“Summer Reading”

I checked in at the Musing Mondays blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s). What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! Also tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.

On social media people share their first swim of the season and barbeque grill fired up for the first time. Summer is here. The bookstores are rolling out their summer reading titles. These summer books, to my amusement, are quite diverse in their target audience and intensity of the subject matter. My reading for once is not influenced by change of season, weather, or travel plan. That said, I tend to pick lighter books that don’t require much brain juice to comprehend so I can bring with me to the pool. Summer reading always has an academic connotation: students are loaded with a pile of books to be completed over summer holiday. I think students should be given wide latitude in deciding what they want to read, instead of the Moby Dick-model. At Barnes & Noble and some local bookstores, I was a little taken aback by some of the titles: Columbine? Lolita? My school made me read Lolita in 10th grade but I don’t think some parts of this country would even allow that book to be shelved in public libraries! Interesting is that many of these summer reading books were once banned books: Leaves of Grass, Madame Bovary, Jungle, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Bell Jar. I read most of these in school, except Bell Jar, which was required reading for a literature course in Freshman year of college. Bell Jar is too depressing as a summer book. 

As much as I don’t make a list for summer, I have inclined toward including travel books—memoirs and narratives. Dreaming in French captures the Paris years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis. People Who Eats Darkness is a true crime story of 21-year-old Lucie Blackman who went missing in Tokyo. The city had simply swallowed her up. The Geography of Bliss is a grump’s journey to look for the “unheralded happy places.” These are great books to sizzle in imagination and far places. They are easy readings that you can pick up without having to back-track between pool times and cocktail hours.

Returns: About Rereading

I checked in at the Booking Through Thursday blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

What book(s) do you find yourself going back to? Beloved children’s classics? Favorites from college? Something that touched you and just makes you long to visit?
(Because, doesn’t everybody have at least one book they would like to curl up with, even if they don’t make a habit of rereading books? Even if they maybe don’t even have the time to visit and just think back longingly?)

I find myself returning to books that sparkle with contemplative prose. Many stories have stayed with me over the years but certain books have really stuck with me because of how the stories were told. Without further ado, I give you my treasured list and urge to grab these reads:

CROSSING TO SAFETY by Wallace Steger. The intense narrative power of the quiet prose brings into life a friendship between two married couples. It’s really a love story, not in the sense that it explores romantic dialogues and actions, but in the sense that it explores private lives. In the guise of friendship, sustained through births, outdoor adventures, job losses, war, moving, unrealized dreams, and thwarted ambition, Stegner offers, with an uncanny sensitivity, a glimpse of the physical and emotional intimacy in marriage that go largely unspoken out of respect and loyalty.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A tragic love story that takes place in a society of which the values have gone awry. Gatsby is a man of desperate love who has been blinded by rotten values. He doesn’t know that while pursuing his dream, it’s already behind him and that Daisy will always be like that green light at the end of the dock in an unreachable distance. Fitzgerald’s language once again proves that his prose is unfilmmable, without the latest release of the film adaptation.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY by Kazuo Ishiguro. Subtly plotted, this novel gives the impression that characters and scenes in the beautifully paced novel become no more than mouthpieces and backdrops for Ishiguro’s concern for the human condition: A desire to exceed one’s limitations. We are all obsessed with the upstairs-downstairs world as Downton Abbey has brought to life, but Stevens is, to me, the most capable butler in service. Not only is Stevens loyal to a fault, his former employer, Lord Darlington, however decent, honest, and well-meaning he was, was also playing a dangerous game by allowing himself to be used as a pawn in Hitler’s schemes.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov. What good is good without evil? This novel gives you the best answer in the backdrop of Stalin Soviet Union. Despite the atmosphere of terror that deepened all through the years he was working on the novel, the book takes on a surprisingly light tone, one of multifaceted humor, without compromising its philosophical depth. It is Bulgakov’s embittered and sarcastic response (and indictment) to his era’s denial of imagination and its wish to strip the world of divine qualities.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco. This is the one book that hits me by this author. It deals with issues from an age of classics; so in other words, because it’s set in Medieval times, is written in Dark Age vernacular and includes historical details worthily accurate of the respected academe Eco is. It is not just an exciting DaVinci-Code-style historical thriller, but also a densely layered examination of stories about stories about stories, of symbols about symbols about symbols, of the meaning behind meaning behind meaning.

50/50

I checked in at the Booking Through Thursday blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

My brother-in-law turns 50 this weekend. So, in his honor, please pick up your nearest book or whatever book you’re currently reading, and turn to page 50 and then share the first 50 words with the rest of us.

The book is Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. A new chapter begins on page 50:

I woke the next morning determined to take Belinda up on her other suggestion—the one for gainful employment. Armed with Belinda’s glowing recommendation, I sat facing the head of personnel at Harrods. He was eyeing me suspiciously and waved the letter in my direction. “If you had indeed proved so satisfactory, why did you leave this position?”

This book is the first of Royal Spyness Series. Unlike the Maggie Hope Series by Susan Elia MacNeal, (I just finished the second book, Princess Elizabeth’s Spy), Rhys Bowen’s a lighter mystery with a touch of humor and clever satire. She’s recruited by Her Majesty, not MI-5, to spy on the divorced American woman who is the latest flame of her son. Bowen’s is more an old-fashioned whondunnit, less the twists and turns of MacNeal’s internationally plotted conspiracy against the throne.

Unread, Forgotten, Dusty

A coworker and I talked about books that were intriguing enough for us to buy in the first place but that somehow we never got to read. I’m sure many readers have books that are collecting dust on our shelves unread. But what happened to the books that had obviously lost the appeal? Forgotten, banished, and set aside, they are not even in the TBR pile.

1. The book everyone is reading or recommedning.
I sometimes succumb to the popular opinion and sheep syndrome. Even though I know better about my taste, I still buy books that everyone is reading or talking about. Well—not Fifty Shades of Grey although a girlfriend who has never toughed a book is reading it. I’m talking about those phenomenal bestsellers that Hollywood quickly bought off the copyright to make a movie out of them. Like A Kite Runner. The Life of Pi. These books largely remain unread.

2. The book is dirt cheap.
Ever felt left out if you can’t make it to the $1 book sale at the local charity or library sale? When books cost no more than pennies and nickels, I tended to be much less selective. The result is a stack of books that I felt half-hearted about. The bargain bin can be dangerous because you never realize how quickly that pile builds up.

3. The book is a giant, intimidating-looking tome.
One day, I will read Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, and Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy. But to give me the credit, I have survived The Fountainhead (which I loved), and this year American Tragedy and The Secret History. At this point I don’t even want to think anything by Proust! It’s such a commitment to tomes.

4. The book is a classic, meaning an obligation.
I don’t know why I still feel obliged to reading books that bored the hell out of me in school. Just because something is shelved under classics doesn’t mean I have to read it. I enjoyed The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Sound and the Fury but I shouldn’t read everything written by Fitzgerald, Dickens, and Faulkner? One day, I’ll get to Les Misérables. (See #3)

5. The book is written by an author whose other work(s) I like.
Sometimes buying the entire oeuvre is a big mistake. I should have left Umberto Eco alone after reading, cherishing, and loving The Name of the Rose. Most of his other novels I cannot even get through the first chapter. Focault’s Pendulum is flat out boring and pointless, a huge mess. Cloud Atlas is another one, and the film doesn’t help. David Mitchell is the kind of author whom you just have to read one and you read them all. Number 9 Dream is gathering dust.

(A Bit of) Book Rant

I checked in at the Musing Mondays blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s). What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! Also tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.

(Picture: Leigh’s Favorite Bookstore in historic downtown Sunnyvale, 40 miles southeast of San Francisco. Fabulous indie bookstore but no Bowen mystery series.)

It all started with Mrs. Queen Takes the Train, the story of Her Majesty taking a trip to Scotland on a whim without royal escort or equerry. After that I’ve been searching for books set against England and the royalty. I stumbled upon Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, a typist who discovers and breaks the Nazi code that points to specific attacks, including the assassination of the prime minister. Now I’m burying my nose in the sequel, Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, in which this typist-turned-agent, Maggie Hope, disguised as the princess’s governess, is to investigate any espionage activity in Windsor Castle. Over the weekend I got behind the wheels looking for a similar series by Rhys Bowen but with no success at first. What do you do when your local indie doesn’t have books in stock? I drive around and check inventory. I don’t mind purchasing online but I don’t want to give my business to Amazon, which was under fire for perceived anti-gay policy. I think Amazon can totally decide what they want to sell and not to sell, but if you want to sell a LGBT book, you need to allow reviews. It’s like a business that wants the money from gays but is ashamed of its gay customers. To make a long story short, many of the indies don’t have Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness Mysteries series in stock (not even used copies) and I ended up buying the entire series at Barnes & Noble. This is how far I would go to find my books, because I don’t like waiting for packages that always come when I’m not home. It’s frustrating that you have to buy everything online and not be able to look at the item. Many stores offer free return but truth be told, I rather just get the book and be over with the hassle.

Deviate from Books

I checked in at the Booking Through Thursday blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

What’s your favorite hobby OTHER THAN reading?

Work. Does browsing the bookstores count? (Chortle) I make a stop at the neighborhood bookstore on the way home. Buying books is like making a grocery run—it’s life-sustaining. Anyway, when I’m not reading, I like to work out, to hike, and to make day trips. The Bay Area is home to many beautiful trails that are within an hour drive from the city. The world renowned Napa wine country is just an hour north of the city. You can read my post on Château Montelena yesterday—the winery that put Napa to the forefront of wine making in the world after a panel of French judges picked their chardonnay over the French in the celebrated 1976 Paris Tasting. Closer home I like to take my dog to one of the gems of city parks and open spaces that are unknown to tourists. On the weekend, I also like plane spotting at the water park near the airport. I’m an outdoor guy so you’ll find me sitting outside with a book.

Monday This and That

I checked in at the Musing Mondays blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

Describe one of your reading habits. Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s). What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!

I usually don’t start a book—specially a tome—toward the end of the month knowing I cannot finish it. I was trying to fill the two remaining days of the month with a book. Stehpen King’s Carrie answered that call. It’s very fast-paced book about a shy high-school girl, who uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on those who tease her. The appeal lays more in the setting than the paranormal power for me. These are high school kids and they are kids who don’t know better of the consequences. A new film adaptation starring Julienne Moore as Margaret White will release this October.

This week’s shopping spree concerns Rhys Bowen. I’m indebted to the bloggers who pointed me to Bowen’s Royal Spyness Series, after my review of Susan Elia MacNeal’s Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Bowen’s series features a penniless twenty-something member of the extended royal family in 1930s London. The first three are now sitting on my shelf: Her Royal Spyness, A Royal Pain, Royal Flush, along with MacNeal’s sequel Princess Elizabeth’s Spy.

Sporting

I checked in at the Booking Through Thursday blog, which is the host for a weekly book meme or blogging prompt. Here is this week’s prompt:

Do you read books about sports?
How about AT sporting events? (Kid’s soccer practice?)

Both in and out of the pages sports is my weakest link. I’ve never been good at sports. I avoided PE and found validation in academics and arts when I was a kid. Growing up I didn’t want to play the same game as the other guys. I just don’t have that sports gene in me. Now I peruse Men’s Health scrupulously for nutrition and workout tips. The two sports-related books I read were fiction: The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren and The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt. By coincidence they both involve a gay relationship. As for during sports events, I usually bring a book or two to the dog show and a baseball game.

Grabbers

When I don’t have the list of books with me, I browse the A-Z fiction section. When I am pressed for time, I scour and see what spines catch my eye. When I’m feeling random, I peek at the new book section. Sometimes the opening line of a book would just grab me by the nostrils. Grabbers are usually the tell-tale sign of a good read. To me they are way more convincing than the hype created by publishers in collusion with the media.

The Dinner by Herman Koch
“We’re going out to dinner. I won’t say which restaurant, because next time it might be full of people who’ve come to see whether we’re there.”

Hour of the Rat by Lisa Brackmann
“I seriously need to get out of Beijing.”

All That Is by James Salter
“All night in darkness the water sped past.”

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal
“Half an hour before Diana Snyder died, she tidied up her desk in the typists’ office of the Cabinet War Rooms.”

Velvet Heart

It’s been said that looking in retrospect often affords a sharper clarity. Reading The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs certainly puts me in sharp perspective of how I grew up being he little boy with the bug secret. I was lucky that the other boys never bullied me or called me names, but at a very early age, I knew I was different. This “different-ness” is not a preference for a ice cream flavor, but more intrinsic, something that will cause me to lose the love and affection of my parents. So in a way I grew up “disabled”, because I was trying to avoid situations that would invoke shame but to solicit validation. Unfortunately, validation for boys came from where I dreaded the most—the playground and sport field. It is on the playground that I probably first began to consciously think about how I was different from other boys. I didn’t want to play the same games as other boys. I was ignored (at least not taunted) by the more athletic, aggressive boys who always seemed to win the positive attention of their classmates and even the teachers. Unbeknowst to me at the time of course, I was operating on a defense mechanism that ensured survival. Perhaps I learned that I could win approval by becoming more sensitive than the other boys. What caused all this? The answer is often embarrassing: The fear that there was something about me that made me unlovable. This is exactly what Alan Downs addresses. The book really hits the spot. As I read, I keep bumping into my self, hopefully my old shelf.