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October 21, 2014 · 9:32 am

Review: Juliet, Naked

Juliet, NakedJuliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I get disillusioned with the world and it starts to feel like the only way I’ll find that spark of beauty is with fantasy, by somehow altering reality, because I just can’t handle the mediocrity of it all.

When I feel like that, I ought to read something by Nick Hornby. He’s a master at looking at the same drab, dreary everyday world and turning up a gem.

Juliet, Naked chronicles what it means to be a fan of a piece of art–music, in particular–and how our perceptions of art can vary from person to person (even from creator to devotee) and what that can mean.

The story focuses on the work of imaginary temporarily famous ’80s rocker Tucker Crowe, who produced at least one album that seized the world with its intensity and then mysteriously stopped performing. The sudden absence of the artist–and the more than two decades with no news at all–leaves super-fans like the British low-tier professor Duncan grasping at rumors and imagination.

Duncan is the literal leader of an online Tucker Crowe fanclub, endlessly obsessed with and analyzing the old albums. His long-time girlfriend, Annie, just accepts that as part of her life–drab, dreary, not worth mentioning.

Until a “raw” version of Tucker Crowe’s hit album is released, sending Duncan into a premature delirium of excitement and Annie into her first real venture into Duncan’s online fandom. The album–and the feelings and thoughts and contemplation it triggers–sets off an unexpected chain of events and totally changes the world for Duncan, Annie, and even Tucker Crowe.

It’s a really great modern book. And when I say modern, I mean it: it’s still strange and wonderful when a book mentions everyday things like cell phones and, heck, the internet! And Hornby did a great job capturing the intensity of a super-fan and balancing that with the reactions of “everyday” fans. It made me think about my appreciation of music and art in general, and what it means to be a creator.

Juliet, Naked is both a thoughtful contemplation of the way music appreciation affects us as well as a deliciously jolly and realistic look at what makes life worth living.

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October 14, 2014 · 9:31 am

Hate A Book? Don’t Force It.

Author Nick Hornby has made waves with this article about highbrow books, and people’s enjoyment of them. (And it’s fortuitous, because I just started reading one of his books, Juliet, Naked, and he’s just phenomenal.)
Some people have interpreted that article to mean: “don’t read anything hard.”
But I don’t think it’s that at all. I think Hornby is trying to emphasize that reading should not be a chore (though, as I’ve said, sometimes it’s inordinately made into one in school). He’s saying that a book can be a “classic” or “highbrow” or “important” without necessarily being something you’re interested in and will benefit from.
I find it interesting that people are upset by this idea at all. If you replaced “highbrow” with a genre, people wouldn’t be at all surprised that not everyone likes it: ex. “If you don’t like a horror book, it’s ok not to read it. Horror may just not be for you.”
See? Is that scandalous? I don’t think so.
But sometimes we put certain kinds of books on a pedestal, sometimes just because they are challenging. I get the impression that some books–perhaps War and Peace?–are idolized not as books but as achievements to be checked off. “Oh, I read that.” Could you have a conversation about it? Did you enjoy yourself? Probably not, but you can check it off your bucket list.
And if that appeals to you, go ahead, have at it. But I’m 100% unabashedly in support of people reading because they like to read. (And, given enough latitude and choice, that everyone could be a reader if they were only given the opportunity to read the kinds of things they may like.)
Full disclosure: I didn’t get through more than 25 pages of Moby Dick. I know it’s an important and worthy book and all that, but I felt like I was being stabbed by ice picks when I read it. And I don’t feel like I’m missing that much, honestly.
What do you think? Should you buckle down during a hard read, or is it ok to put it aside?

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October 9, 2014 · 9:19 am

Review: And Then There Were None

And Then There Were NoneAnd Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And Then There Were None is an old-school murder mystery novel in the truest sense: it was originally published in 1939, and, of course, is written by mystery great Agatha Christie.

It’s interesting to see how some writing tropes have changed in 75 years: things like dialogue placement and word tense are pretty different. In fact, I doubt a modern publisher would give “And Then There Were None” a close look because of those differences, despite the interesting story.

The set-up is this: 10 strangers are called to a mansion in an isolated island, whereupon a gramophone announces that each is accused of murder in some way. And then, one by one, the visitors are killed off, while the survivors scramble to figure out who could have done it, why, and who is next.

In that, it feels a lot like Clue: The Movie; there’s a lot of scrambling about from room to room, trying to guess at straws. Much like Clue, it also features all manners of death, so you never know what will come next. I actually looked to see if Clue was inspired by this book–it looks like no, but there are strong similarities.

However, when you reach the end, we lose the similarities.

(Spoilers to follow)

Because this book does not conform to the mystery structure we’ve all come to know: no one figures it out and saves the day. In fact, the police arrive a full 24 hours after the last victim has died, and leave without having figured it out. It isn’t until the epilogue that anything is explained, and–well, honestly, I think Christie may have cheated the reader some. I don’t think the result is truly “guessable”; it’s a rigged game.

That unsatisfactory ending was a disappointment to me, but it is a good lesson that sometimes the old standby structure is there for a reason. And, of course, it’s not wrong to mess with it. Just not something that appealed to me in this case.

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September 18, 2014 · 9:27 am

Deaths in The Iliad Infographic

For all your Classics class needs, someone made a great infographic on all the deaths in Homer’s The Iliad.

I just love this. I nearly minored in Classics in college (I had already double-minored, though, so that seemed a little excessive) but I just loved those classes. My favorite class of all time was a Classics/Archeology class where we watched famous movies and talked about how much they got wrong. For that class, I blazed through the entire Iliad in two weeks (on top of my other courseload) so…while I remember a lot of it, I forget a lot of this fine-detail stuff. And it must have taken so much data to get this one beautiful infographic! High-quality stuff, this.

(If you can’t read Greek, here’s a translation of the bottom portion:

  • Badass! Most kills in one book – Patroclus
  • Most Consistent – Achilles
  • Most Overlooked – Diomedes
  • Most Bloodthirsty – Agamemnon
  • Sneakiest – Teucer
  • Most Useless – Paris

Poor, poor useless Paris. He can’t help that all he can do is lob some arrows.)

Oh, and if you like this, I *highly* recommend you go read The Song of Achilles. It’s just so much fun; the best modern take on the genre I’ve read.
Brb, gonna go rewatch Troy for the thousandth time.

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September 2, 2014 · 8:58 am

Review: Gone Girl

Gone GirlGone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Gone Girl” is without a doubt the best, most original book I’ve read all year. Maybe in the past few years. It’s outstanding, and if you even remotely like crime novels or TV shows, you need to read this book.

I know, it’s super-hyped and sometimes you may not want to read a book because it can’t possibly be that good and books sometimes get popular because of some unquantifiable zeitgeist. Worry not: “Gone Girl” is just genuinely good and surprising.

It’s the kind of book that makes you say, “OMIGOD, you HAVE to read this book!” because you desperately want someone to talk to about it.

It’s a book that says, “Oh, you think you’ve seen this on “Law & Order” that one time? You think you know what’s coming? WHAM! YOU KNOW NOTHING!”

It’s the kind of book that made me wonder, initially, if my newly acquired husband could ever turn out to be a murderer. And then it made me wonder if maybe I had it in me to be a murderer.

“Gone Girl” really takes the crime novel standards and turns them on their ear. It’s revolutionary in a lot of ways. I mean, how often are you allowed to view the story from the perspective of suspect #1–and yet don’t know if he did it or not?

The set-up is that it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary, and their marriage has started to unravel. Nothing major, just bits here and there; it’s not what it was. And then Amy goes missing. As is so common in crime shows and books and in real life, suspicion automatically falls on Nick.

I won’t reveal more than that, because as much as I want to talk about this book, the surprises are worth keeping secret for other readers–they’ll hit you like a club to the head.

The story is incredible for the writing alone (excluding the truly brilliant plot for a moment). It’s told from both Nick’s perspective–he talks to you as if you’re perhaps his little mental Jiminy Cricket, or an audio diary–and from excerpts from Amy’s diary, which retells parts of their lives, leading up to the cataclysm, from their first meeting all the way up to the collapse of their marriage. The tone is spot-on: it sounds just like normal people. I’ve never seen real-life captured so thoroughly on the page, so intimately intertwining the reader and the author’s voice. Gillian Flynn is a helluva writer. Plus, I used to live in Missouri, where the book is set, and I am astounded by the little details only a Missourian would pick up on, little things like the blanket adoration for the Cardinals baseball team–things that make these people seem very much alive.

I guarantee, no matter how much a TruCrime connoisseur you think you are, you will be surprised, pleased, disturbed and amazed by this book. I absolutely cannot recommend it enough.

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August 30, 2014 · 9:33 am

My Top 10 Most Influential Books

I was challenged to the silly “book duel” on Facebook by an acquaintance, and though I typically don’t like those sorts of “pass it on” challenge deals, this was good to think about.

So here are the top ten books that have the most influenced me thus far:

I’ve been challenged to a “book duel,” which sadly doesn’t mean throwing books at other people. But it does mean listing 10 of the books that most influenced me. (I will be opting out of the “challenging” of others. Answer if you wish.) My top 10 most influential books, in no particular order:

1. The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay
2. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
3. Grimm’s Fairy Tales, by the Brothers Grimm –the older, far scarier and more demented versions
4. Sandman comics, all of them, by Neil Gaiman
5. The Bible, without the context of which I wouldn’t understand much of modern literature, in addition to any faith-related benefits
6. Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn, for showing me how flexible and creative writing can be.
7. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss, for my early editing education and one good panda joke
8. The Weather Wardens series by Rachel Caine, because she’s a local author who started young and made it big.
9. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell. I just love that book.
10. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

Also, it wasn’t until I wrote this up that I realized I’ve MET three out of the 10 authors on this list; if we exclude the ones that are long dead, my percent leaps up to 50%! Wow!

What would make your list? What do you recommend?

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August 12, 2014 · 8:56 am

Fast Foodie Nation

Doritos Taco Loco, via HuffingtonPost

Really? People eat this stuff–on purpose?

My husband and I were talking about the newest concoctions from fast food/convenience store marketers, and I had an epiphany. We’re calling it the “Fast Foodie” trend.

Basically, we think there are two basic movements happening in the food market, two fundamental types of  relatively new consumers.

The first is already well-documented: the Foodies. These are the folks who prefer organic ingredients, melt over the freshest kale innovation, who want to know which farm has the chicken that laid their omelet. It’s all about fresh, and healthy, and good for the world. It’s also fairly expensive, with a little bit of a reputation of snoodiness.

It used to be “Foodies” in one corner and “everyone else” in the other. But then we got a new sub-group: the Fast Foodies. These are folks who, like their Foodie counterparts, are looking for something a little different on the menu tonight. But, unlike Foodies, they don’t have a lot of money, or they don’t care much for health trends, and are not at all worried about the environment or freshness or, really, if that even really is chicken egg in their breakfast. There’s also a great shock value effect when you tell someone what you had for lunch and they say, “Really? You ate that?!”

And thus was spawned a market.

We have these Fast Foodies to thank for the incredible, awe-inspiring monstrosities saturating the market: Taco Bell Doritos Taco Loco; Ben & Jerry’s new Core flavors, which feature a build-your-own middle flavor; the Bacon Sundae at Burger King or the Bacon Shake at Jack in the Box; Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Crust pizza; White Castle Chicken Rings; Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco; KFC’s Double Down–who needs bread when you can have more fried chicken?; Loaded Doritos at 7-11.

These are folks that don’t care that a Taco Loco from Taco Bell contains 14% of their daily value of sodium, and that nearly half of its calories are from pure, glorious fat. In fact, they might like it because of that. After all, it took less than six months for Taco Bell to top the $1 billion mark for the $1.89 tacos.

It certainly isn’t the first time we’ve eaten strange things–McDonald’s may have been the kickoff, offering the McGriddle and McRib before the fad seems to have started–but it does seem like it’s a big movement now.

Personally, I can’t speak to the taste or quality of any of those products: I veer more toward the Foodie side of the Foodie–Fast Foodie spectrum, and the idea of eating any of that stuff makes me kinda sick. But I do think it’s fascinating.

What do you think? Is the Fast Foodie trend real…and is it here to stay?

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July 29, 2014 · 9:06 am

‘Radio’ for the Elderly: What’s the Next Step?

I have an idea for a product that needs to exist. It sounds like it is perfect for a Kickstarter, and I know it would help a lot of people…but I have no idea how to get it produced. So–I’m hoping someone out there can help me?

I want to make a “radio” for elderly patients.

Here’s the story: my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and has been getting worse lately. The retirement home he and my grandmother live in is far from family (they picked it, years ago) and especially far from my family. Whereas other family members could just drive over and visit, it’s a long, expensive flight for me. But I still want to do something to help.

I decided I wanted to buy him a music player, load it up with music from his youth, and give it to him. Music has incredible powers, helping access parts of our memories that we otherwise can’t find.

You’ve probably seen the video of Henry on YouTube. If you haven’t, it’s here below. Careful, it’s a tearjerker:

My grandfather isn’t as bad off as Henry was, but he will be soon. He gets confused and doesn’t know where he is. He gets afraid. I thought music, even if it didn’t bring him back to us, would at least lift his spirits.

But I was missing a crucial ingredient: I can’t go to his nursing home, put the headphones on him, turn it on. And the nursing staff can’t be relied upon to do that; they have other jobs. My grandmother is there, and could help, but the new technology is too confusing for her, and the buttons are small.

This is what I needed:

  • something I could pre-load with music
  • large volume controls and an on/off switch
  • speakers, and maybe a headphone jack for over-the-ear headphones
  • a cord that plugs into the wall
  • relatively inexpensive (we have some fears about his belonging being stolen)
  • preferably something that looks superficially familiar to him, like an old-style radio

I’ve looked and looked for months, but I can’t find something that met those requirements. I’ve found a lot of “almosts,” but most radios have a lot of extra buttons or settings, and I am afraid he would accidentally switch or change my presettings and not have music.

I think this is a product that needs to exist; I’d have paid a lot of money to buy one if it already did. I don’t know how to produce a product like that, but it would bring such comfort to the families of Alzheimer’s patients, and joy to the patients themselves. For people in private rooms or apartments, like my grandfather, a little stereo clearly labeled “on/off” that he could potentially work by himself would be ideal.

My grandfather turns 89 this weekend. I would love to give him the gift of music.

Can anyone help? If you know of how to get something like this, please let me know. If you have suggestions to build one, heck, I’ll learn to solder if it would help me give this gift to my grandfather.

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July 22, 2014 · 9:53 am

And They Lived Happily Ever After. The End?

As repeat readers may know, I just got married. And, as you may have noticed, I can overthink things.

Major life shift + tendency to overthink = lots of thoughts, it turns out.

The definition of marriage is the subject of a great deal of controversy in this country right now, as is whether the institution is even worth it. I admit that a few weeks ago, I felt like the ceremony and the piece of paper wasn’t going to change anything about my relationship: I felt seriously, emotionally, religiously, bonded to my other half already. What did it really matter if we had governmental approval or not?

But then we got married, in a beautiful and meaningful ceremony followed by a dance party with friends from all parts of our lives, and we moved in together, and we’ve merged bank accounts and his books are in my bookshelves and we’re talking about what we should have for dinner every night. In other words, even though I can’t tell you exactly why, it feels different.

Which is where the overthinking comes in: I don’t know how to be a wife.

I mean, I went into this thinking being a wife was pretty much the same as being a girlfriend, except we’ve made it permanent. But now that I’m in it, now that I have this feeling, it seems like there’s something different. And I don’t know how to do it, to be it.

And then I thought: Happily Ever After. The stories stop. The story is all about getting to the prince, ending with the poofy white dress and the wedding bells, pan up to the castle and assume that’s all anyone needs to know.

And not even just the fairy tales. The modern movies are all about the chase; when the love interest is found, the meet-cute is over, finito.

And that seems to be true in life, too, at least to an extent: I worked on a book a few weeks ago that was based on the author’s grandmother’s real-life story. It was interesting and exciting through her childhood and youth…and then she got married. The first 20 years of her life took up 80% of the book; after the wedding, the last sixty years of her life made up a paltry 20% of the book.

So one night I panicked. I asked my husband(!): “Is this it? Is my story over?! I don’t want my story to be over!”

Even though I know, in my rational brain, that being married doesn’t have to mean everything stops, that the achievements get dusty and forgotten on the shelf, it feels that way. Most of the stories about marriage are about cheating, or almost cheating: not something to want. The stories with seemingly good marriages in them are about the kids–I’m not even ready to start that conversation yet.

Am I reading the wrong books, here? Or is marriage always too boring to be written about–meaning that any excitement or achievements or forward motion is something I’ll have to produce on my own, pushing past the inertia of knowing whom I’m coming home to every night? Why, if our society supposedly values marriage so much, is there not a plethora of stories to teach us how to be good husbands and wives?

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July 19, 2014 · 9:45 am

A Complete Listing of the Gods in ‘American Gods’

Keep this link handy the next time you pick up Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods”: it’s a complete list of all the gods mentioned, interacted with, or referred to in the novel (even theories on who “the forgotten god” may be).

It’s a hobby site, and a damned impressive one at that. Even Neil said so, and the Hill House edition of the novel even came with a paper version of the site. That’s some great research!

If you haven’t read “American Gods,” I think you should. It’s a challenging book, and, in my opinion, a great example of the way fantasy can mingle with literary fiction. It isn’t for everyone, though. But if you do read it, this incredible site will help you muddle through all the gods. Gaiman pulled from all sorts of mythologies to create the book, and it’s pretty hard to wrap your head around all of it.

Anyway, a really cool research project that I appreciated and hope to utilize when I read the book again.

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