Here are a few descriptions/reviews I wrote up about my favorite authors and some of their books. Enjoy!
Barbara Kingsolver - Her characters are so interesting and funny, and usually very witty. She has a huge heart and you can tell she cares about her characters and people in general. The characters often endure excruciating trials, but always come out better for it. After reading one of her books, I feel warm and rewarded and glad I read it. There is usually deep and complex social issues at play, and you can tell she sees the world in a very nuanced way. She herself doesn't seem to have the answers to these issues - she never forces her opinion down her throat - rather, she explores issues through her characters.
Mary Gaitskill - She has an amazing way of describing odd human emotion and experience so sharply and accurately that the reader feels understood. Even if you're not experiencing/haven't experienced the particular emotion/experience she's writing about, you can't help but feel validated by her ability to put into words what every person constantly struggles to put into words. Her characters are always odd, wounded people, who seem to always be searching for something that's out of reach. Her writing leaves me feeling slightly raw and cold, like sitting too long in wet clothing. (Does that make sense? Maybe.)
Wally Lamb - His characters are usually these very complicated men. You want to like them, and you usually do, but sometimes they can be real a-holes. You always end up rooting for them, and watching their emotional growth is so rewarding. Reading I Know This Much Is True got me through a rough patch in my life.
Haruki Murakami - Even though I've only read one of his books (The Windup Bird Chronicle), reading the book made me feel very introspective, calm, and made me yearn for intellectual pursuit, and that in and of itself launched him into my list of top authors. The narrator is this amazingly sharp, thoughtful, calm man, who recounts his story, infused the supernatural and extraordinary, in such a calm, practical, precise and detailed way, that you can't help believing that is exactly what happened. :) Murakami brings 1980's Japan to life, and you feel like you're there, even if you've never been. Cool stuff about early PC's, too.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Bicycle Commute Month
May is Sacramento Region Bike Commute Month!
I registered and pledged to ride a certain number of miles on bikecommutemonth.com. I've been logging my miles there. I ride to work every day because, well, I live so close, and it's much easier than dealing with parking! Also I love to get the exercise, and enjoy the fresh air.
Last Friday, it rained in the afternoon. Riding the 14 blocks home, I saw only two other cyclists - one woman and one man. That makes for a ratio of one man two two women in Sacramento who are hardcore and perseverent enough to ride even when it's raining. (Among my statistically representative sample, you understand).
Yesterday and the day before, rain was forecasted but none actually appeared... save for a thin film of wetness on the streets when I woke up yesterday. It was pretty warm and muggy both Monday and Tuesday. Monday was especially cloudy, and I really thought it would rain, but it never did.
I got my state tax refund this week. I hopped over to City Bicycle Works right after work, under the BEAUTIFUL blue sky and puffy clouds. I picked up a kickstand; a rack for hauling stuff on the back of my bike (forgot what it's called); a new "I ♥ My Bike" bell (DING DING DING!!); and a new side mirror, since I cracked the other one running into a tree last summer. Oops. I cruised over to the Bicycle Kitchen, where I installed my goodies. My bike is totally tricked out now. Hee hee...
On the way home, I got bell-happy and ding-a-linged down P, R, 10th, and other streets. A man in front of the Fox and Goose called out, "Mmm-mmm! Good Humor bars!", and some other cyclists dinged their bells in response from half a block away. I heart my "I ♥ My Bike" bell almost as much as I heart my bike.
Workin'
So, I suppose y'all want to know how I'm enjoying my job?
My first day, I walked in to "Welcome to BWARD (my Division) Heather Woodford" signs, and a pink vase of red tulips at my desk! Everyone keeps telling me how glad they are to have me there. The Division was super understaffed before, and my position was vacant for four months before I started working there, so I can only imagine they're relieved... and not just because my reputation as an amazing person and awesome worker has preceded me. Hee hee...
Well, they're keeping me busy, to be sure. I am the only Executive Secretary in my Division, so there's no one to sit with me and train me, really. I have to be super resourceful and ask lots of questions of the Exec Secs in other Divisions and the Department office. The Division Chief (my bigger boss) has been out ever since my first day, and so the poor Assistant Division Chief has been super stressed. There's been lots of trial by fire for me. I guess I should take it as a compliment that they just throw me in and trust me to figure things out. I have been asking lots of questions... of everyone. :) My co-workers are all super nice and helpful, and avail themselves to me whenever I need them.
I work just across the street from the Capitol Rose Garden, and I LOVE to stroll around the grounds during my breaks (when I remember to take them - SUPER BUSY!) and at lunch. It's amazing the way each variety of rose has its own scent and color. On Monday, the groundskeeper showed me to his favorite bush.
"Isn't that unique?" he asked, showing me to a beautiful hybrid. "It's like nothing you've ever smelled!" He was right - it has a light, clean sort of jasmine-y smell.
Today, I was super pleased to see a man in a suit witha small a briefcase taking time to - well, you know! "Gotta make time for that," I called to him from another bush. "You sure do!"
Cafe Rolle
On Friday evening, L&B and I had dinner with K&J at Cafe Rolle on H Street in East Sacramento. Absolutely exquisite. We sampled everything from salads and appetizers to lentils and sandwiches. The wine was amazing - a crisp, light white and two warm, round reds. We topped everything off with two creme brulees, including their special, the chocolate toffee brulee! Apparently, they will be featured soon on the Food Network. L&B wrote down the date, so we'll be watching for it that night, and I'll try to remember to post a link here.
On Friday night after riding home from work in the rain, I busted out my new pair of Havaianas because I couldn't find my other ones. I started laughing when I realized what I was doing, and had to tell B when I saw her, "You know you're from California when you bust out a new pair of Havaianas because you can't find your 0ther pair, and you don't want to wear any of your other five pairs of flip-flops... and it's RAINING!"
I registered and pledged to ride a certain number of miles on bikecommutemonth.com. I've been logging my miles there. I ride to work every day because, well, I live so close, and it's much easier than dealing with parking! Also I love to get the exercise, and enjoy the fresh air.
Last Friday, it rained in the afternoon. Riding the 14 blocks home, I saw only two other cyclists - one woman and one man. That makes for a ratio of one man two two women in Sacramento who are hardcore and perseverent enough to ride even when it's raining. (Among my statistically representative sample, you understand).
Yesterday and the day before, rain was forecasted but none actually appeared... save for a thin film of wetness on the streets when I woke up yesterday. It was pretty warm and muggy both Monday and Tuesday. Monday was especially cloudy, and I really thought it would rain, but it never did.
I got my state tax refund this week. I hopped over to City Bicycle Works right after work, under the BEAUTIFUL blue sky and puffy clouds. I picked up a kickstand; a rack for hauling stuff on the back of my bike (forgot what it's called); a new "I ♥ My Bike" bell (DING DING DING!!); and a new side mirror, since I cracked the other one running into a tree last summer. Oops. I cruised over to the Bicycle Kitchen, where I installed my goodies. My bike is totally tricked out now. Hee hee...
On the way home, I got bell-happy and ding-a-linged down P, R, 10th, and other streets. A man in front of the Fox and Goose called out, "Mmm-mmm! Good Humor bars!", and some other cyclists dinged their bells in response from half a block away. I heart my "I ♥ My Bike" bell almost as much as I heart my bike.
Workin'
So, I suppose y'all want to know how I'm enjoying my job?
My first day, I walked in to "Welcome to BWARD (my Division) Heather Woodford" signs, and a pink vase of red tulips at my desk! Everyone keeps telling me how glad they are to have me there. The Division was super understaffed before, and my position was vacant for four months before I started working there, so I can only imagine they're relieved... and not just because my reputation as an amazing person and awesome worker has preceded me. Hee hee...
Well, they're keeping me busy, to be sure. I am the only Executive Secretary in my Division, so there's no one to sit with me and train me, really. I have to be super resourceful and ask lots of questions of the Exec Secs in other Divisions and the Department office. The Division Chief (my bigger boss) has been out ever since my first day, and so the poor Assistant Division Chief has been super stressed. There's been lots of trial by fire for me. I guess I should take it as a compliment that they just throw me in and trust me to figure things out. I have been asking lots of questions... of everyone. :) My co-workers are all super nice and helpful, and avail themselves to me whenever I need them.
I work just across the street from the Capitol Rose Garden, and I LOVE to stroll around the grounds during my breaks (when I remember to take them - SUPER BUSY!) and at lunch. It's amazing the way each variety of rose has its own scent and color. On Monday, the groundskeeper showed me to his favorite bush.
"Isn't that unique?" he asked, showing me to a beautiful hybrid. "It's like nothing you've ever smelled!" He was right - it has a light, clean sort of jasmine-y smell.
Today, I was super pleased to see a man in a suit witha small a briefcase taking time to - well, you know! "Gotta make time for that," I called to him from another bush. "You sure do!"
Cafe Rolle
On Friday evening, L&B and I had dinner with K&J at Cafe Rolle on H Street in East Sacramento. Absolutely exquisite. We sampled everything from salads and appetizers to lentils and sandwiches. The wine was amazing - a crisp, light white and two warm, round reds. We topped everything off with two creme brulees, including their special, the chocolate toffee brulee! Apparently, they will be featured soon on the Food Network. L&B wrote down the date, so we'll be watching for it that night, and I'll try to remember to post a link here.
On Friday night after riding home from work in the rain, I busted out my new pair of Havaianas because I couldn't find my other ones. I started laughing when I realized what I was doing, and had to tell B when I saw her, "You know you're from California when you bust out a new pair of Havaianas because you can't find your 0ther pair, and you don't want to wear any of your other five pairs of flip-flops... and it's RAINING!"
Monday, April 13, 2009
Book Review: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
An Unforgettable Main Character
I knew I was reading a good book when I'd find myself wanting to sneak away from people or tasks at hand to curl up with Brady Udall's The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint in a private room. I finished the last pages of the novel in Grants Pass, Oregon a few weeks ago. I was cozily sandwiched between the mattress and layers of colorful comforters J and R had placed in their office for my stay. As Edgar finished his story - typed out completely on his Hermes Jubilee - I felt a wave of bittersweet relief sweep over me. Udall's prose is dazzling but down-to-earth; his characters complex and amusingly idiosyncratic; his similes sumptuous; his bits of descriptive details delightful, like gooey chocolate chips in a warm cookie; and the story an odyssey that makes the reader root for the main character from the first sentence to the very last.
Edgar Mint is deeply troubled, but absolutely charming. Edgar, like me, is a writer, and finds comfort and meaning in words. I found myself wincing and wanting to skip over some parts, as Brady Udall's title character endures violence at the hands of schoolyard bullies, neglect at worst or a twisted kind of self-serving attention at best at the hands of adults all around, and other forms of intense emotional pain. It would stand to reason that this character, abandoned and left to a series of institutions - a hospital, a boarding school for Native American children, and an adoptive family - would act out. And act out he does, as he tries to negotiate a childhood shot through with various difficulties and confusion. In many ways, Edgar has to grow up at much too young an age, whereas in other ways, he remains amusingly unaware of some of the facts of life. The novel had me laughing several times, and close to tears at others.
The incredible circumstances of Edgar's life imbue him with an inadvertant kind of legendary charisma, and this characteristic attracts key people who exert various kinds of lasting influence on his life. At times, Edgar seems to be a mere hapless leaf floating on a frothy, churning river. But at other times, his integrity and other strong personality traits seem to be setting the agenda for his life. When Edgar takes on a purpose for himself, I found myself intensely wanting to see him through in this task, wondering when he'd find the person he is looking for. Edgar's ultimate goal is peace of mind and a sense of belonging. All I'll say is that when he finally reaches his destination, the situation surprises both Edgar and the reader.
The story is stitched together by themes of race relations, multi-culturalism, social and economic class, and the plight of indigenous people. Udall fills the novel with rich details about the conditions of the reservation and boarding school. However, the novel is not at all preachy or overly political, and it lets Edgar's story to speak for itself, allowing the reader to draw her or his own conclusions about the treatment of indigenous Americans.
I'm happy to loan it to any friend who wants to read it next!
I knew I was reading a good book when I'd find myself wanting to sneak away from people or tasks at hand to curl up with Brady Udall's The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint in a private room. I finished the last pages of the novel in Grants Pass, Oregon a few weeks ago. I was cozily sandwiched between the mattress and layers of colorful comforters J and R had placed in their office for my stay. As Edgar finished his story - typed out completely on his Hermes Jubilee - I felt a wave of bittersweet relief sweep over me. Udall's prose is dazzling but down-to-earth; his characters complex and amusingly idiosyncratic; his similes sumptuous; his bits of descriptive details delightful, like gooey chocolate chips in a warm cookie; and the story an odyssey that makes the reader root for the main character from the first sentence to the very last.Edgar Mint is deeply troubled, but absolutely charming. Edgar, like me, is a writer, and finds comfort and meaning in words. I found myself wincing and wanting to skip over some parts, as Brady Udall's title character endures violence at the hands of schoolyard bullies, neglect at worst or a twisted kind of self-serving attention at best at the hands of adults all around, and other forms of intense emotional pain. It would stand to reason that this character, abandoned and left to a series of institutions - a hospital, a boarding school for Native American children, and an adoptive family - would act out. And act out he does, as he tries to negotiate a childhood shot through with various difficulties and confusion. In many ways, Edgar has to grow up at much too young an age, whereas in other ways, he remains amusingly unaware of some of the facts of life. The novel had me laughing several times, and close to tears at others.
The incredible circumstances of Edgar's life imbue him with an inadvertant kind of legendary charisma, and this characteristic attracts key people who exert various kinds of lasting influence on his life. At times, Edgar seems to be a mere hapless leaf floating on a frothy, churning river. But at other times, his integrity and other strong personality traits seem to be setting the agenda for his life. When Edgar takes on a purpose for himself, I found myself intensely wanting to see him through in this task, wondering when he'd find the person he is looking for. Edgar's ultimate goal is peace of mind and a sense of belonging. All I'll say is that when he finally reaches his destination, the situation surprises both Edgar and the reader.
The story is stitched together by themes of race relations, multi-culturalism, social and economic class, and the plight of indigenous people. Udall fills the novel with rich details about the conditions of the reservation and boarding school. However, the novel is not at all preachy or overly political, and it lets Edgar's story to speak for itself, allowing the reader to draw her or his own conclusions about the treatment of indigenous Americans.
I'm happy to loan it to any friend who wants to read it next!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
