Soloist Wednesday, Dec 9 2009

Salzman, Mark. The Soloist. New York: Random House, 1994.

I hated to put this book down. I started off reading it at the same time as two other books (which shall remain nameless), but soon I found myself favoring The Soloist over the other two. Which, when you think about it, isn’t a very smart move because when I finished The Soloist I was left with the lesser liked books.
Lesson learned. There is a reason why dessert is served at the end of the meal – save the best for last. It tastes sweeter that way. That goes for books as well, especially The Soloist. I can’t wait to read Salzman’s other books.

In a nutshell The Soloist is about a man who is struggling with who he was as a child in relation to who he has become as an adult. As a child Renne Sundheimer was a prodigy who mastered the cello and thrilled audiences world-wide. As an adult, having mysteriously lost his talent, Renne has become a cello teacher for a university in Southern California. His life revolves around the music he used to make until two completely different events happen. First, Renne is summoned to jury duty where he hears a case involving a murdered Buddhist monk. Second, Renne finds himself the tutor of another cello prodigy, a nine-year old Korean boy. In both situations Renne started out an unwilling participant. He was convinced he didn’t want to serve on a jury and planned to profess an undue hardship. He was also convinced he didn’t want to give private lessons to an introverted Korean boy. In both cases he fails to extract himself from involvement and ultimately ends up changing his life.

Favorite lines: “Human beings are primates, and primates weren’t designed to tie themselves up into knots and hold still (p 99). I’m not sure how my yoga friends would take to this comment, but I found it funny.
And the last lines of the book are perfect, “I don’t think about the past as much as I used to, and I hardly ever think further than a semester ahead. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, though. I’m starting to think that the larger picture is overrated” (p 284). Precisely.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Mark Salzman: Too Good to Miss” (p 194).

Off topic comment: When Pearl introduces Salzman in her second Lust book she mentions not going to readings given by authors she likes. She is always afraid of not liking the person behind the words, or thinking of the author’s voice when reading his or her newest offering. I’m like that with music. Once I see the musician I can’t get their image out of my head and sometimes, often, it skews the music.

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Caddie Woodlawn Tuesday, Nov 3 2009

Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 1973.

Thanks to Phish and a midnight show I was able to read this in one night (my other November books hadn’t arrived yet). While Kisa listened to a live show from California I was nose-in-book for a few hours. This was cute and completely reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Caddie Woodlawn is the quasi-true story about Caroline “Caddie” Woodlawn. I say quasi because Brink got her stories from her grandmother and she changed some of the details for the sake of the plot. Caddie is Brink’s grandmother (with a slight name change). As an impetuous, spunky tomboy, Caddie would rather run wild with her two oldest brothers rather than stay home and cook and sew with her more demure sisters. The whole book is about Caddie’s struggle to balance wanting to be a good girl while being a natural wild child.
The year is 1864 and the Civil War is raging to an end in the East while a different prejudice is infiltrating the midwest. The conflict between Native American Indians and the white man who invaded their territory is being fueled by ignorance, rumors and fear. Caddie is eleven years old and coming of age at a time when the country is doing the same thing.

Favorite line, “She whipped out her ruler, and laid it sharply across that section of Obediah’s person on which he was accustomed to sit” (p 68). 

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the introduction (p x).

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Fine and Private Place Friday, Oct 9 2009

Beagle, Peter. A Fine and Private Place. New York: Viking, 1960.

For starters I have to say I love first novels. It’s that “dammit, im gonna do it” book. That leaping off point of either ‘no return and so I write’, or ‘that failed so I go back to whatever it was I had been doing before I put pen to paper’ (or whatever method they use these days). In Peter Beagle’s case I think A Fine and Private Place was a huge success.

A Fine and Private Place is haunted yet humorous. It takes place in a cemetery with a talking black bird (a sarcastic one at that) and a homeless man as its residents. The dead have issues with remembering yet have no problem complaining to the living man lurking in their midst. That man would be Mr. Rebeck, the one time druggist who now spends his days (and nights) in the New York cemetery. In fact, he hasn’t left the grounds in nearly twenty years. A Fine and Private Place  delves into what it means to have a soul, even if it gets lost from time to time. It’s the story of different relationships struggling to make it despite the differences. Throughout the story there are minor mysteries. Why, for example, is Mr. Rebeck living in the cemetery? Did Michael Malone’s wife really murder him? And, what’s with the talking bird? Don’t expect a lot of action from A Fine and Private Place. The majority of the story is filled with introspective musings and the plot is centered on character development and how those characters interact with one another.

Two of my favorite lines, “He had begun to tell her about the raven when he realized that Mrs. Kapper’s credulity had been stretched as far as it would go and would snap back at the slightest mention of a profane black bird bringing him food” (p 145), and “He hastily subpoenaed a sleepy smile” (p 158).

BookLust Twist: Perfect for Halloween, although it wasn’t scary - from More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Gallivanting in the Graveyard” (p 96).

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June (2009) was… Tuesday, Jun 30 2009

June was an amazingly quiet yet unsettling month. I think I needed it –  all of it. I know I wanted it – depression and all. Lots and lots of reading married with work on the house (we started painting!), a lot of work at work, a little music (Rebecca’s cd release party was fun, fun, fun! Can’t wait for the Iron Horse next month!), a small charity walk (Hike for Mike, which I still need to write about)…June was mostly about staying hermitage.
Here are the books:

• Slow Dancing on Dinosaur Bones by Lana Witt ~ an interesting book about small town life.
• And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts ~ the most amazing journalism on the AIDS epidemic
• Don’t Look Back by Karin Fossum ~ a murder thriller set in Norway
• Before the Deluge by Deidre Chethem ~ a nonfiction about the Yangtze river
• Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers ~ three stories centered around a photograph.
• A Bigamist’s Daughter by Alice McDermott ~ In honor of Alice’s birth month…a story about how things aren’t always what they seem.
• The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun ~ In honor of National Cat Month…okay, so the cats don’t solve the mystery, but they are funny!
• The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan ~ in honor of McEwan’s birth month (childrens book)
• The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan~ In honor of McEwan’s birth month (adult – verrry adult book)!
• This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff~ in honor of National Writing Month (families). I’ll be reading Tobias’s brother’s memoir next June.
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain ~ I had forgotten how great this classic is!
• Lving High: an Unconventional Autobiography by June Burn ~ Homesteading on an island off Puget Sound.

For the Early Review Program:

• Beyond Road’s End: Living Free in Alaska by Janice Schofield Eaton ~ a memoir abotu running away to Alaska.

For the fun of it:

• The Morning Star in Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated by Nick Bantock. Everyone knows I love Nick Bantock. His books are sensual and fascinating. I am drawn to them all the time.

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StoneWalled Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

I hate how he protects me. He thinks I’m the weak one, the sensitive one, the one who will snap under any hint of pressure. He doesn’t tell me things because he thinks I can’t handle a single word of the sentences he refuses to say. I will instantaneously disintegrate; fall apart at the seams. Come undone and crack at the slightest sign of pressure. He makes himself out to be the martyr of misery, yet hides what’s really going on. Something’s missing. Something is definitely wrong. He drives me crazy with his secrecy and silliness. She and me, we talk about it and him. We try to devise a plan to crash this stone wall facade. Maybe there is truth to strength in numbers. I’m not really sure. I’m just tired of being shut out. I won’t shut up until he shows up.

On the Just ‘Cause 60 mile Walk for Breast Cancer I saw miles and miles of stone walls. The kind of crumbling structures that seem hundreds of years old. Old stones balanced perfectly. Able to withstand gale force winds and blowing blizzards. Ancient and mysterious. Did they mark farmlands? Boundaries to be honored? Keep you out or keep me in? They reminded me of you, stubborn and closed off. They were beautiful and solid, standing with purpose and secrecy. Just like you.

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May (2009) was… Tuesday, Jun 2 2009

May was a combination of heaven and hell. May was a Mother’s Day without my mother. May was walking 60 miles and having my mother at the finish line. May was a trip homehome and almost too much time with my mother. The good and the bad. As much as we love each other there is only so much mother-daughter time we can bestow on one another.
My favorite moments of the month were learning gardening tips from mom (hello! I’m brand new to everything about it), and talking to strangers about the Just ‘Cause walk.  Here’s what I managed to read:

• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ~ a touching, tragic story about one teenager’s horrible secret.
• Off Keck Road by Mona Simpson ~ not my favorite – very bland.
• Bordeaux by Soledad Puertolas ~ a really lonesome story based in Bordeaux, France.
• Where the Pavement Ends: One Woman’s Bicycle Trip Through Mongolia, China and Vietnam by Erika Warmbrunn~ this was probably my favorite out of everything I read this month.
• Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser ~ Fraser’s recollections of the war in Burma as a 19 year old.
• Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurty ~ something I picked up completely by accident, a year early!

For LibraryThing and the Early Review Program:

• Lucky Girl by Mei-Ling Hopgood ~ this was such a pleasure to read I plan to reread it once it has been published.

I didn’t get to The Victorians by A.N. Wilson. It sat on the desk in my office for the entire month. I think I looked at the pictures.

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Gone Again Wednesday, May 20 2009

I have been gone for four days on a crazy 60 mile breast cancer walk – probably one of the best experiences of my (charity) life! And to think that 100% – I’ll say it again – 100% of YOUR donations went to Just ‘Cause!  No overhead, no “program” fees, no maintenance fees. Nothing like that. I am truly impressed.

But, anyway. I would love to write and write and write about all my experiences – the good (meeting absolutely fantastic people) and the ugly (walking with a chest cold and ending up with a sprained ankle), but I’m on my way HomeHome! Monhegan bound! My sanity needs me there.

So, when I get back I will write like a mad woman. I’ll also start fund raising (for real) for the Hike for Mike I’m doing in June. Those of you who donated to Just ‘Cause will not hear from me until the NEXT Just ‘Cause walk! xoxox

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Dock of the Bay Friday, Jun 27 2008

I was going to call this Good To Get Away, but I could have also called it Chicago Knows Best and quote something from “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” Because, as the songs says, everyone needs a little time away. Taking a break can be a good thing. Really.

It happened just like this: I sat in a gorgeous restaurant “with an Asian soul”, a drink at my elbow, a spectacular sunset to my left and a great conversation in front of me. Kisa to my right; soft music surrounding me. The menu tempting me in every direction.
Soon an amazing plate of seared tuna on a bed of jasmine rice and covered with citrus salsa was placed before me. Orchids for garnish. When I took my first bite I realized I was in a self imposed heaven of sorts. I hadn’t thought about work in 24 hours. I hadn’t stressed about someone else’s life. For once. I wasn’t missing anyone who didn’t want to be missed.
A waiter silently filled my glass and the shadows grew into darkness. Laughter was all around us. Conversations were casual and came easily in the candlelight. This was my first moment to breathe since the new job and suddenly I was sighing with contentment. We bantered over dessert. I ordered something chocolate and dangerous. I even think I laughed about it. I know I smiled when I tasted it.

Here’s the thing. I no longer respect the martyr; that person who puts in the long hours and moans about their job just the same. By taking a break from work I appreciate where I am all that much more. I learned that sitting by the dock of the bay, just for a night, can be the healthiest thing for your work ethic.

 

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Act of the Damned Wednesday, Jun 11 2008

Antunes, Antonio Lobo. Act of the Damned. New York: Grove Press, 1995.

I have to admit this was not one of my favorite books this month. Maybe something was lost in the translation (literally from Portuguese to English), but there were too many layers of storytelling going on. Dr. Nuno Souza, a dentist, tells his story in first person, but his imagination works overtime to include an Edward G. Robinson, a cigar smoking, gun toting tough guy. Nuno is married to Ana, but has a drug addicted girlfriend on the side.
Even though Nuno is telling the story in the first part, it’s Ana’s family that is the center of the story. Her family is beyond corrupt. Incest and greed come second nature to these people. Ana’s mother is the voice in part two. I think what makes the story so confusing is that no one really uses names. When Ana’s mother tells the story she uses family connections, “my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, my husband, his father, her brother…” Later, Ana herself tells the story…then someone else who uses the same technique…

These are the quotes that caught my attention:
“I opened the drawer to take out a shirt and tie, and was met by enough sicks for an army of ankles” (p 5).
“I laid down the receiver while the two voices tussled, scratched and bit each other in an electric desert of screws and wires” (p 17).
“‘I want her out by the thirtieth at the latest. She can go to tell and listen to conversations down there’” (p 42).
“I wiped the smile off my mouth with a napkin” (p 71).

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust from the chapter “Families in Trouble” (p 83).

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My Apologies Saturday, Jun 7 2008

I wrote something on ThatSpace that hinted at something incredibly selfish, bitchy and for once, all about me, me, me in the worst way. I have that guilt thing running through my veins, clogging my conscience. I’m not that kind of girl…really. I feel as though I’ve committed some alternative adultery. I’m sorry. Not sorry for the blog. Just for the content. I’ll get over it. I hope.

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Good Earth Friday, Jun 6 2008

If I had to pick one reason why I love summer this picture would sum it up entirely. One reason alone: Fresh from the dirt produce. Cannot, simply cannot, beat it. Today marked the first day of “pick up.” Rainy. Gray day. I almost went incognito: baseball cap pulled low over the eyes, big ugly raincoat. The only thing missing was the bee stung wellies (still on the island!)… I didn’t say a word to anyone. Simply signed my name to the clipboard, grabbed the newsletter and went to work. One head full grown bok choy, three heads baby boks (so cute!). One bunch green garlic. One bunch tri-color radishes. One bunch white turnips, left behind because I know kisa won’t eat them. Three heads of leaf lettuce (I took two: one green, one red). Mixed greens, arugula, mustard, kale, and a few Japanese greens I am going to have to look up later. 

There is a old-world, organic feel to the process. Recycled Earth friendly tote bags full of greens still clumped with dirt. Everything sprinkled with drops of rain. Everyone pouring over the bins, peering up at the signs, weighing their share. Kids running, screeching and laughing around the legs of the weighing adults. A random dog sauntered into the barn, sniffed out the activity and then wandered away again. No collar, no tags, no hurry to be anywhere special. A cat lay curled under the welcome desk faking sleep.

I am stumped by this first crop, this first share. Do I make an outrageous salad with a mix of wild greens? Do I save the bok choy for something spectacular or stir fry it simple? So many choices. In the end, I chose the kale for lunch with simple balsamic reduction. Mixed greens for a bed of tilapia.Tonight something bok choy…Welcome summer!

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Daring Myself Tuesday, Jun 3 2008

Me & Moi, we’re daring myself to do something we’ve never done before. What the hell, right? Squeeze the eyes shut tight, take that step and just plunge into a new(er) beginning. Without peeking because peeking leads to pondering and pondering leads to procrastination. Procrastination is another word for power failure and I certainly cannot stop now. Right? What’s that line? “stopping like that can set a woman back three days!” You get the point. Don’t stop me now.

Last night while the marinated pork was doing its thing in the oven I had a date with Mr. Gerbil Cage. Since it was a 25 minute quickie we could only do so much, G And I. We could only go so far. Nothing really all the way, but I refused to do anything half-azzed either. Warm-up was a cheesy, easy 11.5 mph but after I felt the all-over warmth of getting in the mood I amped the speed every minute until I was tasting 8.7 mph and loving it. In the end we got as far as 2.5 miles in 25 minutes but I was completely satisfied with that. Here’s the weird thing: musically, the only thing I could do it to was ‘Gone Daddy Gone’ by the Violent Femmes. Listened to it over and over and over. How freakin’ bizarre. What can I say? It was doing it for me.

Gamblinginvegasskinnydippinginthehotelpooleatingreallyreallybad
foodatthreeinthemorningstrappyhighheelsgettinganewtattoobang
somedrums.  

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Open Up Your Ears Friday, May 30 2008

Phot by Michael J. Lutch, Boston Globe 5/28/08

We sat over here. They sat over there. I didn’t care they had the better seats for I was in my own little world the moment the music started. I suppose I should say something about the first half of the show. So, here goes: planets: Mars, Venus, Uranus & Jupiter. 45 minutes of NASA slide shows and awesome music. Leave it to me to like War best – can’t help it, the drums were amazing.

When Natalie came out my first thoughts were: she cut her hair since the Hiro shows, that dress is beautiful but the shawl is almost as big as she is, and please don’t recognize me from Hiro!

Autumn Lullabye was very sweet. It had me thinking of my wedding and rodents. Weird combination. Man in the Wilderness was a song I had been looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, I liked the Hiro version better. Having the orchestra back the lyrics didn’t make the song as creepy as in New York. The Letter was another one that surprised me with its difference. Natalie seemed to be singing this song that had very little to do with the orchestral arrangement accompanying her. I guess it just goes to show that I like the song for its simplicity and when it’s presented as something more grandiose it loses some appeal… Sonnet 73 was a given. Everyone knew it would be on the “set list.” Simply amazing. I leaned over to my mother afterwards and whispered, “who knew a song about the Black Death could sound so beautiful?” Life is Sweet confused me. Natalie seemed near tears for nearly the entire performance. She did warn Keith that she tends to conduct and cry… Verdi Cries. There is no way this could have been performed any better. The entire audience held their collective breath while Natalie sang this. Someone said hearing this performance was worth the price of the ticket and I have to agree. This is by far, my favorite Maniac song. I used it in my wedding and want it played at my funeral. Butterfly simply blew me away. I had only heard this song once at Hiro and deemed it my favorite new song. After the show when I asked my sister “What did you think of it?” she replied, “I felt sorry for the butterfly.” Spring and Fall: To a Young Child was also a surprise. I read this poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins for Book Lust. I didn’t expect it to be performed at the Boston Symphony! She-Devil was absolutely spell binding. Natalie stood at the microphone and let her voice snake around the room. Very sultry. My favorite part had to have been the xylophone. Henry Darger is a song I would have to say I like the least. Natalie sings it in such a high voice! Since she was still nursing a cold, the range was out of her reach and she ended up whispering some of the lyrics. At one point she started giggling because she couldn’t get her voice back on track. I think she confused Keith Lockhart because she sang most of the song crouched down and when he turned to look at her she would be on the floor! This House is on Fire was the first and only time Natalie came over to my side of the room. Mom swears she sang to me but I would rather think she was looking at the guy behind me…This was the only time Natalie really danced, too. Kicked off her shoes and did a few spins. The End ~ appropriate for the end. Natalie got through it without crying or losing her voice – barely.

At the end of the performance Natalie shook hands with every musician within reach. It was interesting to see their reactions to her. Some said something back to her, genuinely thrilled to have performed with her while others gravely shook her hand. So serious! Whe Natalie finally left the stage we tried to get her out for an encore. I don’t think her voice was up to it since she would have had to sing something without the orchestra.

I picked up an extra program for Germany but ended up leaving all of them in my sister’s bag…
 

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