Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

I kept seeing this book mentioned in places.  Then it won the Pulitzer and I decided to see if it was available at the library.  It was and I decided to grab it before there was a long waiting list for it, as I knew there would be once there was more press about the Pulitzer.

The book doesn't read like a novel, but rather a bunch of short stories about some of the same people.  There lives intersect at different points.  And the stories are not in chronological order.  The stories are interesting and I enjoyed reading them.  However, I felt like I was reading the introduction to a story and the actual story never happened.  We meet all these people, we learn a little bit about them, but nothing much happens to them.

What I wanted to do, after I'd finished reading the book, is go back through the story and map out who was in what story and where their lives crossed.  Then maybe it would have made more sense - but the book was due at the library, and by then there was a long waiting list.  I don't mind paying late fees, but I don't want to be the jerk holding onto the book everyone is waiting to read.

Most of the stories take place in New York, and involve people in the music or entertainment industry.  I found this of interest because that's a field with which I'm familiar and I've spent a lot of time in the East Village.  I thought the past stories were much stronger than the future stories.  I found the stories that took place well into the future to be a little silly.  She was trying to make a statement about social media and smart phones and our dependency on technology and maybe she's accurate, but right now, it seems too out there.

There were a few moments in which the characters reflected on growing older -- "being visited by the goon squad" -- hence the title -- which I found to be especially poignant.  These people wanted so much out of their lives and often it didn't quite work out. 

I was also bothered by the whole, bad girl makes good bit.  Runaway teenage prostitute, kleptomaniac who turns into the perfect mom in the perfect marriage.  Stories like that just make me roll my eyes.  This story took up so much of the end of the book and it caused me like the story less than I might have otherwise.  I thought there were more interesting characters on which to focus.

But I like that it was different, and it made me think and it made me want to revisit the book at some point.  And it's a book that I wanted to talk about and really wish some of my friends would read it, but that seldom happens.

Composed: A Memoir by Rosanne Cash

A teacher at school noticed me reading this book during a break and said, "Oh, I love Johnny Cash.  Is that book any good?"

"It's very good, " I said.  That's all I said, because I needed to get back to my classroom and didn't feel like explaining that this was a book by Rosanne Cash, about Rosanne Cash.  If she wanted a story about Johnny Cash, there are probably plenty out there, but this isn't one of them.  And besides all that, it wasn't like I was going to let her borrow this book, she's had my copy of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo since October, so I'm certainly not letting her have any more of my books.

If someone is wanting a book full of dark family secrets and confessions, this is probably not the book for you.  I'm sure that Rosanne Cash could have written something like that, if she'd chosen.  I'm going to guess she has plenty of stories she could tell, and it would be within her right, because those stories are a part of her life.  But instead she remains on a higher ground, showing respect for her family and choosing to keep their worst moments private.

While she hints at the pain caused by divorce and the addictions that haunted members of her family, she leaves out the details.  Instead of a sordid celebrity tell-all, this book is instead a series of essays about her reflections on the events of her life.  She writes less about the actual events and more about the way these events have affected her thoughts and her actions.  She writes about how she's approached life's milestones - living on her own for the first time, establishing her career as a musician and a writer, falling in love, becoming a wife and a mother, falling in love again, becoming a mother to a son, losing parents and other loved ones, and learning to forgive.  She writes beautifully about these events and the way that she turned to art and music and examined her own ideas and beliefs and paid attention to her dreams. 

After reading about how she listened to Miles Davis while painting, I started playing Kind of Blue for my students while they worked. 

I've always been a fan of her music, which is why my sister gave me a copy of this book for Christmas.  But after reading this book, I've gained a new respect for her.  Shortly after reading this book -- I was able to see her perform in Fort Worth at the Main Street Arts Festival.  (And if you don't already follow her on twitter, I very much recommend you do, she's funny and smart.)

Portobello by Ruth Rendell

I'm a huge Ruth Rendell fan and will read anything she writes.   This book was recommended on a travel site when someone said they were looking for a book about London.  London is one of my favorite cities, so I was anxious to read this.  But I didn't find it to paint that clear of a picture of the city.  I've read other books by Rendell that I thought did a better job. 

I would not list this as one of my favorite Rendell books.  It took me forever to read this, I kept setting it aside and reading something else.  The characters were so strange, almost a bit too strange.  The novel has several different characters, only casually connected to each other.  The focus is on their different addictions, habits and obsessions.

One of the main characters seems to be obsessed with a particular kind of sugar free candy.  And he makes such a big deal about this.  He's worried others will be aware of his so-called addiction and fears that he has so break the habit before he gets married.  I couldn't quite grasp what the big deal was.  It was candy.  Who isn't a bit addicted to candy?   I guess the point wasn't that it was candy, but that he felt he couldn't live without it. 

There wasn't much action to the story, which is probably why I had no issue with setting the book aside for weeks at a time.  The characters are fairly well-developed, this is one of Rendell's strong points.  But I didn't like most of the characters, and wasn't especially concerned when bad things happened to some of them.

I did find the ending to be very nice though and was glad I stuck with the book.  Seems like the last few Rendell books, I found myself horrified by the endings and wishing I'd not spent so much time with the book, this was just the opposite.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

It was the cover and the title that drew me to this book.  I noticed it while wandering around a bookstore one day.  It sounded interesting.  Rose takes a bite of lemon cake one day and can feel the emotions of the person who baked the cake.  Luckily, I didn't buy the book and instead waited until it was available at the library. 

As much as I was looking forward to reading this, I was quite let down by the actual experience of reading it.

The story had potential.  Rose has a rather bizarre ability.  But it felt like three fourths of the book just described this curse and how she coped.  It was described in such a way that it began to not make any sense at all.  I can understand a feeling of sadness or anger.  But the author goes on and on about how she can tell the exact location of where the cheese was made, where the cows were born, if the factory workers had a fight with their spouse.  It got ridiculous.  Maybe I'm just having a bit of trouble suspending belief, but if this sense, curse, or whatever it was, really affected the way something tasted, after a while wouldn't a person simply become accustomed to it? 

Another thing that bothered me about the book is that Rose is almost nine years old when she discovers this, but she understands it at the same level as an adult would.  I tend to not like books about young children who are presented as adults.  I spend much of my life with teenagers and while I do view them as fairly intelligent and knowledgeable about many things, I can't imagine them examining feelings in such a way, so I certainly can't imagine a nine year old doing so.  Nothing else in the book indicated that she was especially intelligent.

Her brother though is described as a genius, and yet, he can't get into any of the schools he wants to attend.  Her brother seems to suffer from some rather severe anti-social issues.  And yet, he has a mother who adores him, and a father that always tries to do what is best for his family.  The brother's issue is never fully explained, and in the end it's all just very, very confusing.

I'm generally a fan of magical realism.  But in this case, it didn't quite work for me.  Everything else was so simple and normal, and throwing in these bits of surrealism felt awkward.  I wasn't able to suspend my belief enough to accept this story.  I kept thinking maybe the supernatural abilities mentioned were a metaphor of some sort, but if that was the case I never quite figured it out.  I kept reading, waiting for the big reveal, the deep, dark secret that must be triggered all these bizarre experiences, but again, never happened.

There wasn't much action in the story.  The characters, despite their odd abilities, lived very dull lives.  I kept waiting for the story to begin, for the action to happen.  It never did.  And in the end I was very disappointed because none of it made sense.

The characters are sad and confused, but they do nothing to try and improve their situation.  They remain very childlike in the lack of knowledge that life gets better as a person gets older, that a person doesn't have to remain crushed by the weight of their parents' experiences, that the opportunity to move on a create a life of one's own is available.  That rant there comes from the ending of the book, when Rose tries to justify her brother's behavior.  Life had become too much.  But why?  There's never an explanation.

I found the story frustrating.  I needed more of an explanation as to why things happened.  I think this story could have been interesting, but wasn't.

I really don't recommend this book.  Despite the pretty cover, with the delicious looking piece of cake, the story was rather bland and lacking flavor.

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain

Put Paris in the title, and I'm automatically interested.  Set the story during the twenties, the Jazz Age/Lost Generation, and feature characters such as Scott and Zelda, Gertrude and Alice and Ernest Hemingway and yeah, it's being added to the "to be read" list.  I'm fascinated by that time period.

This story cut to the top of my "to be read" list when I needed an audiobook for my drive to Austin.  So many hours in the car, have to try to be productive with my time.  So I checked out a few audiobooks that have been on my ever growing "to be read" list.  I was so happy to see this available, as the book is fairly new and there is usually a long waiting list for new books. 

I really enjoyed this story.  Easily passed the time during the drive, and I barely noticed as I sat in a huge traffic snare on the way home.  (I believe it took about an hour and a half to move less than ten miles.) 

I admit I don't know a lot about Hemingway.  Of his work, I've only read a few short stories and A Farewell to Arms - which I consider one of my favorite books.  But most people are familiar with the idea of Hemingway, "a man's man", a fighter and hunter, served in the war and traveled around the world.  This is the story of his early twenties, while living in Paris, as told through the eyes of his wife.
Hadley is the "Paris wife," the first of four wives he would eventually have.  She was the one who was with him before he became known as one of the greatest writers of his generation.  She was with him when all he had was his dreams and ideas, when they lived in a small apartment above a dance hall in Paris because it was all they could afford. 

Hadley's 29 when she meets the handsome 21 year old Ernest Hemingway.  Already he's a character, well known among his group of friends as being something of a ladies man.  Hadley's friends try to warn her away from him, but she falls hard for this man.  Even at 21, he possessed the qualities that turned him into the myth that the world would eventually know.  He was passionate and strong.  Hadley had lived a sheltered life, she'd been devastated by the suicide of her father and the death of her sister.  Her attempt at attending college had been short-lived.  She lived with her mother and cared for her until she died.  Hemingway represented everything that was missing from Hadley's life.  Despite being younger than her, he'd already seen much of the world, having served in the war and been wounded.  He'd already been in love and had his heart broken.  He was ready to take on the world, while Hadley was still hesitate to enter a world outside of her home.

Newly married, they have plans to move to Rome, but then Hemingway is told Paris is the place to be - that's where all the writers and the artists are living now.  So they move to Paris and become friends with Ezra Pound and his wife, and Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.  In the beginning though, this is simply the story of a couple in the early stages of marriage, still learning about each other and getting used to their living arrangements, as Ernest is trying to establish himself as a writer.  Unlike Ernest, Hadley doesn't have any grand ambitions.  She wants a simple life, she wants a happy home and to please her husband.  As depicted in this book, she is a sharp contrast to the other women in their social circle.  This was a time in which the women in Paris were seeking their independence, trying to become equal partners with the men in their lives, selecting their own careers and interests.  Also this was a time in which couples were openly and boldly redefining long-held ideas about relationships.  Hadley's own desires seemed old-fashioned and out of place and as some of her friends commented, "Very American."

As someone who can't relate to the yearning to have a simple life and family, I had trouble relating to Hadley.  She seemed much too dependent on her husband, and weak.  She allowed him to make all the decisions about their life together.  I couldn't help but cringe when she describes him keeping track of her menstrual cycle in a notebook.  She's a 31 year old woman at the time, allowing her 22 year old husband to tell her when and how to use birth control.  She seems content to hand over all of her autonomy, without question, and does so because she loves her husband so much.

As Hemingway becomes more successful and more involved in their circle of friends, he begins to feel entitled to live as the others do.  Suddenly his wife isn't enough for him.  Why can't he do like his friends and have a girl on the side?  Everyone else is doing it.  And so he begins an affair with one of Hadley's friends.  An affair which Hadley tolerates, even allowing this woman into their home and into their bed in one especially horrible instance.  She seems to do this because she feels she has no other choice, she loves her husband so much and after years of doing as he wants, doesn't seem to know how to do otherwise.

Considering that Hemingway's future relationships didn't work out too well, I have to wonder if maybe a better way of loving him might have been to exert some force, to take back some control and issue a few demands.  Maybe Hadley could have saved her marriage as well as her husband.  But that wasn't the kind of person she was.  So instead, she agreed to a divorce so he could marry his mistress.

I don't know how accurate the story is.  I don't know that it matters.  Some reviews I've read of the book say it's too romantic and sentimental.  But isn't that sort of fitting with the story of Hemingway?  Shouldn't a story about him and those who loved him be a bit extreme?  I wasn't looking for a dry, textbook version of their story.  With this book, I got exactly what I was hoping for, a romantic story about two people very much in love with each other who did their best to make things work, but ultimately failed.  But more than that, this novel painted a picture of a time period that I revisit as often as possible through literature and film, a Paris filled with artists and intellectuals, people trying to change the world or create their own brand new world, using their words and art.  The story is written in such a way that readers become easily immersed in the Roaring Twenties of Paris, the words recreating the energy that much have existed within that atmosphere, ideas drifting in and out of cafes and salons. 

And now I'm off to find a copy of Moveable Feast to read about Ernest's version of this time period.

Finished: March 18, 2011

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I'd seen this book around for a while, but it wasn't until I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie that I decided I wanted to read the book.  I added it to my reading list for this year.  I picked twelve books, assigned them each to a month, and Water for Elephants was my January book.

I've had a Kindle since October, but I've avoided buying books for it, opting instead for the free books - classics and short stories.  I was planning to take a trip to New Jersey at the end of January and it seemed like a good reason to buy a new book for the Kindle. 

Snow in Jersey cancelled my trip.  But the following week an ice storm had me trapped at home.  I climbed in bed, under a pile of blanket with my Kindle and it's lighted cover and began to read Water for Elephants.

The experience taught me that I very much love my Kindle, it is an excellent bed partner.  Water for Elephants though was just okay.

The story is interesting enough.  A man in a nursing home is remembering his younger days when he worked as a vet at the circus.  The circus traveled by train, a small village almost, with workers and performers.  There are some very unusual and interesting characters in this group.  The author did quite a bit of research.  At the end she explains that a lot of the events were taken from actual stories she found in her research. 

I never felt a strong connection to the characters.  A lot of the story was kind of gruesome and violent, and each event like that cause me to pull away from the story a bit more and care a bit less about the characters involved.  The romance in the story, which is an important element, left me cold.  I never understood what was so amazing about Marlena other than she was beautiful and Jacob was young and inexperienced.  I think at that point in his life, any woman would seem rather spectacular. 

Another thing that kept bothering me about the novel is that I had trouble visualizing life on the train.  I could never picture how they were traveling from car to car, or the way things were set up.  That might be the result of my limited knowledge of trains, but I found that frustrating because I was trying to imagine in and never quite figured it out. 

The book was okay, I didn't hate it, but I think I expected to like it much more.  I thought it would be more romantic or more fun, and it wasn't, not for me at least. 

I know a lot of people like this book, so I wouldn't warn anyone away from it, maybe it's just not type of story.  I'm still very much looking forward to seeing the movie. 


finished reading February 9, 2011

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Despite loving the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, I've never read anything by Fannie Flagg, so I don't know how this book compares to her other work.  I very much enjoyed this book and plan to read more by her. 

I was trying to find a book to add to my Kindle while I was traveling over the holidays, so I was looking at new books, and that's how I heard about this book.  (I ended up not buying it for the Kindle, instead I put my name on the waiting list for it at the library.  I've had my Kindle since October and have yet to buy a book for it, but it's got lots of free books on it.  I'm sure when I start traveling more, I'll feel compelled to purchase some books for it.)

I found myself very drawn to the initial description of the book.  Maggie's tired of her life.  She's making plans to end it, careful, well-thought out plans.  But her plans keep getting interrupted.  When she was younger, she was Miss Alabama, and she imagined big things for her life.  But life didn't work out the way she'd hoped.  Maybe I can relate a little too well to this character, that's probably why I felt so drawn to the book.  I was never the winner of a beauty pageant, but I used to think life would be much more interesting than it has turned out to be and not so sad and disappointing.

"What if you're just tired all the time?" she says at one point, when trying to explain her decision.  This is the story of what happens when a person has simply lost interest in life.  Life has become more work, and less fun.  Getting up in the morning feels like a chore and it doesn't make sense that you have to keep on living, especially when no one is going to be deeply affected by the loss. 

It wasn't that her life was bad, it just wasn't the life she'd wanted.  She's not one to whine and complain or seek pity.  She's going to do something about her situation, she's going to end her disappointment.  She doesn't want to upset anyone in the process, she doesn't want to cause any trouble or leave any loose ends.   She pays all her bills and she packs up her clothes and gives away all her money to charity.  She knows exactly what she needs to do.

But also, this is the story of how life interferes when a person is making plans.  And maybe if you wait long enough, everything will turn out okay in the end.  Maybe.  I don't want to give away from happens. 

What makes this book truly enjoyable though is that it just about Maggie, it's also about the people in her life, her co-workers, past and present, and it's about the community in which she lives.  The story takes place in Birmingham, Alabama.  Without being preachy, the story touches on the effects of the city's troubled history, involving racism, as well as general attitudes about class struggle and issues facing women.  These topics are addressed as they relate to the characters' lives, without providing any sort of political platform.

This is a very well written book, providing a variety of interesting, funny and likable characters.  I read this last weekend, when the weather was awful and it was snowing outside.  It is exactly the type of book that works on days like that, when I need an escape from the real world and want to emerge myself in a whole new place, filled with people I wouldn't mind knowing in real life.  The story is funny and sad and uplifting and kind of strange -- the way life is supposed to be. 

finished reading:  January 9, 2011

2010 favorites and my list for 2011

I would like to make a top ten list for this past year, but I only read twenty books this year, well, actually twenty-one books.  So a top ten list would be kind of silly. 

My favorite books of the past year are the Millennium Series -- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Girl Who Played with Fire and Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  Loved those books.  At the beginning of the school year, I let someone borrow my copy of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and haven't seen it since, no mention of it, so not even sure if the person is reading it or not.  But I decided to use that as my excuse to purchase the deluxe box set of the series. 

I also really liked The Invisible Bridge.  I thought that book was kind of amazing.  Now I'm even thinking of visiting Budapest this summer.

So those are my top four books.  Now I can start working on my reading list for next year.

I joined an online book club that has a reading challenge -- twelve books that have to be books that have been on our reading list for at least year, plus two alternates. 

Right now this is my list:

1. Witching Hour by Anne Rice (I've wanted to read this for years, I read the vampire books, but never this one.  I think I've been waiting for the right time to read it, a long break and a dark mood.)


2. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby  (I've liked everything he's written and have had a copy of this sitting by my bed for a couple of years.  I enjoyed the movie quite a bit.)

3. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Woman who Created Her  (another book I've had for years but have never gotten around to reading)
 
4. Water for Elephants (I want to read this before the movie comes out!)

5. Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (I started to read this last year, but knowing that it would be dark, I didn't feel I could handle it.  But it's something I must read, I read everything by Atwood.)

6. Persuasion by Jane Austen (I need to read something by Austen, and this was the book mentioned in Lake House.  I bought a very nice copy of this at Barnes and Noble a while back, but have never gotten around to reading it.)

7. Hitchhiker’s Guide the Galaxy (another one that has been on the reading list for years)

8. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingslover (Last year, I bought this for my mother because she's a big Barbara Kingslover fan, I planned to give it to her for Christmas, but when I saw that the book was about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, I decided I would try to read it before giving it to my mother.  A year later, still sitting by the bed.)

9. Schulz and Peanuts: A biography (another one I received as soon as the book was published and have yet to read it.)

10. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (this is the Oprah influence here -- I've already read Tale of Two Cities)

11. Private Patient by PD James (PD James is one of my favorite authors, not sure why I've not read this yet.  I'm sure I bought it as soon as it was released.  But I always try to wait until I know I'll have a lot of time to read, hers are not books that work well with only a few pages a day.)

12. Fried Green Tomatoes (Loved this movie and have wanted to read the book for years)

Alternates
13. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy  (I read Tess when I was a teenager and I would like to read it again as an adult.)
14. On The Road by Jack Kerouac  (Everyone should read this at some point in her life, right?)

Other books I wanted to include on the list - Mists of Avalon, A Town Like Alice, and David Copperfield. 

Something about which I am very embarrassed is that I've only read one book by Dickens (Tale of Two Cities) and have never read anything by Jane Austen.  I recently tried reading Pride and Prejudice, but maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.  It was taking me forever and there was a hold on it at the library, so I had to return it before I could finish it.  I've since downloaded it to my Kindle, for free, but haven't felt any strong desire to continue reading it.  I added Persuasion to the list because it's mentioned so much in one of my favorite movies -- The Lake House. 

I got a Kindle for my birthday, but I still have an issue with paying for digital books.  Really difficult to pay for a digital file when I know I can get the books for free at the library.  However, I've downloaded lots and lots of free classics.  I'm hoping this will encourage me to get back to reading the classics. 

And there are several books released within the last year that I hope to read soon.  (We couldn't include books from the past year on our reading challenge list.)  The book I'm most looking forward to reading is Keith Richards' biography and I'm hoping to read Fannie Flagg's I Still Dream About You before I return to school next week.

The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books.  It's one of those books that is short enough that it can be read in a day or two, and I admit, I've read it several times.  Such a beautiful book.  So when I saw the title of this book, I was intrigued.  I didn't know much about the book before I picked it up at the library -- I sort of like diving into a book without a clue as to what it is about.

Within the first few pages, it is mentioned that Cassie, or Stella, depending on who's talking to her, is feeling sad and a bit weepy thinking of the aunt she's lost, even though she'd not spent much time with her in recent years.  Immediately I bonded with this character, understanding too well what it was like to hover under a cloud of grief caused by the loss of an aunt who played an integral role in my childhood.  Months later and still I'm never prepared for the cloud bursts and raining tears that start up without warning.  As silly as it sounds, as soon as I read that part about Cassie missing her aunt, I felt that there was a reason for me to read this book even if that reason was simply to have someone - albeit a fictional someone - with which to commiserate.

The story is about two half sisters who inherit their aunt's house in the Hamptons.  Their aunt, Lydia, asked them to sell the house and split the profits because there is no way they can afford the upkeep on the house.  In a letter she mentions that she hopes they find within the house a "thing of value."  The sisters assume this to be an object of value and are on a quest to locate this object within the house. 

Truth is, there isn't much of a story here, not a whole lot happens.  The sisters go to parties, they hang out with their friends, they talk about the house and the things inside the house but not a lot happens.  At moments you think there is going to be something of a mystery and even a hint of danger involving the strange artist living in the house.  But the mystery develops into more of a comedy and the danger never materializes like I thought it would.  I don't want to give anything away, but I will warn to not expect much to develop with regard to suspense or mystery.  But that's fine, I didn't feel that the lack of action or any big dramatic storyline took anything away from this book because the characters are such interesting people.

I loved the characters in this story, the two very different sisters and the eccentric neighbors.  Even the aunt, only there in their memories, seemed to be someone that everyone would have enjoyed being around.  She was single and had no children, she taught literature at a boys school in New York City and she loved Paris and books and art and artists.  (Do you see why I liked this aunt?)  The novel is filled with a cast of amusing, clever, and likable characters.  Also, besides the many references to literature and Gatsby in particular, there are several art references, mostly about Jackson Pollock.  I wanted to be inside this book, having a "dressing" drink with Peck and Cassie.  I wanted to live their life and spend the summer at Fool's House with them.

I was sad when the story was over.  I wasn't ready for it to end.  I wanted to know more.

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

My interest in Jane Grey was sparked by a painting I saw at the National Gallery in London.  She was queen for nine days and eventually beheaded for being queen.  Also, I really love the name, "Jane Grey" but that's probably because it makes me think of Jean Grey, one of my favorite X-Men.

In the bookstore of the National Gallery, there were several books and videos about the painting and about Jane Grey.  I bought a DVD, and considered buying a book, but couldn't decide which one I wanted.  There were several by Weir.

When I returned home from my trip, I looked up the author at the library.  She's a historian and has written quite a few non-fiction books, but this was her first novelization.  Seemed like a good place to start reading about the Tudors.

I found the story interesting.  But I found the style a bit odd.  It's written in first person, but every few pages, the narrator changes.  Seems like there could have been a better way to tell the story.  I guess I find it especially bothersome because so much effort is put into trying to figure out what is going on in the minds of each of these people.  I realize it's historical fiction, and a novel, not factual, but it does involve events that really happened.  In the beginning Jane's mother despises her and in the end she's distraught over what happens to her.  Then we have Jane's husband who rapes her in the beginning of the marriage and is extremely cruel to her, but later adores her and misses her so much he carves her name in the wall.  None of that made sense to me.

The story is about Jane, who has very ambitious parents.  When they fail to get her married to the king, they make arrangements to involve her in a plot that will eventually make her queen.  Jane is, as the title indicates, innocent in all of this.  She doesn't want to be queen, she doesn't want to be married, she just wants to be left alone with her books.  That's what makes this so tragic.  She was punished for things that were entirely beyond her control.

What I most get out of books about this time period is the horror and destruction caused by people's beliefs in God.  This all takes place around the time of the Protestant uprising.  People are executed for having Protestant beliefs, and then another king is in place and suddenly people are punished for being Catholic.  Jane was very much part of the Protestant movement.  According to this book, she held her beliefs so strongly that even in the end when she was told she could live if she would convert to Catholicism and she wouldn't.  That seems absurd, because it isn't as if the two religions are that different.  Same God, same Bible, same characters in the book, just different ways of worship.  She was sixteen and willing to die for a fairly new form of a religion rather than go back to the form that had been around for centuries?  I'm not saying that Catholics are the one true way, but still.  That's extreme.
   
More than anything though, it makes me very glad I don't participate in any sort of organized religion.  Knowing the bloodshed these religions, all of them, have, it makes it very difficult for me to view them as organizations with which I would want to affiliate myself.  They were really just businesses, all about power and control.  Whoever was in power had no issues with crushing those who were not in power.  It's all very disturbing.  Very harsh times.

Back to the book though, I liked it enough that I plan to read more books by Weir.  I've already checked out Lady Elizabeth.  I did feel that reading the book taught me a lot about the time period that I didn't know, and I find this an easier way to learn than from a history book, even if the novel isn't completely accurate.  As far as we know, the history books aren't any more accurate.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

I very much enjoyed this story of a woman's memorable summer in New York City, working at Tiffany.

The year is 1945, the country is at war and her family is horrified over the idea of her going off to the big city to have fun.  The impression is given that up until this point in her life, Marjorie has always been very sensible.  She attends college in Iowa, close to home.  She practices the cello and when her mother had surgery, she took a semester off to help around the house.  She never would have considered going to New York City, until she learns that some of her sorority sisters have gone to the City and easily found jobs and her roommate convinces her that they should do the same thing. 

The save up glass bottles to try to earn enough money for their train ticket, convinced that once they get to the City, they'll quickly find jobs and make lots of money.  They're going to go lots of Broadways shows and shop at fancy department stores and go to the beach.

Finding a job isn't as easy as they were led to believe.  Their first few days are spent standing in long lines with other young women in the employment offices, filling out applications and often being told there are no more openings.  Then they see Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue.  Tiffany doesn't even have an employment office.  But they talk their way into a job as pages on the sales floor.  They're only making twenty dollars a week, and know they can't afford to live off that, but they can't turn down a job at Tiffany!

They don't let their meager salary keep them from enjoying the city, hoping for a glimpse of Wallis Simpson, and marveling over the laughter of Judy Garland, and trembling at the sight of a gangster who needs his watch repaired.  They date midshipmen and celebrate the end of the war in Times Square. 

I loved the innocence of the story, a glimpse of a different New York City, a time when people carried themselves with a bit more dignity.  It's a time when men and women went on dates and got to know each other rather than today when everyone is simply expected to "hook up" and "put out" moments after making eye contact.  It's the kind of New York I yearn for every time I wander around the city.  I enjoyed seeing New York City through the eyes of someone living in the City for the first time -- that first sighting of the Empire State Building, the shops on Fifth Avenue, dinner at the Stork Club. There were several amusing moments when she tried to order a drink or dessert, always wanting to sound as if she belonged and not like a wide-eyed girl from Iowa. 

I've been told that I'm an old soul.  I love Sinatra and black and white movie and stories about a time that I can only imagine.  Also, I love New York City, so this book was perfect for me.  It's a quick read and provided a nice, enjoyable escape from the holiday blahs. 

I don't care about your band by Julie Klausner

I was talking about books to some students the other day and the conversation went a bit like this:

"I'm reading this book called, I don't care about your band," I said.  "It's well, a little graphic, so I can't tell you the details, but it's about this woman's dating experiences.  It's funny, but it's really gross.  Like, really, really gross.  Some of the things that happen in it.... yuck.  When I started the book, I almost decided to not continue past the second chapter, I was just thinking, this woman is a slut.  But I kept reading and parts are hilarious.  This woman, though, she's just stupid."

My kids were laughing.  "She's just stupid," mimicked one of the boys.

"She is.  I can't even tell you the things that happen.  Makes me so glad I don't date and never have," I said. My students don't believe me when I say things like this, but it's true.


And that sort of sums up my feelings about his book.  I don't date now, didn't really date in my twenties.  There was one brief sort of almost-relationship experience, but in hindsight, I've realized it existed more in my head than in actuality.  I was sad when it ended, but eventually I was glad that it never really, um, came to fruition, if you, well, know what I mean.

I suspect there may be something wrong with me for not having any real interest in dating and all that accompanies dating.  But as it is, at the advanced age of 35, I don't really feel like I'm missed out on much.  When I read a book like this, I am overwhelmingly grateful that I missed out on such experiences.

In the beginning she claims to have had a great, loving relationship with her parents, but if that was the case, why go on such a desperate search for "love"? Or whatever the heck she was searching for. She mentions often that she's in need of a husband and a father for her future children, but wow, did she honestly for even a moment consider any of those men to be candidates for a role in her future? She doesn't seem to be going about it in a way that I would consider to be productive. But then again, I don't know about this stuff. I've never had any interest in seeking out a future husband or life-partner or whatever term is used these days.

The author is giving blow jobs by ninth grade.  Maybe this is normal and maybe I'm just that sheltered.  If so, thank goodness.  Some things do not belong in my mouth.

Despite my shock at her ninth grade experiences, I kept reading, and several times I found myself laughing aloud.  As horrible and grotesque as many of the stories are, they are also hilarious.  Most, or rather, all of the stories are more about sex than dating.  She doesn't talk much about dating.  She tends to meet guys and then get undressed as soon as possible.  Ugly guys, fat guys, boring, unemployed, drug using guys, she's not particular.  She does them all: Men with dirty apartments and bedbugs, men with criminal records and/or indie records, men who smell bad and treat her even worse.  One impression I got from this book is that the author possessed no self respect, none at all.  Why oh why would anyone put herself in these situations?  You have to hate yourself to do some of the things she did.

While I believe the author and I are the same age, and I've been in situations similar to hers, known people like the ones she mentions, I couldn't relate to the way she interacted with these people.  For instance, as indicated by the title, she talks about dating musicians and how a person who dates a musician has to go to every show. I will admit to having some involvement with musicians, it happens to everyone at some point, even to people like me who work hard to avoid "dating", but also, I never had a problem telling these men that I just couldn't attend every gig, sometimes I had other plans, sometimes, there was a really good movie on TV that I wanted to stay home and watch. Most of the guys respected the fact that I had a life separate from them.  Those who didn't, well, they moved on, which was best for all involved.  That's the difference between the author and I.  I've never had a problem telling a guy no.  At least, not since I was like 21.  I'm a quick learner, one bad experience and I'm done.  Works out well, really, it does.
By the end of the book, I found that I really liked the author, despite thinking she's not very smart, takes way too many risks with regard to her body and is completely lacking in self-respect.  I especially felt that I bonded with her when she started in on her dislike of Brooklyn.  I can bond with just about anyone over a dislike of Brooklyn.  Though I have to say that her rant about how bothered she is that men are attracted to Cameron Diaz in Something About Mary and Pam on the Office made me think she and I wouldn't get along all that well.  She sounds like one of those women that likes to get really made up because she thinks that's what men like and she's angry at the idea that they don't like that.  Being that I've never done the whole "dating, seeking out men" thing, I've never given all that much thought to what men like with regard to how I dress.  Maybe that's my loss, but after reading this book, I have to say I'm grateful for having missed out on all these experiences. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book because it's funny.  It took a few chapters before my impression of the book moved from disgusting to hilarious, but now that I'm done reading it, I've recommended it to several friends.  In the end, the author claims to have learned from these experiences.  She chalks them up as her "twenties".  I think back on my twenties, which ended five years ago and all I remember is working late at a job I hated and so that I could pay the bills that accompany adulthood, so I guess I kind of appreciated living out the author's experiences from a distance, without suffering the consequences.

-- Random bit here:  Near the end of the book there is a line in quotes, and I wondered if it was in quotes because it came from a song or movie or something, but whatever it was, I really liked it.  Does anyone know what this is referencing, or is it just something the author wrote:  "going to bed early at least a couple of nights a month to make the loneliness stop screaming for the night."  Something about that line really hit home for me, even though I very much chose to be alone.  Sometimes, well, sometimes, you know...

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

This summer, I watched a few episode of a new show on TNT called Rizzoli and Aisles.  I liked it, didn't love it, but it held my interest.  I like crime dramas, especially those with strong female characters.  The show is based on a series of books, so I decided to try the books because I love reading crime fiction.

This is the first book in the series. 

The book is okay.  It's well-written, held my interest.  The book kept me company during an especially bad recent bout of insomnia.  (Though one of my students wisely pointed out that that maybe the book was the cause of my insomnia when I told him what the book was about.)

The story is about Rizzoli, a female detective, who has a tough time working with a lot of insecure men.  She ends up on a big case -- a serial killer who slices up women and removes their wombs before he slices their throats.  Turns out the case is connected to another round of serial killings, in which everyone believed the killer had been murdered.  I found of interest the research that went into tracing back the connections between the two acts, or rather, two series of acts.

But I didn't like the portrayal of Rizzoli.  She seemed a bit unlikable.  I also didn't like that is always seemed like the men were swooping in to save her, as well as the other women.  In the end, she did redeem herself, but there was a lot of the book in which it was her mentor who was a bit too much of a hero.  Granted this was the first book in the series and I'm sure the dynamics between the characters changes as the novels progress.

But also, I didn't like the main victim in the story.  I grew tired of reading about her being so very beautiful and vulnerable.  (I notice that Rizzoli feels the same about this character, so maybe it was a way to make the reader relate to Rizzoli?  If so, it worked.)  And it's the same male character who saves Rizzoli who then acts as the victim's protector. 

My biggest issue though was the portrayal of the murderer.  Throughout the story, we're allowed into his thought process, and this bothered me.  I have issues with the idea that these monsters have any sort of rational thought.  I'm not saying the author was trying to justify what he did, because she wasn't.  But at the same time, I have no desire to "see" into the minds of criminals.  Also, much emphasis was placed on the idea that the men involved had perfectly normal lives.  Everyone loved them, they came from great, loving families, nice, polite boys who did well in school.  While I realize that we always hear the stories about how, "no one had a clue" in regard to captured murderers, I often believe this is a case of people simply not paying attention.  I have a very difficult time believing that people from wonderful, financially well-off, loving homes can turn into such gruesome monsters.  Not saying it can't happen, because I'm sure it does.  But in a story like this, I need a little something to provide a better explanation for the horror.  The only deviance hinted at is a bit of homosexual tendencies, which, as you may imagine bothered me.  Because they're gay, they chop up women?  No, I don't think so.  Again, the author didn't directly say that, but near the end, it seems to be implied, and that angered me.

For a while, near the middle of this book, I thought maybe I had found myself a new author, another series to explore, but by the time it ended, I'd had enough.  At the moment, I don't feel compelled to read any more books in this series.

Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky

I really liked the title of this book.  I'll fully admit that's what drew me to the book.  Just sounds so intense and passionate.  Fire in the Blood.

This is considered one of the unfinished works of Irene Nemirovsky.  Difficult to really judge the work based on the idea that it was her rough draft.  This was found years after her death at a concentration camp during WWII. 

Unlike Suite Francaise, this is not at all about the war.  This is about some people living in the country.  The story is almost soap opera-ish, with their dramas involving affairs and lies and loves and such.  The narrator is a man who lived a full life, traveled around the world -- he claims he had a "fire in the blood" that kept him from remaining at home.  Now he's old and observing the lives of his cousins and their adult children.

There's a very dramatic twist at the end, long buried secrets revealed that's fairly shocking to all involved.  I can't elaborate too much without giving the story away.

It's a somewhat interesting story, a very quick read.  It's not great though.  As I said, I believe this was the author's rough draft, so the story wasn't fully developed.  I'm looking forward to reading some of the author's finished work that was published during her lifetime to see if there is a significant difference in the writing.

Up in the Air by Walter Kirn

I've never seen the movie based on this book.  I've heard it's very different from the book.  Since finishing the book, I've recorded it, and it's saved on the Tivo, but I've yet to watch it.

I was intrigued by the story of a person spending so much of his life in airplanes and airports.  I've gone through phases of my life in which every weekend was spent in and out of an airport.  I've become familiar with several different airlines.  A few routes I flew so often, the flight crew began to recognize me.

I almost didn't read this book because the reviews on Goodreads were so negative.  But I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did.

I really liked this book.  It's so well written, reads very quickly.  It's funny and interesting.  Because I've spent so much time on planes, I felt I could relate to a lot of it.  Those awkward conversations with strangers, the way the two of you exchange information that you don't even tell your closest acquaintances because here on the plane you have the safety of knowing you'll probably never see this person again.  This book brought back so many memories of encounters on planes.  The fast, fleeting friendships that usually end once we touch the ground.

There's also the main characters conflict with his job.  Again I felt I could on some level relate to this. For years - nine years to be exact - I had one of those jobs that no one really understood.  Truth is, I wasn't even certain as to what I did -- international news distribution - but whatever anyone assumed it was, it probably wasn't.  Selling a product that doesn't really exist, because it's just an idea, and its success depends on convincing other people that the service exists even though it's just an idea.  None of that makes sense,does it?  It's not supposed to.

But this character, he's not just a weekend traveller, as I was.  He travels all the time.  At this point, he doesn't even have a home.  He's got his things in storage somewhere.  He's let his place go, let his car go.  He rents, he stays in hotels.  He's liquidated his life.

He's trying to get one million miles before his boss finds out he's quit his job.  He says he wants to work from home.  He's trying to write a book, trying to get a job with another company that is selling an idea or a service that isn't quite defined.  He's moving from place to place, in a mad rush to accomplish his goals and also save his sister's wedding and keep his family happy.  But all this travel, all this moving from city to city, it's starting to wear him down and his past is beginning to catch up with him.

There are hints throughout the story that something is amiss, something a little more jarring than mere confusion over extensive air travel.  But even with the warnings, the last few pages threw me.   I'm not sure I understood what happened.  I sort of do, but I'm not certain I "got it."  I didn't like the ending, didn't like it at all.  Or maybe I just felt so connected to the character after sharing his hectic journey that I wasn't ready to let go.  I especially didn't like the way I had to let go.  Didn't like what I was reading.  I wanted to keep going, and I wanted to find out more.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who has spent a substantial amount of time traveling through airports and airplanes.

Hardball by Sara Paretsky

Hardball is the first VI Warshawski book I've read.  I believe it may be the 13th or 15th in the series.  Based on this book, I don't feel especially compelled to read the other books in the series.

This book never really grabbed me, or put me in a position where I just couldn't put it down.  In fact, about mid-way through, I considered not even finishing the book because I didn't care what happened next.

VI is a private detective, and she's trying to find someone who disappeared thirty years or forty years earlier.  But as soon as she begins the investigation, people start coming after her.  Then you find out that her cousin is involved and her uncle and her dad, and it all seems a bit too coincidental and absurd.  There's lots of action -- bad guys attacking her and fires and break-ins, but none of it feels very natural.  As I read it, I found myself thinking, over and over again that it all seems a bit ridiculous. 

I tend to prefer British mysteries, which involve a lot more brain power to solve the crime, less jumping out of windows and hiding in cases for musical instruments and frequent stays in hospitals.

Despite all that action, it all seemed a bit boring, or rather a lot boring.  I didn't care about the characters very much.  None of them -- except for the neighbor downstairs -- seemed like people I would ever want to meet or be around.  So it didn't matter to me if they got hurt, or lost or went missing forever.
Maybe if I'd read the other books in the series, I would care more.  But there are so many other books I'd rather read, going to stay away from these in the future.

finished reading:  August 29, 2010

Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

I love Paris and try to learn as much as I can about the city.  My summer visits to Paris also have increased my interest in World War II.  In the U.S., reading about that time period, it all seems very distant and remote.  But in Paris and in much of Europe, the war happened right there.  It was my love of Paris and my interest in WWII that drew me to this book.

The summary I read of Julie Orringer's Invisible Bridge described the book as a love story between a young, Jewish Hungarian college student and an older ballerina in Paris, on the eve of war.  I imagined it to be a passionate love story with a gorgeous, tragic Paris setting. 

It is a love story, but not exactly what I expected.  It's much more than a love story and not quite as, well, passionate as I expected it to be.  I'm not even sure what I mean by that, I just know I was expecting a different book than what this actually was.  That doesn't mean I didn't like the book, I liked it very much.  The story of the student, Andras, meeting the ballerina, Klara, in Paris is simply the beginning of a much broader story.  Also, the fact that she's a few years older than him doesn't seem to be that big of a deal.  She does have a teenage daughter, that she had when she was only a teenager, which makes things a bit complicated.

But this story isn't just about their relationship, it's more about the ways some horrible events over which they had no control derailed their lives and their plans.  And it isn't just about these two people and how they were effected, but rather how everyone in their families, in their neighborhoods and in their country was effected.

This book is so very well written, once I got started, I didn't want to put it down, but at the same time, I was so horrified by what was happening that I was hesitant to continue, knowing things would only get worse.  The author manages to transport the reader into a time and place in history, and makes it feel as if we are living in that time period.  While I was reading this book, I couldn't stop thinking about it when I was away from the book and at night I would have dreams about the book. 

The characters have to leave Paris, and return to Budapest where much of the story takes place.  I liked the scenes in Paris best, because I could visualize the areas mentioned.  I've never been to Budapest.  Once they reach Budapest though, Andras is sent to a work camp and everything is downhill from there.  I suppose that's when I had to accept that this wasn't going to be some steamy, Parisian love story of two people escaping the Nazis.

My only issue with the book is that I found I did not like Klara.  There was something so selfish about her.  She was a beautiful woman who was used to men taking care of her.  Even with this younger man, she seemed to expect the same from him -- despite her claims that she could take care of herself.  And yes, she raised a daughter on her own, but she had a wealthy, married man helping her out financially.  Only when he moved on and decided to take of his own wife that she became involved with Andras.  Before him, her father was risking everything for her, and afterward, it was her brother having to save her.  Even after they'd lost almost everything, with no hope in sight, her husband in a work camp, her entire family living in a small apartment, she keeps getting pregnant.  Pretty sure that even then, there were precautions that could be taken until they were in a more stable situation. 

Throughout the book, I never warmed to that character, and I thought I would after she revealed her horrible secret, but I didn't.  I felt bad for her, but even then, it seemed like she made a decision that she had to have known would have a bad result.  (Not going to give it away because it's a fairly big revelation in the book.)

Despite not really liking Klara though, I really did like the book and would readily recommend it to anyone interested in that time period, or anyone simply wanting a big, engrossing book to get lost in for a few days.

It is tragic because how could it not be in that place and time.  It's truly horrifying to realize that those things happened in this world.  It's even more horrifying to know that others sat by and did nothing as it happened.  Maybe it was so horrible they couldn't believe it was really happening, but I don't know.  Seems like a lot of people readily turned away from the horror and thought they would be fine because it didn't directly affect them.  They thought it was just a small group of crazies, and then that small group took over their countries and everyone suffered.  There's a scene where the "illegal immigrants" are shot because they can't find their papers quickly enough and I couldn't help but think about how many people in this country would be just fine with that.  I can't help but think about our own country and how we allow the zealots to spout their craziness, their hatred for anyone who has a different religion or a darker shade of skin.  We have people in Arizona who think it's okay to harass anyone with dark skin, we have crazies blabbing on and on about how we need to blur the lines between church and state and allow their particular brand of religion into law.  Anyone who worships differently, or not at all is considered evil.  Most of all though, when I read a book like this, I worry that we've learned nothing from history.

finished reading around 3 a.m. Sept., 12, 2010

Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis

For the past few years, I've visited Europe once a year.  As anyone who has ever been to Europe knows, it's impossible to visit without seeing buildings that once housed royalty.  Much to my own embarrassment, I don't know a whole lot about the history of these building or the people who once inhabited them.  My history classes were taught by football coaches.  While I'm visiting, I read what I can at the location or in my guidebook and always wish I knew more, and then make plans to do more research before my next trip.  As soon as I return home, I visit the library, and check out a stack of books about the Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette.  Usually they sit in a stack by my bed for a few months, then summer fades and I become too busy with school to read and by the time summer rolls around again and I'm packing my bags for Europe, I find myself really wishing I'd read those books.  (I should clarify, I'm not completely ignorant, probably know a bit more about history than the average person, but I'm the sort who always wants to know more and when I'm walking through the Tower of London or the Palace of Versailles, I get frustrated when I can't quickly identify the names and time periods and activities of the people mentioned on the placards.)

This summer in Paris, I wandered into the Gardens of Luxembourg and saw the Medici fountain.  I didn't even though the Medici family ruled in France -- that's how ignorant I was on this.  I knew of this family only through their connection with Florence.

Shortly after returning from Paris, while at the library, I noticed this book, The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici.  (I'd seen the book once before my trip, at a book store, but at the time I was looking for novels about the Tudors, so I set it aside, but added it to my reading list.)  The Medici fountain still fresh on my mind, I checked out the book.

I have to admit, I also was intrigued by the mention of the Queen's association with dark magic.  Magic is something I find of interest, especially the role it has played in history.  We live in a society that wants us to believe that all magic is nothing more than fiction, despite proof that it's been around for centuries.

I was a little hesitant about the book after reading some other reviews, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It's a well written, interesting story.  There are some soap opera-ish elements to the story, which make it quite intriguing, but I'm not sure of the accuracy.  It's a novel, not a history book, so, of course, some liberties were taken.  The conversation is written in a modern tone, which makes the story accessible, in my opinion. 

I found Catherine to be a fascinating character.  She was very determined to save herself and especially those she cared about.  However, this determination often caused her to make some dangerous decisions.  The character in the story realizes too late the mistakes she's made and finds herself in a difficult position to try to remedy what she's done.

Also, a benefit of the novel is that it did provide some historical information about this time period and these people.  Catherine's sons are kings during a time in which France was involved in a very bloody religious wars.  Such good Christians, slaughtering people to prove their way of worship is better. 

What I liked best about the book though is that Catherine is living in the Louvre during her time in Paris.  The Louvre is my favorite place in Paris, maybe my favorite place in the world.  Not only does it house thousands of works of art, but was also once a royal residence.  Every time I visit, I think of the artists, as well as the kings and queens that once called that place home.  I enjoyed reading this and trying to picture the events happening in the same corridors where millions of tourists now wander to view art.  Now though, I am in search of a map of the Louvre during the time of Catherine de Medici, so that I can see what parts of the building she and her family occupied, because I know that over the last few centuries there have been many changes to the former fortress.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it has prompted me to seek out more information about the people mentioned in the story.  Also, I should probably mention, the Medici fountain isn't even named after Catherine, but rather another Medici who only has one mention in this book.  Marie de Medici's role in French history didn't happen until after the events in this book.

finished reading: Oct. 3, 2010

Invisible Bridge

Right now, I'm reading a book called The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.  I'm not very far into the book, but already, I really like the way it's written.

Maybe I'm in a sappy mood, but I think the following sentence might be one of the greatest lines I've ever read in a book:  But he could no sooner have sent her away than he could have dismissed geometry from architecture, or the cold from January, or the winter sky from outside his window.

Really looking forward to reading the rest of this book.

Random book talk - coincidence, TV and movies

After I finished Suite Francaise, I started reading Sara Paretsky's Hardball.  I don't usually like reading books that are part of a series unless I've read all the books in the series.  But for some reason, I decided to go ahead and read this.  I'd seen a pop up add that said if I liked Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I should read Hardball.
I was checking out a stack of books, I saw Hardball on the new release shelf, so I got it.

On page 110, VI Warshawski is reading Suite Francaise.  I thought that was an odd coincidence, since I just finished reading that book.

In other book news, I'm really liking the show, Rizzoli and Isles.  I checked out a couple of the books -- including the first one (because I like to start at the beginning of a series).  Hope I like it.

And on the subject of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I read they've cast the part of Lisbeth Salander.  I've never heard of the actress - Rooney Mara, but she has a huge job ahead of her, taking on the role of possibly the coolest fictional character ever!  I really like the casting of Daniel Craig and Robin Wright.  In the Swedish movie, I didn't think the person playing Erika was attractive enough.  I loved the person playing Lisbeth, but I had quite a few issues with the movie.  They changed several things from the movie.  I'm looking forward to the new version.