A Couple of Books

I haven't posted in a while, and in that time, I have finished two and a half audiobooks, a novel, and I have pulled the ripcord on a non-fiction book. Here's some brief summaries:

The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner (audiobook) - What is it that makes people happy? To find out, the author visited a series of countries, some of which rank high on happiness measures (Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Thailand, etc.), and some of which rank low (Moldova, England). Not to spoil anything, but there are lots of different reasons why people are happy, but fewer reasons why people are unhappy. This was a really interesting listen - very well written, with some interesting philosophical detours into what happiness really is. Made me want to travel more and see some of the places he talked about!

Red Shirts, by John Scalzi (audiobook) - great meta- sci-fi novel about a group of ensigns on the Universal Union spaceship Intrepid (modeled closely on the USS Enterprise) who notice that there's always a junior crew member on away team missions, and that's the guy who always dies. They set off to find out why. I don't want to spoil it, so that's all I'll say. This one gets weird quick, but it is a really great story that touches on fate, destiny, meaning-of-life kind of stuff. Even if you don't like sci-fi, I think you might find this one interesting. (To add to the meta, the audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton, who played Ensign Crusher on Star Trek The Next Generation. He does a great job!)

I got through half of "The World Without Us", by Alan Weisman. It's a thought experiment about what would happen to the planet if mankind suddenly disappeared, leaving behind all our buildings, chemicals, plastic, etc. It's an interesting book, but I got tired of the anti-human attitude that ran through the entire first half. I know we need to be good stewards of the world we have, but the assumption that the untamed wilds are preferable to a human-influenced landscape seems like a big assumption to me. In the first chapter, he talks about a project that is trying to recreate enclaves in Manhattan that restore pre-Dutch landscape and vegetation. It's interesting that he doesn't mention until the last sentence of the chapter that the Native Americans had settled Manhattan for thousands of years and significantly influenced both the flora and the fauna that the Dutch found when they got there. The assumption that European settlement is somehow less valuable than agrarian hunter-gatherer tended forest is just not an assumption I agree with.

Reamde, by Neal Stephenson - entertaining novel about a computer virus that gets out of hand. This novel starts out strong, gets (frankly) rather ridiculous in the middle, and finishes really strong. I mean, you've got Chinese hackers, Russian mafia, islamic terrorists, fundie survivalists, and everything. It's just nuts. But it's well written, and has done interesting things to say about international crime, computer security, and unintended consequences. Weighing in at something like 900 pages, it's an investment, but it pays off.  It's more of a techno-thriller than anything else, and with a good editor could make for an exciting movie.

I was going to write something about the book I just bailed on 25 pages on, but it's not worth it. On to the next book!

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Oh boy.  I was in the airport in Lincoln, NE and needed a book.  The choices were mostly Harlequin Romance types, so I opted for Nora Roberts.  For what it is, it didn't disappoint.  Boy meets girl, angst, resistance,  pursuit, seduction, and victory.  In this bodice ripper (as Max calls them) the man (Gulliver) is a rookie fire jumper, the girl (Rowan) is his trainer and they fight forest fires.  Of course there is murder, mystery and betrayal thrown in to thicken the plot.  If the facts are somewhat accurate, I did learn some interesting things about those that jump out of planes to fight fires - they are nuts!   It was a pleasant, mindless read, but I have had enough of Nora for a while. 

Jasmine

Jasmine by Barbara Kevin was a book I downloaded onto my Kindle for free.  I read it on two plane rides and overall thought the book was good but I was glad I didn’t pay for it.  It was a basic love story that had a few elements of drama, surprise and mystery.  I wanted to see more of the relationship between the two main characters and also more about them and who they were as people.  Sometimes it felt like they left a few chapters out of the book but I checked my Kindle and it was all there!  The best part was that it was a quick read and kept you entertained during it.  It is like a less raunchy harlequin on speed.

Half Broke Horses

I recently finished the book Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls and my feeling after finishing the book is that I can’t wait to read it again.  I very rarely find pleasure in reading a book more than once but I am excited about this one.  This book was simply amazing!  It has jumped into the top 5 of favorite books I have read.  It is titled a “true life novel” and it tell the story of the authors grandmother and her life.  As usual, Amazon does a great job summing it up.  Here is what Amazon shares:

“So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town—riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa or Beryl Markham’s West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.”

I cannot begin to recommend this book enough.  I have leant it to Mom/Cindy and I hope she loves it just as much as I did.  The details, the relationship that is naturally formed between the reader and Lily and all the adventures she has is thrilling.  I think that anyone would enjoy this book even if they are not terribly interested in the southwest lifestyle.  At the least I believe it would form a sense of respect for women of that day and age.  Read this book, I hope you love it as much as I did!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

I was at the library trying to find an audiobook that was kid friendly and yet would be some what interesting to me, and I saw this book. Peter and the Secret of Randoon this is the third installment of the Barry and Pearson's Peter Pan series.  It was a fun listen.  In this book, you learn why Peter can separate from his shadow, how the croc swallowed the clock, and how the lost boys got to the island.  If you are reading the series it's worth continuing.  Just some fun brain candy.

The Hatfields and the McCoys

Well I finished the book "The Hatfields and the McCoys" by Rice Otis.  I really enjoyed reading about my family history.  I grew up on some of the stories that the book covers, but it was fascinating to read just how long the feud lasted and how involved it was.  I didn't know that the Kentucky and West Virginia governors were so deeply involved in the political aspects of the feud.  The book was more historical and focused on historical documents rather than lore.  But Otis did a good job tying these documents together in a narrative form.  I really enjoyed reading it and it was a pretty short book (only about 130 pages or so).  Otis also did a pretty good job staying neutral and represented both sides of the feud well.  The pictures were fun to look at and I am pretty sure I saw my uncle John and his son John Richard in those pictures!  And the History Channel mini series does a good job of following the facts as Otis presented them.  I am enjoying watching the mini series, but is harder to see the violence than it was to read about it.  Over all I am proud to know about my ancestry and am thankful for the chance to learn more about it.

Ready Player One

I finished this audiobook a week or two ago - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, as read by Wil Wheaton. I really liked this book. It's set in the not so distant future, after the collapse of the world economy under the pressure of the energy crisis. An inventor born in the 1970s creates an immersive virtual world called The Oasis, filled with 1980s nostalgia. When the inventor dies, his avatar announces a contest - whoever finds the easter egg he has hidden in the Oasis will inherit his fortune. A mad race to find it begins.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It's very well written, it's full of great nostalgia, and the performance is fantastic. Even if you don't like Science Fiction, I think you'd enjoy it.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker

Erin recommended this book and I am SO glad she did!  It is simply a beautiful book.  The language, the style, the flow and rhythm are just lovely and magical.  The setting is mostly Burma and the story revolves around a man's life; past and present.  The main character, Tin Win, disappears and when his daughter tries to find him, his secret past is beautifully unwrapped, bit by bit.  It is a story of love and devotion, dedication and commitment.  Since Erin has already reviewed this book, I will leave it at that - I loved it - it was a great read and I enjoyed it immensely. 

Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of Poo

This is not going to be a complete review on this book by Jennifer Luitwieler because I CANNOT get through this stupid book.  I was so excited to receive this book from Amazon.  It had great reviews and great hype.  Wow have I been disappointed.  This book is an unorganized, scatter brained account of a lady (Jennier – the author) and the process of trying to find herself.  It occasionally touches on running and how she relates it to her finding herself and easing her struggles.  The style of writing reminds me of an old Gilmore Girls episode gone terribly wrong.  Trying to be witty and quick, she falls short.  She tries to be funny but to me, she has failed miserably.  I have had 1 page so far (I am 75% of the way through) that I have dogearred because it has a quote from SOMEONE ELSE that I like.  Nothing to do with her.  I usually am very drawn to these light and fun reads but this has been miserable.  She does a fair amount of church bashing although she is starting to come around, so it seems.  She will start a story and how it has helped her grow, change, whatever, but never follows through.  It lacks details and the element that makes you want to keep reading.  Usually I can immediately find a connection with the main character in a book but I am still stuck looking for ways to form a relationship with Jennifer.  My perception of the book must be terribly wrong given the raving reviews on Amazon.  Best of luck if you try and read this book.  I am off to read something else that will hopefully suppress my literary appetite.