October 2005 Book Reviews

This was a successful reading month. No promises for November, though--I've taken up crocheting full-time on the BART, and my book volume is definitely suffering.

1. American Gods, Neil Gaiman, Rating: 4.7
I really liked this. I think Good Omens (one of his previous novels) might be better, but this is a close second. It's very clever and well-researched (the subject matter deals with gods from numerous time periods and religions). Definitely check it out.
2. Y The Last Man, Volume 5 (comic book), Rating: 4.8
I've recommended this series to many of my friends already--it and Fables are the only series I keep up on. The plot deals with the journey of a young man trying to find his girlfriend and stay alive. He's (as far as we know) the only man alive on earth, after a virus wipes out everything with a Y chromosome. The art is gorgeous, the story gripping and very easy to follow. If you're interested in reading comic books, this is a perfect series to start with.
3. Julie & Julia, Julie Powell, Rating: 4.0
I'm sure you've read a review of this--it seems to be getting attention everywhere. It's one of those blog spin-offs (which are suddenly everywhere; is this the latest publishing trend?), a narration of a woman's efforts to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. I found the story tedious initially, but got into it when the author stopped complaining so much about her life and started talking more about her cooking. Frequent Buffy references helped, too. If you like food writing, you'll probably enjoy this.
4. Thinking in Pictures, Temple Grandin, Rating: 2.8
This is an interesting, important book that I completely failed to respond to. It's written by an autistic woman, and deals with what's it like to be autistic (as well as what's it's like to be a cow--the author really likes cows). I definitely learned a lot, but finishing it was painful.
5. I'm Not the New Me, Wendy McClure, Rating: 2.8
The was an interesting counterpoint to Julie & Julia. It's also a blog spin-off, this time about weight loss. I would frankly rather read about eating food than not doing so.
6. Welcome to My Planet, Where English is Sometimes Spoken, Shannon Olson, Rating: 2.3
I should have held off on reading this for a few weeks. It was the third book this month (after #3 and #5) about a whiny woman approaching 30 who is dissatisfied (reasonably so) with her life. At least the author of Julie & Julia did something interesting; this woman just complains. Frankly, she's not that good of a writer and it felt like a waste of time to read about her pathetic life. (Wow, did I just write that? A little harsh, but I'm going to leave it there.)
7. Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho, Rating: 3.5
Beautifully written, extremely insightful. The rating is a little lower because I find the subject matter--suicide--depressing to read about, but I'll check out other books by this author.
8. Round the Bend, Nevil Shute, Rating: 4.2
Like his other novels, this is very interesting, epic in scope, and a pleasure to read. It deals with airplanes, life, love, and religion--you could say that it's got it all. I prefer A Town Like Alice, but this is a close second.
9. Wickett's Remedy, Myla Goldberg, Rating: 3.8
Not nearly as good as Bee Season (her previous novel), but fun nevertheless. I particularly enjoyed the layout of the book--the text flows in the traditional way, but there are funny little comments (from "US," people in heaven) in the margins about where the story's narrator is making a mistake, or embellishing the truth.

Halloween

I think Charlotte may win the prize for having the cutest Halloween costume. Can you stand it?

Life Changes

It's been quite a while since the last post--I've gone from almost total inactivity to 110% in the last few weeks. It's great, if a bit tiring. I started a new job three weeks ago at a San Francisco design firm. I'm struggling to find good lunch spots, but other than that can't complain. The people are great, the office easy to get to, I have an awesome, huge computer, and--best of all--they actually pay me to organize things! I think there really is a perfect job for everyone.

I'm also writing a crochet book for chronicle--Crochet to Go, due in SP07. If you know how to crochet (or live near me and want to learn), let me know! I'd love to have some people test my patterns. The project list isn't final yet, so email if you have any great ideas for stuff.

My friend Brooks asked me a few weeks ago what was going to take the biggest hit from the new job--reading or tv/movie watching. TV viewership is definitely way down (though thanks to the crochet, I'm still logging in about an hour a day on the couch). Books are suffering, but not as much as I'd feared. So don't worry--it looks like I'll have at least 6 titles to review this month, maybe more.

September 2005 Book Reviews

I made it through a fairly substantial list this month. Next month's will be shorter (more on why in a post later this week). I've bolded titles of particular interest.

1. Finding Fish, Antwone Fisher, Rating 2.4
Don't bother with this book--rent the movie instead. While I generally think books tend to be better than the movies that are made of them, this is definitely an exception to the rule. Another one that comes to mind is Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.
2. A Widow for One year, John Irving, Rating: 3.7
Irving is usually a sure thing--he writes well, and knows how to tell a story. That said, the subject of this book gets tedious. Try The Cider House Rules instead (which is better than the movie made of it).
3. Emily's Reasons Why Not, Carrie Gerlach, Rating: 2.1
Why do I continue to read chic lit? It's so rarely worthwhile.
4. My Year of Meats, Ruth Ozeki, Rating: 4.9
Probably the sixth time I've read this, and it's still amazing. For why I like it, see my top 10 list.
5. The Inner Circle, T.C. Boyle, Rating: 3.8
I read my first Boyle book late last year (Drop City; it's on Elese's top 10 and is definitely worth reading), and was excited to dive into this one. I frankly didn't love it, but I think it's my fault--I had just finished Kinsey and PBS's documentary on Kinsey, and had already had my fill on the subject (this book is a fictionalized version of Alfred Kinsey's life).
6. Mary After All, Bill Gordon, Rating: 3.0
A story of a New Jersey housewife. Decent writing, but I had trouble caring about the plot.
7. Skinny Dip, Carl Hiaasen, Rating: 3.7
This is my first Hiaasen book. I'll definitely read more--they're not earthshaking, but he's a funny writer and perfect for reading on vacation.
8. Complications, Atul Gawande, Rating: 4.3
Very good--Gawande is a surgical resident who writes with surprising clarity and depth about issues facing modern medicine. If you read The New Yorker, you're probably familiar with him--he writes for them regularly.
9. The Horse Whisperer, Nicolas Evans, Rating: 3.0
I'm not a horse girl, and this book just didn't do it for me. It's similar to The Smoke Jumper, but less interesting.
10. The Baby Trail, Sinead Moriarty, Rating: 2.9
More chic lit. Again, why do I bother?
11. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton, Jane Smiley, Rating: 2.1
I've read Jane Smiley's novels in the past, and have liked them for the most part. This book, unfortunately, falls far short of the mark--it's just plain bad.
12. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares, Rating: 4.1
I'm a bit embarrassed to even admit that I read this, let alone give it such a high rating. It's very well done, though, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
13. Look at Me, Jennifer Egan, Rating: 2.8
This was a random library pick--it has pages of glowing reviews. I was drawn to the subject matter (identity; it's the story of a model who becomes unrecognizable after a major car accident). The plot, however, goes in strange directions--terrorism, the internet, lots of bad guys--and ultimately lost my interest.
14. The Amateurs, David Halberstam, Rating: 3.8
Halberstam is an exceptional writer. This book covers the lives of 4 world-class rowers, and their struggle to make it to and win in the Olympics. While I'm not particularly interested in rowing, but if you are (or even if you're interested in underappreciated Olympic sports or athletes in general), this is worth checking out.

Blog Maintenance

I've spent large chunks of time the last few days trying to figure out all the "high-tech" aspects of blogging. You'll now see that I've figured out how to post a picture in the profile section, and also have new links on the side of the page for book reviews and babies. Both are sparse right now, but will hopefully grow with time. I want to thank all of you readers who responded to the new book review section--I have a nice, growing list of books to read, and a few ideas for future columns. I think the first is going to be a top ten list, and then I'll tackle thematic lists. Please keep the recommendations coming--I've figured out the reservation system at the Berkeley library, and promise to try get to everything you're interested in.

I think it's been awhile since my last "pro-Oakland" rant. I went into the city this afternoon to water my aunt's plants, and got stuck in traffic for two hours trying to get home (a big rig full of beer lit on fire--it looked like parts of it actually imploded--and they shut the entire lower deck of the Bay Bridge down. The driver and his dog made it out safe.). I'm really happy to be back on the traffic-free side of the Bay. I think I'm going to stick to Bart from now on. [As an aside, as I drove past the wreck, pondering whether or not to listen to Bush's speech tonight--I've decided not to; I've already been frustrated enough for one day--I noticed several news vans recording the action. One of the reporters had set up a lawn chair and was catching some sun. For some reason, this made me really happy. I'm glad that see that people have the ability to keep everything in perspective.]

In other news, as of yesterday I'm one year closer to 30. I'm pleased to report that I didn't feel noticeably older this morning.

August Book Reviews

I've decided that the best way to do book reviews is on a monthly basis--I just can't see myself motivating to write after finishing each one. I'm also not sure that I'm up to adding comments for every title--in my journal, I use a rating system to differentiate titles, and just comment on the books I like. I think I'll stick to this system for now, though do let me know if it would be helpful to have more information.

Rating System:**
1 Barely Readable
2 Readable, with major flaws
3 Decent
4 Recommended
5 Excellent

**I'm not pretending to be the New York Times here. I used to rate books in terms of "quality," but have since come to terms with the fact that my taste often tends to be a little low-brow (my favorite book is Steven King's The Stand). My ratings are based entirely on whether or not a book was fun or interesting to read. Therefore, if you're in the market for a new book, stick with 3.5 and above ratings.

Another note: this list is long; I apologize for future short lists. I just have a little extra time on my hands these days.

1. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., by Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
I blame Elese for getting me on this historical fiction kick. This series is a bit girly (though surprisingly chaste), and highly readable. The 3-volume set covers, with fairly well-researched details, the entire life of Napolean's first wife.
2. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, By Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
Volume 2 of the series.
3. The Last Great Dance on Earth, By Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
Volume 3.
4. Princess, By Jean Sasson, Rating: 3.7
Not very well-written, but a well-intentioned (if oddly structured) look at the life of upper class Saudi women in the 1980s.
5. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, By Alexander McCall Smith. Rating: 2.8
What's the deal with this series? It's predictable and often downright boring.
6. Away From You, By Melanie Finn, Rating: 3.2
Memoir; story of a woman that returns to her childhood home in Africa to deal with unresolved father issues. Good descriptions of Africa in the 1960s and today, otherwise skipable.
7. Or Give Me Death, Ann Rinaldi, Rating: 2.9
I realized half-way through this book that it must be written for teens. It's more historical fiction, this time about the wife of Patrick Henry. The author takes major liberties with the story.
8. The Twins of Tribeca, Rachel Pine, Rating: 3.1
Chic-lit, but of the better variety. Whiny (they all are), but has decent insights into what it's like to be a movie publicist.
9. Losing It, Alan Cumyn, Rating 3.0
I read this three weeks ago, and the plot has already skipped my mind. I guess it wasn't that good. All I wrote down was "dark, formulaic, readable."
10. Snowed In, Christina Bartolomeo, Rating: 3.8
This poor book is actually quite good, and cursed with a chic-lit cover. I grabbed it at the library thinking I'd get something really light and fluffy for the weekend, and instead got genuine literary fiction. The author isn't quite there yet, but I'll watch for her future books. The plot is somewhat complicated, but it boils down to finding out who you are.
11. Population: 485, Michael Perry, Rating: 3.0
Another library book, with yet another misleading cover. The jacket claims it's about finding entrance into a community by being a volunteer firefighter. It is about being a volunteer firefighter, but this guy never finds a community. You get the distinct feeling that he wrote this book so that people would think he has friends. It's weird.
12. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute, Rating: 4.7
I mentioned this in a previous post--please read it. Ignore everything else on this list. It's really, really good.
13. On the Beach, Nevil Shute, Rating: 4.2
Decent, but read A Town Like Alice instead.
14. The Smoke Jumper, Nicolas Evans, Rating: 4.1
I really liked this, probably because it was a book on tape. I've been painting the living room and dining room, and it passed the time well.

Book Reviews

Meet Finn

Here's the latest addition to team Oakland--a very big, beautiful, healthy little boy. His parents Shawn and Lisa Hazen are happy to have him home at last. His full name is Finian Lucas Hazen, he weighed in at 9lbs. 1oz., and his birthday is September 8th (see? another Virgo!).

Hannah's Birthday

I've been thinking a lot about ways to repurpose this blog. My life really isn't all that interesting these days, so it's a bit difficult to write. I also don't have a camera anymore, although I plan to correct that issue soon. I'm thinking about perhaps starting to post a few book reviews, as soon as I can figure out how to do sidebars on the site--I'd like to take advantage of that book journal I started a few years ago and post a few lists (top 10 titles, best books on Africa, etc.). The best book I've read in the past few fews is A Town Like Alice (thanks to Hayden's dad Wib for the recommendation). It covers a lot of ground--prisoners of war, losing loved ones, building a town, romance--and is extremely well written. The author, Nevil Shute, is better known for On the Beach, but A Town Like Alice is much better.

Other than reading, I've been painting the house, watching way too much TV (I'm hooked on Scrubs right now), interviewing for jobs, and seeing friends. Hannah, pictured above with her husband Gabe, is a friend from college who has kindly agreed to be my workout partner. We've only gone once so far, but I think with two people we're a bit more likely to motivate ourselves to go.

Also thinking of Hannah, I've realized that nearly half of my friends have birthdays in August or September (Hannah's was a few weeks ago). What does that say about me? I'm not sure.

The Great Pie-Off

I think many of you will remember my victorious turn in the 6th annual Oakland Pie-Off two years ago--my Ginger Peach (my second pie effort ever, I should add) came in 9th in a pool of over 90 pies. I regard this as one of my greatest accomplishments. I missed the 2004 contest, but this year's was yesterday. I'd like to thank the contributors to this year's pie--Matthew Africa (graphic designer, pie baker) and Brooks and Autumn (official taste testers).

Flavor? Banana cream.

How to make the perfect pie? Bake, bake, and bake again. We tried four variations on Saturday:
-Cook's Illustrated Vanilla Cream with bananas, traditional flake crust with graham cracker crumbs baked in.
-New York Times Cookbook sour cream banana filling, graham cracker crust
-Pie Every Day graham cracker crust and oreo crust (this second was a failure; apparently you're supposed to scrape out the cream filling before grinding the cookies); berry-cheese cake filling (I was in the mood for cheesecake)

The winner: Cook's Illustrated crust, NYT sour cream banana filling. The filling really is exceptional--I loved it and I don't even like banana pies.

The verdict? Nothing! There are 5 official pie categories, of which banana falls into "other." Apparently the judges this year decided that they would only advance "other" pies that were entirely non-traditional. Mango made it to the final round.

While both Matt and I are taking this loss hard, I'm determined to try again and crack the top five. Any votes for next year's flavor? Post a comment.

Camping on Mount Tam

Well, I'm back. I've ignored the blog for a few weeks--it's harder to write these things when you're not going to a new city every few days. I have been to a number of interesting places, however. Zac and Eliza Sorenson-Wald (my former nieghbors) were kind enough to take me in for the first two weeks. They have a beautiful daughter, Sophie, who's learning to talk and is a lot of fun to be around. She calls me "A-Gee-Sha."

Liza, Sophie, Walker (Sophie's best friend), and Walker's parents Kiera & Steve and I spent a night last week up at the West Point Inn on Mount Tam. It's a hike-in hotel (2-3 miles each way, which is rather hard with two toddlers in tow) with incredible views. There's a fully equipped kitchen and a fun common room. I'd definitely do it again. While it's not exactly a romantic getaway--you share the common space with all the other guests--it's perfect for an outting with a group of friends.

Beaches in Oakland?

Yes, they do exist. I had never visited Lake Temescal before, but I had clearly been missing out. The water is clean (much cleaner than Lake Anza, the lifeguards are proud to say), there's a great area for laps, and it's just two exits off the freeway from my house. Sophie likes it too.

The beach in Alameda

There are beaches in Alameda, too--who knew? Zac and Eliza's favorite stretch is right by the MacDonald's--there's tons of parking, very few crowds, and a Trader Joe's for shopping when you're done.

Sophie, aspiring blogger

Boston-Nonquitt-New York City

I'm stateside at last! I flew back 9 days ago and have been enjoying summer in New York and New England. I never thought I'd say this, but east coast weather is a major relief. The last week I spent in Paris was humid and extremely hot. It never cools down--it's 90 degrees at 8 am, at noon, and at midnight. I don't think I've ever sweated so much.

Boston was a great place to return to. I stayed with Hayden's parents in Brookline, and was able to relax and slowly recover from my jet lag. We took a trip down to Nonquitt (just west of cape cod) to visit Anne and Charlie Alexander. It's a gorgeous place. There are marshlands, beaches, forests, and beautiful homes. It felt like a great place to go to unwind. I particularly enjoyed sitting in their backyard and watching birds and squirrels competing for the best food from the bird feeder.

I've picked up the pace in New York. I'm staying on the lower east side with friends Gabe and Lisa. Lisa's apartment is next door to the Hell's Angels headquarters, which was jumping on the fourth of July. Generally speaking, I think they're good neighbors to have--new recruits are posted outside 24 hours a day to watch the bikes, so there's always some burly man around keeping an eye out for trouble. I met Kevin this morning, who politely introduced himself and asked if I was a new neighbor. On the fourth, however, they were less than ideal neighbors--there's nothing like 100 Harleys racing the block to keep you up all night.

I watched the fireworks from a rooftop in Tudor Village, a fancy collection of highrises on 42nd street near the east river. While I've heard several people complain that the show was disappointing this year, I loved it. We (Jessica, Colin, baby Charlotte, and I) were nearly at eye level with the display, and so close that we could smell the smoke.

I've spent a lot of time with little Charlotte the last few days--she's absolutely beautiful and wonderfully well behaved. Jessica and I took her to the new MoMA yesterday (which is wonderful, by the way) and she just gazed thoughtfully at the Pissarro/Cezanne exhibit, then slept for an hour while we toured the rest of the museum. We're thinking about tackling the Guggenheim this afternoon.

I've also seen the City Museum of New York (mediocre) and hope to get to the Jewish History Museum (big exhibit of Maurice Sendak's art) and the Tenement Museum. That should hopefully fill my art quota for the rest of the year.

I'm flying home on Tuesday. While I'm a little reluctant to get back to my real life (read: get a job), it will be great to be home.

Where I Actually Went

Jeanne in Figeac

Jeanne on the trail.

Have you ever thought about the goats that goat cheese comes from? Check out those udders!

Jeanne above Cajarc

The river in Cajarc

A prehistoric burial site.

Abandoned building along the trail.

Cahors

The famous bridge in Cahors

Carcassonne