Hot, Flat, and Crowded

I’ve been busy with family and had borrowed the book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America. I hope I can finish it by tomorrow, when I have to turn it back in, but I have quite a bit left and I find that it is heavy reading because it is an eye opener. It talks about the politics of oil, for one thing. I did not understand how the oil wealth affects the different countries. It actually makes the countries more conservative, giving them some of these qualities, such as Muslim women wearing veils and not allowed a proper education. Mr. Thomas Friedman, a journalist, knows first-had some of these things. He described what it was like for him to walk down a street in Pakistan, a country that is supposed to be our friend. Mr. Friedman also described where he thought the oil strength of the Middle East was taking us. He explained that the momentum of the terrorist organizations is on the rise because of oil. Isn’t that ironic? Of course, we don’t just hand the money over to them--it goes to legitimate countries and people--but some of them fund charities that are bogus in nature, so the cash filters down.

Now, I am just to the second part of the book. I’ve just started reading about what we now know is happening to the earth, and also some (scientific) speculation about what may be happening to the earth. He explained the history of our carbon dioxide emissions and that the scientific projections are more than likely not the full affects of our carbon dioxide exposure, because of the exponential nature of the problem.

Anyway, with all this gloom and doom, I sure would like to get to the part of the book where we can actually make a difference and take care of our world and our country. I haven’t read ahead, but I am thinking to myself after reading this, that the grassroots organization that I saw on Facebook that Barack Obama used during the campaign and the ones he is trying to set up now sounds like something I should be participating in for change. I am just going to have to ask some friends to do this with me. To me, getting involved is a scary task. But I feel I compelled to do it.

Jane at www.bookreaderstraverse.com

Writing in the Dark

I finished reading Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics by David Grossman. He is a writer from Israel. He writes fiction and non-fiction, and this was a non-fiction selection. This book is profound and philosophical. I read it slowly in order to absorb as much as I could. The author speaks of what it means to write while under fire and threat of war. He also speaks some on the methodology of writing.

The last section of the book is about politics, especially in Israel. David Grossman talks about what war has done to Israel. He speaks about Palestine and Israel compromising for the benefit of both countries. The last lecture is about the Second Lebanon War of 2006 in which his son died. It was emotional and thought provoking.

I would recommend this book to people who like to mull things over. I didn’t read the book in one sitting, which could be done, because it is only 131 pages. But I would put it down and find myself mulling over what the author said. My mind would wander to subjects about the Holocaust and the wars that we are fighting now in the Middle East. It is hard to make sense of it all. I am still mulling it over. This is definitely a book to read more than once. I would like to read it again soon. I may actually purchase a copy instead of borrowing from the library.

David Grossman wrote several titles of fiction translated into English, including The Smile of the Lamb, and See Under: LOVE: A Novel. The Smile of the Lamb is based on Palestine and Israel and See Under: Love, is about a boy from first generation of Holocaust survivors. I think I will read The Smile of the Lamb first and then, See Under: Love.

Jane of www.bookreaderstraverse.com

Joel's reviews are trickling in

Joel wrote some reviews and sent them in for next time. I write my reviews as I go, too, but Tracey prefers to write them all at once. Joel reviewed Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann, which should prove to be interesting. I like how Joel finds his books in the most unusual places. He found this novel in the University of Washington Bookstore. Three Bags Full is written from the perspective of sheep, and it is a murder mystery.

Joel also sent in a sci-fi book review--2061: Odyssey Three by Arthur C. Clarke. Joel likes to read serial books, especially in the sci-fi genre. Joel says this book makes him want to read the 3001 The Final Odyssey book.

I’m not sure what else Joel will review this time. I talked with him over the Christmas holiday and he was busy with Christmas celebration.

Storm of the Soul

Joel sent me Storm of the Soul by Dorris Murdock in a care package of books and I finished reading it recently. Read Joel’s review about Storm of the Soul and learn about how Joel purchased the book. The book is an autographed copy. The story is a fictionalized version of the author’s stint in West Africa as a missionary along with her husband. They had two children who also went to a boarding school part of the time. The book describes in detail the friendships that the main character, Rachel, had with several West Africans. What I especially liked about this character is that she learned as much from the West Africans as she taught them. She was able to share her life almost completely with her new friends. Not only was she open enough to learn from them some key points in life, she listened to their spiritual insights and was able to grapple with new spiritual ideas, some that I enjoyed contemplating right along with Rachel. The story is not without tragedy and sadness, but there is quite a bit of joy and living of life. I recommend this book if you can find it. It is very expensive and in hardcover on Amazon. They only had two copies available when I checked. Joel sent me the paperback version.

B&N Best of 2008

This morning I received an e-mail from Barnes & Noble with their Top 10 lists. They had their picks divided into several lists, which was helpful. For the Best Fiction Debuts list, Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith was in first place. It is a suspense story. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is second on the list. It is interesting because the author died shortly after turning in the manuscript for the novel. One of my favorite books that I read this year, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows was third. This book was written of letters throughout. I liked The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, which is book number 9. It is a story about a dog and a mute boy, but it ends darkly.

The next list they have is Favorite Haunting Historicals. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was first, another one of my favorites for this year. The book was about a Jewish prayer book and the journey it took through time. City of Thieves: A Novel by David Benioff is second on the list, and it sounds like a good book. It is about a boy caught looting a body and given another chance to live if he will collect eggs for a wedding cake. It just sounds like an adventurous story. And then, there’s A Mercy by Toni Morrison, which is third on the list. I really think I ought to give that book a try. The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel by Salman Rushdie is fourth on the list and sounds like a great historical fiction read. Well, fifth on the list is Sea of Poppies: A Novel by Amitav Ghosh, which I started but didn’t finish. I would say what I read of it was good, but I lost interest over some of the drug use in the book, which of course there would be drug use in this book. But I was also going through Christmas, and although I usually read a good book during Christmas, this time things just got away from me. I don’t know how it turned out, and I had to turn it back in to the library. Maybe I will borrow it again; I was actually curious how the girl in the beginning of the story made it through after marrying a man from the opium plant and getting pregnant but not knowing if he was the father because she thought the family was conspiring to get him an heir. I think the story was going to hold more than I gave it a chance. It is funny the things that will take you out of a book. That is one good thing about owning a book—you can easily come back to it when you do have time and the right mood. I had to wait quite a while for the book to come into the library, too. Oh, well, my loss.

The Commoner: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by John Burnham Schwartz, about Haruko who becomes Empress of Japan, is based on true events. The Given Day: A Novel by Dennis Lehane is about an Irish cop and his family in the early 1900s in Boston. They both sound interesting from the Favorite Haunting Historical list.

Then, the Best Stories on the Edge list is about thrillers and mysteries. These stories are not my first choice of books to read. The Most Luminous Lives in Fiction is the next list, and The Road Home: A Novel by Rose Tremain sounds like it would be a good story to read. It is about a man who leaves home to help support his family. Olive Kitteridge: Fiction by Elizabeth Strout reminds me of a teacher I had when I was in school. She was mean.

Then, they have a Most Sumptuous Books category, which I assume all are cookbooks. Then, there is a Best History list.

There is the Best on Our Modern World list, which has State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America by Matt Weiland as eighth and Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell who wrote The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, which I read. Number 10 on the list is Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman is a book that I have checked out from the library now.

Then, there is a Favorite Life Stories section and the Best for Kids & Teens section.

I did find a few books from these lists that I would like to read. I think it is always worthwhile looking the lists over. I appreciated Barnes & Noble having the historical fiction selections that they had.

Jane of http://www.bookreaderstraverse.com/.

The library feels the economic hard times

On the Louisville Free Public Library homepage, there is a message that because of a budget shortfall, the library will be closing on Sundays starting today. The recession, it seems, is reaching into the library. As I remember, the downtown library was always busy on Sundays. I used to have to go there for school projects and always appreciated the help the librarians offered. Sometimes asking for a little direction would cut hours off a project. But the library hasn’t closed on Saturdays. And it hasn’t closed altogether.

While I am sorry to see the library close on Sundays (hopefully temporarily), I am glad that someone had the foresight to cut back on something now in hopes of keeping everything else intact and running through this time. Creative thinking and willingness to change is better than fearful reaction. Of course, I have no clue as to what the process was to conclude to close on Sundays, but I’m guessing.

I look at the recession as a kind of winter. I should prepare by checking the stash of dry goods, winterizing the car, and insulating the house. Then, I change my activities in a natural curve. I get busy writing all the letters I need to write. I work on put-on-hold projects, like creating photo albums and such. I also get some writing done and some hardcore cleaning. I read the books I’ve been meaning to read. I visit with friends as much as possible, and if I seize my opportunities, I might even get to go sledding or have some hot cocoa with the grandkids. Then, spring comes and there is a whole other set of work to do, maybe even blossoming from the work started in the winter. The recession will end like the ones before it did.

I noticed while looking over my RSS subscriptions that the library is receiving new books on a regular basis, of all varieties. The library is busy with authors coming to town and other events that they have. They also have all the databases and the card catalog available online.

My thoughts are with the librarians that are always so helpful. Their work is important.

Jane of Book Reader’s Traverse

Books in the mail

Today, I got a surprise when the UPS driver delivered a box from Joel. I thought it would be the usual Christmas presents. Instead, the box contained several books he reviewed for the site. I was truly happy to get them, because they were titles I found interesting when reading his reviews, including one title that he did not care for very much: Matrix Revelations by Steve Couch. We had talked about that book and I wondered what my take on it would be. He also sent the one he recently reviewed: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I thought I would like that book. It might be more than I can take along the lines of reading alone at night, but I thought I would try. It is about a serial killer and the Chicago World’s Fair. Another interesting looking book is In the Wilderness by Kim Barnes. It is the story of her growing up in a home run by her father who was a logger and what happened after the work started to dry up. Then, there is She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel, which is about a girl’s mother who suffered depression. It is supposed to be humorous, if you can believe that. The one that looks most interesting to me right now, though, is Storm of the Soul by Dorris Murdock, which is a novel based on the author’s true experiences in Africa. I know that Sea of Poppies: A Novel is waiting for me at the library and I will have to go get it before they shelf it. But, I would like to get started on Storm of the Soul. So much to read, and so little time to spend doing so. Now, I just need to get down to the post office and send Joel back the book he has asked for: Light on the Island by Helene Glidden. I don’t want him to stop sending me books. . .