The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read The Great Gatsby again in preparation for the Baz Luhrmann movie. I giggled at the reviews that called it out for being a spectacle. Uh, isn't that what you watch a Baz movie for?? One reviewer went so far as to claim that Leo is too old. I did a little google search, and discovered that Leo is approximately 39. Robert Redford was 38 in 1974 when he played Gatsby. Pish. Posh.

This isn't a regular review because really, what can you say about this masterpiece that hasn't been said already?? Here are a few of my favorite lines from the first five chapters:

Chapter 1
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.

If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.

Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.

Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens.

Chapter 2
I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

Chapter 3
He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irrestible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished--and I was looking at an elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care.

"Anyhow, he gives large parties," said Jordan, changing the subject with an urban distaste for the concrete. "And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."

Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honeset peole that I have ever known.

Chapter 4
A dead man passed us in a hearse heaped with blooms, followed by two carriages drawn blinds, and by more cheerful carriages for friends. The friends looked out at us with the tragic eyes and short upper lips of southeastern Europe, and I was glad that the sight of Gastby's splendid car was included in their somber holiday. As we crossed Blackwell's Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haught rivalry.
"Anything can happen now that we've slid over this bridge," I thought; "anything at all...."
Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder.

A phrase began to beat in my ears with a sort of heady excitement: "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired."

Chapter 5
They were sitting at either end of the couch, looking at each other as if some question had been asked, or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassment was gone. Daisy's face was smeared with tears, and wehn I cane in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief before a mirroe. But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room.

He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he started around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. One he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

I didn't get excited about this book until I saw the season finale of Bunheads. Sutton Foster's character plops down and starts reading it to pass time while waiting in line for an audition. Sold!! If it's good enough for Sutton, it's good enough for me. #girlcrush

Remember the powerpoint chapter in Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad? The chapter that somehow nailed what it's like to be a tween-aged girl all while constrained by the restrictions of powerpoint? The format of Bernadette reminds me of that. It consists of emails, FBI reports, an emergency room bill, school notices to parents, magazine articles, and psychiatrist reports. You might think that's gimmicky, but Semple keeps it together and makes it work. The story is tight. The characters are smart, outlandish, and right on. The book is social satire (look out Seattle-ites) and absurd comedy, but at the center is the relationship between Bernadette and her daughter, Bee.

A fun, summer read.

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

I just started reading An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler. My head is luxuriating in the logical simplicity of Adler's approach to cooking. I'll admit to making food too complicated which leads to poorly planned meals and general grumpiness. I don't know how to cook so I'm always cooking directly from a recipe. That's tough.

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

I've wanted to read an Anne Tyler novel for years. For whatever reason, other books have always jumped ahead on the every expanding "to be read" list. I skipped my book club's pick for October which presented an opportunity to select a title. I landed on Ladder of Years after seeing a recommendation by Hellogiggles.com (if you don't already read it, then you MUST start reading Hellogiggles.com). The book was published in 1995.

Tyler is a master storyteller of the domestic tale. She can focus in on the tiniest details because her word selection is exquisite. Delia Grinstead just turned 40. She's married to an older man, and the mother to three young adults. Her father recently passed away. The story starts with a delightful, flirty scene set in a grocery store. A younger man approaches Delia, and asks Delia to step in as his date. Delia is not accustomed to any kind of attention so she is immediately weary (yet smitten) by the man. It's a breezy opening scene that sets the right tone for the novel.

As the family prepares for its annual vacation at a rental summer home, Delia pursue a demure relationship with the younger man which ends in a comic confrontation at dinner time (of course!). I won't spoil the scene, but let's just say her family doesn't believe for a moment that Delia would stray from her marriage. The family heads for the vacation, and Delia proceeds to walk home from the beach...but she keeps going...catching a ride with a local handy man...she keeps going. She leaves her family to start a new life.

I enjoyed the cast of crazy characters and the snapshot look at the intimate scenes from a marriage. The novel is funny (and absurd), heartbreaking, and sometimes unbelievable. Tyler weaves the characters around Delia. There are hints of King Lear throughout including the name of the main character who's also the youngest daughter and she's tossed out like King Lear (although she does the tossing).



Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

First thing first: Liza Klaussmann is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Herman Melville. How freakin' awesome is that?? It says so in the author biography on the back flap.

I've mentioned before that I adore stories set in summer homes. I've never visited let alone owned a summer home, but I find them fascinating. It may stem from the yearning to hang out with my siblings. You see your siblings every day for the first several years of your life, then everyone goes their own way. Kind of sad...but I think a summer home would provide a great excuse to hang out.

I have a huge crush on Nick. She's stylish, strong, smart, a reader. I wish the story focused only on Nick. She could be BFF's with Kate from Rules of Civility. I found Nick's cousin, Helena, to be a not so fully developed character. She seemed like a wisp of a character. The story starts at the end of World War II as the cousins separate and go their own ways. Helena to California to get involved with a loser. Nick moves South with her husband...who's living with a lie that doesn't quite ring true.

Their summers progress through the years. Eventually, they each have a child. The story spirals into a who-dun-it mystery which I could have lived without. The story of Nick doesn't need a distraction. She's a character who has great potential, but Klaussmann doesn't allow her to reach it.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl is the perfect read for a long hot summer. I'm not a huge fan of suspense/thrillers, but Flynn is a master. Her characters are so developed. You feel like you know them. So much has already been said about this book. It's a huge hit. What's left to say?

I'll keep this short. I loved the alternating chapters between Nick's present (in Summer 2012 no less!) and Amy's diary entries. This is where Flynn's skills at character development are in full glory. Flynn's portrayal of Amy's parents is so clever. You understand how Amy is the way she is...how could she NOT be who she is with parents who exploit her childhood to make Perfect Amy children's books??

I wasn't too keen on the final quarter of the book. I thought Flynn lost her way a bit, as the story veered into an almost comical farce (even pushing to absurd maybe?) about true crime and Nancy Grace-esque "news" programs and whodunit territory. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it...I just wished Flynn had taken a different route.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

I'm still reeling from reading this novel. This isn't so much a review, but more like a collection of my thoughts.

Esch is a female protagonist unlike any other. She's growing up in rural Louisiana surrounded by boys and men. The theme of motherhood is thread throughout the story which starts while China, Skeet's prized pit bull, is giving birth to her first litter. We learn that Esch's mother died giving birth to Junior. Then we learn that Esch is pregnant as Hurricane Katrina swirls around in the background. As the hurricane warnings build, life goes on. I've lived in the Midwest my entire life. You don't go to the basement when you first hear the tornado warnings. The warnings slowly build while you go about your life.

One of my favorite elements of this book is the relationships between the siblings. Skeet, Randall, Junior and Esch stick together. They're loyal. They look out for each other as their Dad is adrift in alcohol and grief. Esch's romantic obsession with the myth of Medea and Jason permeates the story as she becomes obsessed with Manny.

There are several dreamlike scenes: looking for chicken eggs from chickens who roost everywhere but the dilapidated chicken coop, the dog fight involving China and 2 other pit bulls in the eerily silent woods as the sun light filters down while the hurricane winds pick up above, Skeet and Esch's journey through the woods to the white farmer's medicine, Randall and Esch's journey through the woods for supplies.

Violence and tenderness are woven together throughout the story. When Esch watches Skeet skin a squirrel, she thinks of her love for Manny as she watches the pulsating heart. China is a majestic character. She is Medea. Skeet's devotion to China makes Esch crave Manny's attention more.

I'm adding Jesmyn Ward to my list of must read authors. Her storytelling skills are major. She often uses one two many metaphors, but I can adjust to that. I anxiously await her next novel.

Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater by Gail Simmons

I absolutely adore Gail Simmons on TopChef and TopChef Just Desserts. She's the only judge who is capable of routinely giving constructive criticism without sounding mean spirited. It's a great life skill. You can tell that she truly cares about food and the chefs who cook it.

I don't read very many biographies, but I devoured this memoir because I wanted to learn how she scored such a great job. Talking With My Mouth Full does not disappoint. I anticipated the TopChef chapters the most, but I discovered that the first chapters are much more illuminating. Perhaps the more recent past needs more time to marinate to develop.

Ms. Simmons sprinkles recipes throughout the book. I cannot wait to try this simple salad (p. 64). I'm waiting for summer when the tomatoes are more in season:

"And every single day for breakfast and dinner, I would eat the same salad. The Israeli kids taught me how to make this kibbutz staple. Dice a tomato and a whole cucumber. Mix them with cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. I also would mix in a little mustard, with a fried or hard-boiled egg."

I recommend this book to anyone obsessed with Gail. She's lived a very interesting life from Canada to New York, from working with Jeffrey Steingarten to TopChef, and she even includes a photo of the menu she used at her wedding! She includes useful infographics like a list of those who work the front of the restaurant and the kitchen (p. 126-7). The sketches are darling. She also lists the 12 courses served in general order (p. 99). Simply amazing.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

A few years ago, I vacationed in Ogunquit, Maine. I knew I just had to read Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan when I discovered that it's set around Ogunquit. I enjoyed reading about Barnacle Billy's and Cafe Amore and hiking the Marginal Way footpath.

But do you know what I enjoyed more then reading about Maine? Discovering the rich characters created by Sullivan as three generations of the Kelleher clan descend on the property. I wanted to spend more time with Alice, the matriarch who recently bequeathed the family summer home and property to her church unbeknowst to her children. And Kathleen who ran away from her family to California to start a wildly successful worm farm with her hippie partner. And Maggie who's learning how to trust and believe in herself rather than the men she dates. And Ann Marie...good old Ann Marie who wants the world to be as perfect as the miniature doll houses she builds.

I'm going to call this a leisurely read because I wanted to take my time with the book kind of like enjoying the last few lazy days of summer. Alice reminded me of Olive Kitteridge from Elizabeth Stout's novel by the same name. You don't read a lot of books that focus on women as they age into their 70's and 80's. We think we know them, but we don't know their history as much as we think we do. I was also reminded of Emily from Stewart O'Nan's Wish You Were Here. O'Nan's novel (please forgive its rather unfortunate title) is set at the family summer home in Michigan. It's filled with lush details that might drive some readers insane (where's the plot?), but this reader likes to lose herself in those details. Sullivan has a way with details, too. You want to know these things because it reveals more about the characters.

If you love character studies, read this book. I cannot wait to read Commencement, Sullivan's first novel.

Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Cormac McCarthy's The Road smashed into Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy? I'm thinking it would resemble Ashes. My co-worker agreed and suggested tossing in Justin Cronin's The Passage, too. I haven't read it yet, but it's in my To Be Read pile.  From what I know about it, I think it fits perfectly.

I've shied away from the apocalyptic zombie/vampire books. I haven't read The Twilight books. I don't mix zombies with Jane Austen. But I've been watching The Walking Dead on AMC. It's good all around gore. The story and acting are okay, but the gore is supremely fun. The second season started last week which whet my appetite for a tale of zombies or The Zapped, as Alex, our heroine in Ashes, likes to refer to them.

Ashes is the first book in a trilogy by Ilsa Bick. The story pulls you in as Alex hikes into the deep woods of Michigan to release her parents' ashes and, we're not sure and neither is Alex, possibly commit suicide. After losing her parents, she discovered that she had an inoperable brain tumor which she refers to as The Monster. I'm all too familiar with brain tumors, so this aspect really drew me in. Alex runs into a grandfather and granddaughter who are trying to heal their own fresh wounds. As they start to pry into Alex's secrets, the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) hits. Birds fall from the skies, deer jump to their deaths, and Alex feels intense pain. Is it The Monster? Or something else? Alex regains her composure and discovers she's saddled with the granddaughter who is understandably freaked, but refuses to accompany Alex who sets off for the ranger station.

The apocalyptic landscape and the journey remind me of The Road which I really viewed as the son's coming of age story. Ashes ups the ante by removing Alex's parents before the story begins, and we definitely watch Alex mature quickly as the world turns to ashes. Alex is a strong female character reminiscent of Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Alex both try to maintain their human-ness as the world falls apart around them. They learn both good and not-so-great details about their character.

What happens to Alex as she discovers changes to the world and to herself brought on by the EMP. What's family? What's your true nature? Who do you trust? Who's left in the world? What or who caused the EMP? Do ethics still apply in a world turned crazy? Join Alex on her journey as she discovers the answers.

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

I enjoyed this book about a Midwestern family set in the 1970's to the present, but I really wanted to love it. I found the characters interesting, but I didn't find myself caring for them. The leaps in time between chapters made this novel feel more like a collection of short stories. I don't say that as a bad thing (Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout is one of my favorites books). The chapters can stand alone. They might even be more powerful as individual stories.

The story spans three decades. We watch siblings Anita, Ryan, and Torrie struggle with emotional and financial stability at various stages of their lives. Anita marries a banker only to discover marriage and motherhood is way more difficult then she imagined. Ryan wants something more than Iowa can give him, but he's never quite sure what he needs. He moves to Chicago and ultimately lands in technology after trying to become a professor. We meet three women who influence the trajectory of his life. Torrie is the youngest who suffers a catastrophic brain injury. She accidentally discovers photography which leads to a chance to express her inner demons. I wanted to know more about Torrie.

Chip is the lost cousin who returns from Vietnam early in the novel. We follow Chip on various journeys to the Northwest, Mexico, and back to Iowa. Thompson provides varying degrees of information on Chip's journey. I found Chip to be the most compelling character. The return of his almost, but not quite, step son at the end of the novel is a welcome distraction. I would love to read a sequel about the step son's relationship with Torrie.

The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Set in 1938, this book is about Kate Kontent, a smart, confident, woman who is mostly alone except for her friendship with Eve. They meet Tinker Grey at a jazz club on New Year's Eve. Tinker is drawn to Kate, but he is thrown into a relationship with Eve after she suffers major injuries when the roadster Tinker's driving crashes into a milk truck.

As guilt-ridden Tinker tries to make amends to Eve, Kate thrives in the New York of 1938. She starts as a secretary at a law firm, then moves on to the publishing world. She reads Walden, visits museums and clubs, and hangs out with a host of new friends while Eve and Tinker live in the world of the upper class. My favorite scene is when Kate quits her job, buys a lovely new dress, then takes herself to a fancy restaurant to spend the last of her money. It's heartbreaking to watch such a fun scene turn into a cathartic resurrection of sorts. Kate is a character you won't easily forget.

Towles is an intelligent writer, but his style is breezy rather than erudite. Tinker reminded me of Gatsby. The novel rides the chasm between classes which reminds you of today while echoing the past.

The Help

I resisted reading this best seller by Kathryn Stockett. So many people recommended it, but I was hesitant. I'm not sure why, but something about it kept nagging at me. I finally read it this summer when my book club selected it. I was drawn into the story. The book is well written which makes it an easy summer read. The characters are very real and I appreciated the humor sprinkled throughout.


The movie will start showing in theaters everywhere this week...but I still have a nagging feeling about this book. What is my problem with it? I think it comes down to the sense that in the story, the black maids needed white intervention to join the civil rights movement. Don't get me wrong. I know white people played a role in the civil rights movement; however, it was a supporting role. Black men and women fought that fight. They were the main characters.


Why do books and movies find it so compelling to center the civil rights movement around whites?

The Girl Who Played with Fire

I read this book during the summer of 2010. It's a little late, but here's my review!

Wow, another adrenaline infused ride. The story picks up where Dragon Tattoo left off. It's refreshing to read a nice long trilogy. I won't spoil anything, but the story finds Lisbeth in the middle of a triple murder. She's public enemy number one as her picture and story splash across the media which is devastating to the ultra-private hacker. Larsson is brave to separate Salander and Blomkvist for the entire story. At one point, Salander goes missing from the novel for a 100+ pages. This totally adds to the reader's anxiety over Salander's safety.

I'm looking forward to the The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, but I think I'll save it for later...or maybe not!

This Is Where I Leave You

My brother loaned this book to me. It's funny (and heartbreaking) which I suspect is difficult to write. It's easy to make someone cry (kill the dog!), but it's way more difficult to make them laugh. Judd's world falls apart when he catches his wife in bed with his boss, then his father dies. The family agrees to sit shiva for their Dad...who didn't believe in religion. Over the course of 7-days, Judd reunites with his brothers, sister (Wendy -- who's never really developed as a character), and Mom. Great set up for a book. Interesting characters, but the female characters are one dimensional (Madonnas, whores, shrews).

I appreciated that the ending does not tie up all the loose ends. This never happens in life so why should it happen in a novel?? Good read.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I tried to avoid this book. I ignored pleas by friends and family to read this book. I ignored news articles on this book which was quite difficult since its really saturated the mainstream media. Then my sister put it a copy of the paperback in my hands and told me: "you must read this book." Okay, I buckled and read it. I pushed through the first few chapters which are super slow...and just about the time I decided it wasn't for me, it got me! I was hooked once Lisbeth Salander appeared. She's an interesting heroine. Damaged, tough, vulnerable, intelligent, researcher (the nerd librarian in me loves this!), beautiful/sexy in a punkgirl way, junk food connoisseur, anti-social, abandoned, hacker.

Don't try to avoid this book. Give in. Embrace it and enjoy it for what it is: a thriller with captivating characters.

Word to the Hollywood movie producers: please do not give the role of Lisbeth to Kristen Stewart. I love Kristen, but Lisbeth needs to be strong. Daniel Craig will make an awesome Blomkvist.