h-monkey reads

Reading Completely Derailed

2007-08-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

I've been totally off track on reading since Deathly Hallows. I got sidetracked trying to plan some vacations so I mostly was reading travel guides about Alaska and the Grand Canyon.

Right now I'm trying to read The Raw Shark Texts, which is confusing but pretty cool, and I hope to finish it this weekend on vacation. It's way overdue at the library and since I'm already paying a steep fine for it, I refuse to return it without actually finishing the book!

Next up will likely be a re-read of the Traveler by John Twelve Hawks before tackling the follow up "Dark River" that was recently published.

Stay tuned -- I promise to read and update soon!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you've all guessed, all other reading stopped in the days leading up to the release of Deathly Hallows. I needed to refresh my brain on the last few books and ponder all the questions I wanted answered in DH.

Then I read the book over the weekend in a page turning fit. I forced myself to stop and sleep and then to go for a run before the huge battle of Hogwart's.

I loved the book. I have many thoughts but I don't quite know where to begin.

In progress: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

2007-07-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

This one is interesting but a little preachy. The woman (author Barbara Kingsolver) and her family are trying to eat only local foods for one year. She's trying to support the local economy and cut down on the fossil fues wasted in the transport of "exotic" food.

I'm really only getting into the real story - they've only just begun their quest - but I have had to laugh a few times when she mocks kids for not wanting to eat things that have touched dirt. I'm totally like that!

The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

2007-06-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Namesake is a pretty awesome book. I'm about three quarters through and I'm really enjoying every word.

This is a quiet book and not much happens although it does trace a man's life from birth until at least his 27th birthday (where I am now in the story). I assume it'll continue through his entire life.

The central characters are a Bengali couple who move to the U.S. shortly after their marriage and their two children who are born in America. Their oldest son, Gogol, is "the namesake" and he is really the main character. It's a really interesting look into the clash of Indian and American culture and how it's hard for Gogol's parents, especially his mother, to function in the U.S. especially when their children are totally American.

It's really interesting to me to see the perspective of the parents who never quite feel at home in the U.S. and how puzzled they are by their children and vice versa. It's cool to see their side of it when most of what I'm exposed to is the Americanized kids version of things.

This will sound strange, I think, but I find that Lahiri's style of writing is particularly soothing. Her words have a very quiet tone and they seem to just wrap you into the cocoon of a world she's creating in her novel.

I can't wait to finish this and I've also checked out her book of short stories: The Interpreter of Maladies which won some awards a few years ago.

The audacity of hope : thoughts on reclaiming the American dream

2007-06-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

I checked out the Barack Obama book because I find him a little bit fascinating. I haven't heard him speak very much and I really don't know why he has so much buzz about him other than that he's young.

I'm ashamed that I sat on the book for about a month and never cracked the cover until the day it was due back at the library. I took it to work and managed to read nothing but the Introduction -- and that part was enough to make me want to read the rest of the book.

I've heard that his political views are pretty far to the left, and I generally am middle of the road leaning to the right, but I can't argue with what he says he wants to do in his introduction. I guess it's what everybody wants to do, it's just a matter of you actually get there. A quote:

"... another tradition to politics, a tradition that stretched from the days of
the country's founding to the glory of the civil rights movement, a tradition
based on the simple idea that we have a stake in one another, and that what
binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough
people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not
solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done." (Page 2)

That makes sense right? Idealistic, sure, but it makes enough sense that I should probably check the book out again and read it! (or at least skim it!)

Then we came to the end : a novel -- by Joshua Ferris.

2007-06-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

I just started this book today. I must say that I'm not loving it to start. It feels very heavy and pretentious for a book that is supposed to be funny.

It's about an office that is going through layoffs. It sounded like it would be like the movie Office Space but I'm not getting that vibe. We'll see but as of now I'm not sure I'll be able to plow through this before it's due back at the library.

Update 6/20: I finished the book today at lunch. I'm not sure how I feel. It had some funny elements but mostly it was just strange and depressing. This was all about how people in cubes hate their jobs, they hate their cubes, the mostly hate their co-workers and in a lot of cases they hate the rest of their lives too.

The worst part of it is how familiar so much of the depressing vibe was. People droning on about how pointless and annoying work is and how they have their assigned roles within the office eco-system. But I guess that's also the best part of the book. The author certianly captures a feeling that is uncomfortably familiar.

Bottom line: don't bother, it's kind of depressing despite the fairly good writing

Eat, pray, love : one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia - Elizabeth Gilbert

2007-06-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Words can't express how much I hate this book. I love the concept, I love the cover, I even liked the author (before I read this book!). Everybody seems to love it.

I HATED it!

She's annoying and pretentious and completely nuts. And possibly lying through her teeth about everything.

Here's an example. She leaves her husband of 10 years to take up with her "soulmate" with whom she has a wild affair that leads her to meet her guru. Anyway, this is a tumultuous affair where they hate each other as often as they get along. She runs away to Italy for four months and tells the soulmate not to contact her while she's away. Six months later, after no contact from the guy, she e-mails him and says: "I think we should break up". His response? "I adore you more than words can say."

BLAH! She's a big faker.

Then she went to India to live in an ashram for 4 months. I didn't even make it to the part where she gets to Indonesia to live with a medicine man or something.

Little girls in pretty boxes : the making and breaking of elite gymnasts and figure skaters - by Joan Ryan

2007-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! This book is an eye-opener!

It's kind of a grusome tell-all about how horrible Bela Karolyi (and all his protege coaches) is and how terrible it is for young girls to be involved in gymnastics.

The figure skating stuff is less shocking - more like how they told Nancy Kerrigan to get veneers on her teeth to get better endorsements and how Tonya Harding lost competitions because she was trashy. The gymnastics stuff is more about horrifying injury and eating disorders and all sorts of abusive treatment by coaches. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch that sport again. (not that I watched it much anyway!)

It was a total page turner but it's also a lot of stuff I wish I didn't know.

The book also killed the dream of the Olympics -- all the girls they talked to hated the experience. Mostly because their coaches wouldn't let them eat or participate in any of the fun parts.

Educating Esmé : diary of a teacher's first year - by Esme Codell

2007-06-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

I got this one from Barnes & Noble's book a day calendar.

Esme sounds like an awesome teacher and the book is easy to read but I still found it a little bit self congratulatory and kind of irritating.

Still, I read it in one sitting. It's a tiny book.

Review: I feel bad about my neck : and other thoughts on being a woman - By Nora Ephron

2007-06-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think I'm just a tiny bit too young for this book but I still found it quite funny. It's about the hassles of growning old as a woman and still trying to look good.

It's short and easy to read and probably should have been a magazine article.

I'm back!

2007-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

After a VERY long hiatus from posting book reviews, I decided to start up again.

Not all my reviews are negative....but a lot are. I try to tell the truth. I also don't give much analysis - I just say if I like it or not.

Cooking for Mr. Latte - Amanda Hesser

2005-06-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

HATE HATE HATE HATE this book. She is the most pretentious know it all I have ever encounterd. I love food books and she just makes me want to throw up. I couldn't even finish it she's so completely annoying. And then when she finally reveals that Mr. Latte's real name is Tad I wanted to throw the book against the wall. Ever since that loser Tad Martin was on All My Children I have despised that name.

The secret history of the pink carnation - Lauren Willig

2005-06-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

This will be a great paperback and I think there is going to be a sequel. It's really just a glorified romance with a little bit of old fashioned espionage thrown in but it's quite enjoyable if you like a good regency novel.

Prep : a novel - Curtis Sittenfeld

2005-06-21T06:48:00.002-07:00

Snooze-o-rama. The best thing about it is the cover.

Garlic and sapphires : the secret life of a critic in disguise - Ruth Reichl

2005-06-21T06:48:00.001-07:00

Loved it! You know I love cooking shows and books about food. This is great because she does interesting reviews and also tells you about how she came up with her clever disguises. A lot of this book is about service and how bad service is when you, as a customer, don't demand proper service. She points out that you don't have to be a horrifying creep to get what you want and that you should always ask for what you want in a restaurant. Do not let the waiter bully you into anything and do not allow yourself to be ignored.

Suburban safari : a year on the lawn

2005-06-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

A lady in Maine observes the creatures in her backyard for one year. It's pretty good -- I learned about crows and chipmunks and about the concept of the "freedom lawn" where you just let the weeds run amuck!

A change of heart : how the Framingham heart study helped unravel the mysteries of cardiovascular disease

2005-06-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

This book was good but way too much a history/science book and less a book to read for fun. I didn't make it to the end but I did learn a lot about FDR's massive heart disease that was kept under wraps. It's really quite shocking how little the world knew about heart disease in those days.

There is no Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled - Editor Doug Lansky

2005-06-21T06:46:00.001-07:00

This is a collection of short travel essays by all kinds of people from Bill Bryson to Dave Barry. They're funny and quick but nothing spectacular. I don't think you'd be missing much if you skipped this one.

Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything - Steven Levitt

2005-06-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is a bizarre book but excellent. I have no idea if his economic theories have any merit but they seem to in this book. He explains how (and perhaps why) teachers cheat for their students on standardized tests. Are sumo wrestlers cheaters too? Read the book and see!

Who pays for honor system bagels? Does your first name dictate your future fate? Did the legalization of abortion cause a huge drop in crime? The answer to these and more in Freakonomics!

I'm going to a book reading with this author on June 28. Stay tuned for more info.

Brimstone - Preston / Child

2005-06-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm reading this one right now. It's easy to read and a good summertime book. There have been a few murders in New York City and it looks like they might not be murders at all but rather the devil coming to take the souls of people who have made deals with him. Hmmm...

Final verdict: OK but not at all great. Not one of their better stories.

The Codex - Douglas Preston

2005-06-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome beach book! I think I read it in a weekend. It's about a rich eccentric antiquities collector who decides to bury himself in a secret location with a lifetime of his acquired treasures. He has three sons that hate each other who must band together to find his secret burial spot (deep in the jungles of Honduras in a lost Mayan city) and fight of baddies of all kinds in order to collect their inheritance.

Oh -- and there is a romance thrown in as well. Good mindless fun.

Soul of a Chef

2005-06-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

I loved the Making of a Chef so much I had to run right out and get Ruhlman's other book called Soul of a Chef.

It's great, really great. The master chef exam is fascinating and impossible to pass it seems and I learned all about the best restaurant in the USA if not the world: the French Laundry in California. Surprisingly dinner there only (ha!) costs $175 a plate! I also learned that if you are a regular person who wants the best of the best there plan to dine alone since all solo diners get the VIP treatment. Be aware, however, that the VIP treatment may involve eating something along the lines of cow brains. Ruhlman says that he had a dish of brains that was so good he nearly fell out of his chair. He maintains that this was the very best dish he's ever eaten -- EVER!

I think if I ever eat at French Laundry I'm going to have to go with a blindfold and no menu because while I'm sure the food tastes incredible, I'd be afraid to eat it if I knew what it was.

Remember I mentioned terrines in my other post? Making a terrine was a challenge on Cooking Under Fire! Pretty funny!

The Making of a Chef - Michael Ruhlman

2005-05-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

This book totally rocks!

If you love cooking or the Food Network you will love this book. Michael Ruhlman goes to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and poses as a student to learn what it's really like to be a student at CIA. I haven't eaten much snooty food but I love reading about how to make a killer seafood terrine or a classic veal stock. I guess I'm a food nerd.

I found it completely fascinating to see how difficult it really is to become a good chef and how this type of education changes a person. I loved this so much I went out immediately to get his next book "The Soul of a Chef".

Michael Ruhlman is one of the judges on the PBS reality show Cooking Under Fire.