clowes, I was about to refuse Danny's future book tips. However, he really came through with "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami. Staged in a surreal, pseudo futuristic world, this is not my usual read. However, it turned out to be a book I couldn't put down. Much more intellectually challenging than, let's see, the book about the "hip-hop cop" I'm currently reading, I had to spend a good deal of time thinking about the book after I finished it. One thing that did stand out as odd about the book was the translation. Originally written in Japanese, in the English version the main character, who lives in Japan, eats and Denny's and listens to Duran Duran. Now that's surreal.

Magazines

The first time I read Alternative Press I felt like I was reading a magazine produced by seventh graders. However, thanks mostly to MySpace and YouTube, I too have the brain of a seventh grader. Now that I subscribe to the magazine (thanks to my friend RB and BigMags.com) I've come to really enjoy it. What makes it good is that it is written for seventh graders - the writers seem to be just a psyched about the music they're writing about as the kids that are reading it. It always includes tips for kids in bands - what equipment to use, how to tour effectively, how to record an album. Each issues educates as well, giving histories of influential bands in hopes of helping kids understand that My Chemical Romance did not invent rock and roll eyeliner. AP also knows how to avoid editorializing, and thankfully, just sticks writing about music.

The drawbacks are isn't emo esthetic - every issue has at least one band spread with blood seeping from band member's mouths - and it's reviewing scale. Everything, I mean everything, is a rave. If your band only gets 3 out of 5 stars in AP, man, you must really suck. If you want to know what's going on in the niches of emo, screamo, punk, hardcore, or in other words, if you want to read about the bands whose faces you see on lunchboxes at Hot Topic, this magazines is where it's at.

Raves: Traci's Book Recommendations

Everyone knows that I am pretty nerdy and really love books and that I work at the library.  But what everybody doesn’t know is that kids’ books are for grown-ups too!  So here are five kids books that I like that you can read no matter how old you are.

The City of Ember/ The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

I’m not really into futuristic fiction (think Brave New World), but I really liked these books.  The first one, The City of Ember is about a city lit entirely by light bulbs- no sun or moon.  But, the light bulb supply is starting to run out, and nobody really knows what to do.  Two 12-year-olds discover an old map and hope that it will lead them to a place where they can find more supplies.  The sequel, The People of Sparks, tells where the map leads them and what happens to the people of Ember after they arrive in the City of Sparks.  Sounds pretty nerdy, but they are really well written, and they kept my attention.  It’s a real thinker.

Dear Mrs. LaRue- Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague 

This is a really funny picture book about a dog who writes all of these sad, sad letters to his owner, Mrs. LaRue, about how horrible obedience school is.  The thing is, as you are reading these letters, you can see that the school is actually really nice and the dogs are really living it up! At one point, the dogs are sitting in the hot tub being served drinks with little umbrellas in them.  I thought it was pretty funny.

To the Top: The Story of Everest by Stephen Venables

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not really into nature and outdoors and stuff, so a book like this also usually wouldn’t interest me.  But, I had to read it, as it is nominated for a Beehive Book Award and I really thought it was interesting.  It is the history of people who have climbed Mount Everest, written by a guy who actually climbed Mount Everest himself.  And it has really cool photos of frostbitten toes and stuff.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison 

This isn’t really a kids’ book-more like a book for teens-but it is so funny! It’s like Bridget Jones, only in high school.  I think Bridget Jones is very funny, but if you don’t then you probably won’t think this is funny either.  There are now like four books in this series all about the main character, Georgia Nicholson, who lives in England.  England’s pretty funny, right? They talk funny, and use funny words.  If you’re counting, I think I’ve used the word funny like fived times. It’s funny. And it has the word “thongs” in the title--and “snogging.”

Book Review: The United States of Europe, by T.R. Reid

 Beware of Tight Pants, the Europeans are Coming!

I have often said that you when you start listening to talk radio you have officially become your father. In my opinion, cars were made for rockin' out and no time in a car should be wasted on politics, when there is so much music to be listened to.

Unfortunately, I have found that life sometimes sucks you in. It all starts with the nightly news. You start watching the news and then you might want to read the newspaper. You start reading the newspaper and then maybe it seems okay to start listening to NPR on the way to work, instead of "Radio From Hell." Before you know it, you're a regular news and politics junkie and you think the world is going down the drain and there is no hope because the world is run by idiots.

While I am in no way a news geek, I do make an attempt to kind of know what's going on around me. I have had an interest in Europe since living there and have recently been reading The United States of Europe by T.R. Reid hoping to find out why the euro has been pounding the dollar for the past two years.

The European Union has helped more than 20 countries to put aside their many, many differences in efforts to gain their one collective goal - to outdo the United States in every area: economics, social care, science, art, culture. Right now they're doing it.

The United States of Europe was written by an American - to show Americans - that the U.S. is no longer the World's only superpower and what that means to our country and economy. Reid discusses why Europe loves our Gap t-shirts, McDonald's hamburgers and Hollywood celebrities, but hates our government, our ego and our view toward the rest of the world.

To illustrate the shift in economic dominance, here are some of the "American" products owned by European companies:

Product	Owner Country
Dunkin' Donuts	United Kingdom
Jeep	Germany
L.A. Dodgers	United Kingdom
A&W Rootbeer	United Kingdom
Texaco	Netherlands
Power Bar	Switzerland
Holiday Inn	United Kingdom
Verizon	United Kingdom

Maybe we are fighting the wrong devils. Maybe we shouldn't be so worried about the Walmarts and Microsofts that are taking over and destroying America--hey, at least these are America companies determining America's fate. Maybe we should be a bit more worried about the fact that the new capital of the United States is in Brussels, Belgium--the head of the European Union.

Now, this book doesn't make me want to trade in my stars and stripes for a thick turtleneck and tight jeans, but it does make me think that it's time to look at what's going on here in the homeland. If we want to stay strong in the world economy, we need to be humble enough to recognize when other countries do things better than we do. If we continue to think that we're the best at everything we will never improve and we will be left behind.

The United States of Europe is an important read.

Brit (Chic) Lit Recommendations

They may have bad teeth and tried to tax us without representation, but they sure write great stories! Here are some great reads from the Motherland.

Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

There are now four books about everyone's favorite Shopaholic, Becky Bloomwood Brandon. She is like all of your inner-shopping tendencies rolled into one person-- just ignoring credit card payments and justifying purchases through some crazy logic that only makes sense in the realms of the mall.

In the first book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, we meet Becky in all of her debt-laden glory--working at a financial magazine, no less.

In the second book, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Becky moves to the shopping Mecca of New York City with her handsome, dashing, wealthy PR advisor boyfriend, Luke. She enters the world of actually doing something she likes as a job-- shopping, of course. Or rather helping others shop.

In the third book, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, you can pretty much guess what happens. But, by now you know that nothing in Becky's life can happen without lots of complications due to her shopping and shopping-related issues, and her wedding is no exception.

In the most recent book of the series, Shopaholic and Sister, Becky finds out she has a long lost sister. She thinks this means that they will be instant best friends and shopping buddies- wrong!

I think the first two books in the series are the best, and the rest get progressively more silly, (all I have to say is, hiking a mountain in the rain in heels to save your sister, who doesn't need to be saved equals silly) but you have to keep reading them once you've started because it's a series!!

Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella also has another non-Shopaholic book as well, which I loved!! It's called Can You Keep a Secret? It is yet another look at life as a twenty-something career girl in London, and all of the witty humor that goes along with it. If you are crazy (like me) you will probably laugh out loud as you read about Emma Corrigan's life, embarrassing moments and relationships. Unfortunately, I even laughed out loud as I was reading it at the gym, so now I think people at the Murray Rec Center say "There's that crazy girl who laughs out loud on the stationary bike." Oh well. I think this book is worth it.

Girl's Night In by Various Authors

Not everyone who contributed to this short story series is British, but I think the majority of them are, and even the ones who aren't write like they are. You can just skip their stories if you think they are boring, like I did.

Usually, I don't really like short stories, but these are good because they have all of the elements of British Lit in lots of different forms. This book includes short stories by Sophie Kinsella, Anna Maxted, and fsecrSarah Mlynowski (who I had previously tried to read, but I didn't like her stuff, but now because of her short story I will give it another try.)

If you don't like chic lit about relationships and other sappy stuff, stay far away from this book. Every single short story is about some relationship ending, or beginning and everything funny and pathetic that goes along with it! If you are just venturing into this genre of writing, read this first, because it will give you a good idea of what authors to check out next.

And of course, we can't forget the goddess of British Chic lit, Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. I have like nothing in common with Bridget, but reading this book made me laugh so hard- all three times I read it (or listened to it.) This was my first exposure to British Chic lit and is still the best. Although the Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison ( which I previously reviewed) also makes me laugh. It's more for younger chics, though, since the main character is like 14 in the first book, but is still really funny. A warning though- I think the first books in the series are better than the most recent- after a little while, some things are just too annoying.

CHEERIO and Happy Reading!

Raves: My 'Dam Life

My 'Dam Life by Sean Condon

An amusing story of an outsider's view of Amsterdam

Tulips.  Wooden shoes.  Beer.  Prostitutes.  Welcome to the Netherlands.  

In My 'Dam Life, Sean Condon documents his experiences in the Lowlands after his wife Sally is relocated for her job as a magazine editor. Unemployed, Sean goes along for sake of adventure but things get a bit complicated when, shortly after they arrive in Holland, Sally's employer goes bankrupt and she is out of a job.

My 'Dam Life is incredibly funny for anyone who has ever lived in the Netherlands. Condon experiences the general lack of any form of customer service, learns how to eat an open-faced sandwich with a fork and knife, gets his bike stolen, is nearly blown up during the fire work exhibitions of New Year's Eve, and has friends named Jaap the bus driver and Joop! (exclamation point added to show how you say Joop!). 

I laughed out loud during comments about a Dutch doctor asking Sally "Now, which leg was it again?" before he operated on and when the Condon's bought their first door nameplate.  

You don't have to be familiar with the quirks Dutch culture to appreciate this book. Condon tells a great story of struggling to figure out what he wants to do with his life. 

Just as in Australia, he goes through a number of different short-term jobs in Amsterdam. Despite the uncertain circumstances, he is able to have some very interesting experiences including a dinner with Holland's famous "Happy Hooker" and 60 seconds with film director Francis Ford Coppola.

This is a must-read for anyone who has ever lived in Holland and a pretty amusing read for anyone who has tried to chase their dreams and failed miserably.