Stephanie says

by Claire North Published 2014 I am totally intrigued with books about time travel; this book takes a refreshingly different slant and chronicles the first fifteen lives of Harry August.  The circumstance of his birth is identical each and every life.  It takes a couple lives for Harry to figure out that his life isn't limited to one time as recollection of past lives flood into his consciousness during early childhood.  The tedious down side is having to die, be born, then relive the age from birth to adulthood.  Knowing the outcome of sporting events from prior lives provides easy income from wagering bets so Harry has the resources to follow whatever interests him. He learns there are others such as he, known as "kalachakras," and just goes about learning and living his lives until one day he notices scientific advancements seem to be speeding up.  The chase is on to determine what's happening and how to stop it.  Tension heightens as he realized...

In the original Japanese.      I’d like to say that.   I'd really like to say that.  Unfortunately I am a lazy linguist without knowledge of written Japanese, let alone any other foreign language, believing my inherent right of being an English-speaking American ensures me that every other culture will learn my language and spare me the effort.   It’s worked so far.    My book cover actually looks like this.  In English.  This wasn't always my attitude.  I took the obligatory French in high school with disturbingly poor results.  Why?  Because I could envision myself as a translator.  I'd have been good if only I could learn the language.  Years later I took Conversational Italian with workmates from the Statesman Journal:  Michael Agnese, camera department; John DiMaggio, pressman.  I had a trip to Italia booked and these two were making vacation plans - to the "h...

by George Packer Published 2013 434 Pages This book examines cause and effect of the economic meltdown of recent history through the experiences of a diverse group of people.   It is a disturbing, yet worthwhile read as it explores the financial difficulties of many people from different walks of life, regions of the U.S., socio-economic standing, political party, religious affiliation, education.   Deregulation of banking and the stock market allowed the Robber Barons a comeback.   The almighty corporate profit margin resulted in Industry outsourcing manufacturing jobs abroad, goodbye American jobs. Big box stores enormous purchasing power (goods from abroad) closed the independents and revenues left our communities.   Oil holds us hostage at the gas pump.   The politicians have their hands out, regardless of party. It’s not a rosy picture.   We’re being fattened/poisoned by engineered food.   A parallel between cag...

Bring Up the Bodies Written by Hilary Mantel 407 pages This is a historical novel set in England in 1535 about King Henry VIII’s efforts to rid himself of his wife Anne Boleyn, told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, Secretary to the King. Mantel regales us skillfully in a world of wealth, greed, subterfuge, court intrigue, and absolute power. It’s good to be king. It’s also good to be Thomas Cromwell. Mantel’s Cromwell is a complex man, a master strategist, a collector of intelligence, a man of great loyalties whose purpose is to serve his king. And acquire plenty of personal wealth in the process. Cromwell spins a web of treasonous evidence around Anne and it’s off with her head, (along with her five convicted paramours.) That’s the synopsis. Mantel tells it so well. I enjoyed the book greatly and plan to read "Wolf Hall" the first in the Cromwell series. But it was hard to remember that while fictionalized, these were real people. Maybe it’s the drago...

Written by Laurent Binet Translated from French by Sam Taylor 327 pages An account of the bold assignation of arch-Nazi villain Reinhard Heydrich by Jozef Gabcek and Jan Kubis, a Slovak and a Czech respectively, in 1942. Heydrich aka the “Blond Beast of Prague” reported directly to Himmler, who in turn reported directly to Hitler. Heydrich has the distinction of being the psychopath who devised the “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem" the solution being total annihilation. The telling is unique. Binet chronicles the biography of the assignation interspersed with a narrative of his research and his determined effort not to fictionalize history but stick to the facts in a sort of stream-of-consciousness (for lack of a better description on my part.) I found his technique fascinating. Shades of an espionage novel, Gabcek and Kubis escaped to England from their Hitler-occupied countries to fight in the resistance, and were eventually selected for the assignat...

I bought “The Magician’s Assistant” because the title reminded me of “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” a wonderful vacation read I happily stumbled across, (there is something so intriguing about time travel*.) This was my first Anne Patchett book.   The story was about a recently deceased magician whose wife discovers his unknown family.   She’d believed his family had died long ago. Patchett paints her main characters very one-dimensional initially (read that as dull) then as the story progresses she slowly fleshes out their character and temperament into fully dimensional and likeable characters.   I’ve tried to recall this technique used in other books but haven’t identified one yet.   It’s very effective.   Thumbs up for this one. Then there was “Bel Canto” set in a politically tumultuous tropical country.   It’s the story of a world-renowned opera singer, among others, taken hostage, and the relationship between the captives and cap...

G. Willow Wilson 431 pages This is a tale of Alif whose brilliance in computer hacking attracts the notice of a totalitarian Muslim government determined to capture and/or kill him. Wilson weaves a fast paced story around cultural mores, gender roles, modern technology, unseen worlds, and fabulous folklore creatures within the framework of a thoughtful exploration of Muslim beliefs. Sound somber? It’s not. It was an enjoyable,action-packed adventure that I read in two days. I love it when I find a book I just can’t put down. A definite thumbs up from this audience.

This is where I leave you Jonathon Tropper I just finished this – dark humor at its best – about a family coping after the death of the father. I laughed uproarishly throughout, my dogs kept running to me to share in the fun. It’s sad too; I had to wipe away the occasional tear. I hadn’t heard of the author – but now I have and ordered two earlier books – hope they’re as good. The author’s observations of sexual acts are detailed and snortingly humorous. Fun as sex is, it surely looks as ridiculous to the uninvolved as any barnyard coupling. Remember your astonishment upon learning about the birds and bees? Who among us didn’t see the ick factor and vowed “I’ll never do THAT.” Ah, we were wrong about so many things. The protagonist’s portrayal of his childhood is bittersweet and his depictions of the siblings is wickedly brilliant. Interactions between the sibs and spouses have surprising and often uncomfortable results. I was pleased with the ending – no spoiler h...

Bag of Bones By Stephen King Published 1998 I just finished this book and enjoyed its conversational style. I’ve read so few books by prolific author Stephen King. Why? Because I’m a big scaredy cat and reading spooky stuff is at my peril. I wasn’t allowed to see scary movies as a child, this mandate following my older brother’s watching “The Blob” and having horrendous nightmares for months. There were no such restrictions on scary books although I didn’t read many. I had enough weird dreams where I’d wake in terror and make a torturous dash down the hallway to jump into bed with my parents screaming “Mom!” all the way. At age 18 I read some strange devil worship novel that scared me badly enough that I slept in my mother’s bed, my back to hers so I could watch for the boogey man coming to get me in the wee hours. I (barely) slept in her bed for two weeks. Scaredy, scaredy cat. There were a few ghosty rumblings in the early chapters of “Bag of Bones” that gave me pause. I wondered if ...

The Marriage Plot By Jeffrey Eugenides This is the second book I’ve read by Jeffrey Eugenides. The first was “Middlesex” which alas, I did not finish. Eugenides’ books require serious concentration for me to read. His use of language and extensive vocabulary intrigue me yet make me feel undereducated. Maybe it’s his Ivy League background and I’m a state college type… “The Marriage Plot” set in college is a tale of a woman and two men immersed in a love triangle, told from the perspective of each. One character, Mitchell, studies religious philosophy and provides Eugenides a format to delve into a broad spectrum of religious dogma. A Russian fable from “A Confession” by Tolstoy particularly captured my attention. I have to admit the only Tolstoy I’ve read to-date is “Anna Karenina” which I have not finished. Stuck on page 337 for oh, the last year or so, and just not that interested… Are you sensing a trend here? To paraphrase the fable: A man chased by a monster jumps into a well. He s...

Written by Amy Tan, published in 1996. I’ve read a lot of her novels over the years with great enjoyment; the first I heard of this book was when my friend Steven lent me his copy. My nose was stuck in that book until I finished. Amy Tan is a great storyteller. I enjoy her portrayal of a modern American heroine’s interactions with her Chinese immigrant sister. The characters are fully developed and take on a life of their own. It’s a good read. This novel is about fate and reincarnation, two subjects that enthrall me. Right now I’m particularly intrigued with the concept of fate. BFF Melissa and I have a long-running discussion about fate. She’ll comment about some life event “It it’s meant to be, it will be.” And I’ll counter with “So does that mean you believe in fate?” “No, not necessarily.” “But if you believe what’s meant to be is – well then isn’t that predestination?” “No, not necessarily.” Mind you, I’m merely trying to pin Melissa down on her actual belief, (or perhaps drive h...

Have read the first three chapters - and found this book to be uproariously funny. I've been chortling! Claire Dederer's writing sytle is conversational and breezy.

I lived in Portland in the late 1960s and some of my haunts still stand, like “The Original Pancake House” at the end of the Ross Island Bridge. It seems like my group were pretty much unemployed and we’d hang there eating pancakes, drinking endless cups coffee (free refills) and smoking cigarette after cigarette. Ah, fond memories hack, hack. Restaurant venues in those days were blue collar American: Burger joints; pizzerias; breakfast chains; steak houses; bar food at taverns; one Greek cantina; fish houses; and “Chinese” – mainstream version of Mandarin. Taco Bells were just opening up and Mexican food was new to me and probably most of Portland, it seemed exotic, and I’m talking Taco Bell here. Go ahead and laugh. In the ensuing 40 years good food has made it to Portland and I make it a point to try new places when I visit my daughter. We had some very good Turkish food for cheap, cheap, cheap on my last visit. She taught a course in Thailand a few years back so we’ve been...

So much for my recollection that Julia's husband wrote the following for their wedding anniversary. It's much tamer than I recall! Birthday 1961 O Julia, Julia, cook and nifty wench, Whose unsurpassed quenelles and hot souffles, Whose English, Norse and German, and whose French, Are all beyond my piteous powers to praise -- Whose sweetly rounded bottom and whose legs, Whose gracious face, whose nature temperate, Are only equalled by her scrambled eggs: Accept from me, your ever-loving mate, This acclamation shaped in fourteen lines Whose inner truth belies its outer sight; For never were there foods, nor were there wines Whose flavor equals yours for sheer delight. O luscious dish! O gustatory pleasure! You satisfy my taste buds beyond measure. PAUL CHILD

I watched “Julie & Julia” recently, a movie about Julie Powell, an aspiring writer who starts a blog (in 2002!!! man, I don’t think I’d ever even heard the term then.) about cooking her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” 524 recipes in one year. The film is interspersed with scenes of Child’s life in France learning to cook and is based on her autobiography. It was a sure bet I’d like this film as I am a confirmed foodie - which is how I keep my girlish, whoops, make that matronly figure. That and I’ve admired Julia Child for decades and used to watch her TV show. I recall one particular program where Julia read a poem on air, a wedding anniversary poem actually, written by her husband Paul; they’d been married a very long time by then. The poem’s title is “Julia’s Bottom”. Hearing Julia read this poem was both humorous and unsettling. I didn’t want to consider their sexual attraction. Sort of like thinking about your parents… But now that I’m a ...

I volunteer at the local library one day a week. Sometimes its special projects but frequently I’m in the stacks shelving books and tidying rows. Browsing the many books I handle results in a constant supply of reading material to take home. All sorts of books make the cut. Case in point: Mutant Message Down Under. The book notes say this is a woman’s spiritual odyssey with the Aborigines in Australia. I’ve got a certain fascination with Australia. Have two beautifully illustrated “dreamtime” books with Aboriginal creation myths. Loved “Thornbirds” and “A Town Like Alice”. So I checked out MMDU and brought it home. I enjoyed reading about the Aboriginal telepathy abilities, likened to a cell phone without the phone. Yeah, I liked that. No more phone to keep track of or batteries to charge. There was a bit about well telepathy works with child rearing – i.e., the child’s naughty thought goes out into the ether and then all the adults are looking at the kid, saying “nope” in...

“West with the night” by Beryl Markham, published 1942 This is a fascinating biography of growing up in British East Africa, now Kenya, at the turn of the 19th century. At age four, she and her father moved to a farm in 1906 where he trained and bred race horses. Ms. Markham carried on the family tradition before becoming a pilot in the 1930s. I’m reading along, enjoying her tomboy exploits on the Dark Continent, when I come across a reference to Lord Delamere. Now why do I know that name? The names keep dropping, “Blix” the Baron Bror von Blixen, Denys Finch Hatton, Isak Dinesen. Oh I get it, “Out of Africa”. I loved the movie and the book although the people didn’t seem real. Yet somehow the connections in this book made all these people alive to me. Gees, they’re all out there hunting big game and racing horses and they all know each other. Baron von Blixen was a great white hunter, who led safaris in search of big game. That got me to wondering if he and Gus Peret were acq...