Sunday Salon: One Book Abandoned for Another

I have abandoned this:

for this:

While I didn’t mind Dan Brown’s games in The Da Vinci Code, I find myself very annoyed with them in The Lost Symbol. It’s tiresome the way he continues to scorn Christianity, in my opinion, by making it seem a pagan ritual; quotes like these go a long way with me:

Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.”

The class looked horrified.

Langdon shrugged. “And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.”

The classroom remained silent.

Langdon winked. “Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.” (p. 32)

All the winking, all the innuendo, all the cultish rituals regarding what we take for granted are a bit much the second time around.  I’ll probably finish it, sometime, but I’m not in any hurry to do so this week.

However, Jhumpa Lahiri does what she does, and that is write beautifully, the third time around with grace. Unaccustomed Earth is a breathtaking work which examines our lives, our families, our thoughts in such a way that surely it must be universal. I have come to love the Indian culture, particularly through the children I teach, but I don’t feel any division between that culture and my own when I read her work. I just feel as though we are one, with similar heartaches and similar hopes.

I’m loving Unaccustomed Earth.

A Much Needed Day Off, With A Pay Off

It was an indulgent day. A well deserved day off, not only for the Veterans, but for the tired-ass teachers. Like me. Who were in conferences yesterday from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. That’s right: twelve hours of fact-to-face interaction with parents. I love parents. I love their children. But, I do not like talking all day and all night. However, lest I further this tangent into the woes of my job, let me get back to the indulgence part.

My husband and I went to Oak Brook to return a J. Jill sweater I’d bought for nine hundred dollars in August only to find it unravel the second day I wore it. Normally, J. Jill sweaters don’t do that, so I sadly brought it back. And while my husband was waiting for me to carry out the return he found a corduroy jacket which I love, and which he coerced me to buy (by saying, “Honey, do you want this?”), and which cost only 30 bucks more than the aforesaid sweater. Sold!

Then, we went off to Brighton because who doesn’t need a brand new red leather lipstick case with a mirror inside the lid? Especially after one’s parents’ dog chewed up her old one last Christmas Eve? Sold, again!

Of course, no trip to Oak Brook is complete without a stop at P.F. Chang’s, my very favorite Chinese restaurant in all the world. We stuffed ourselves with lettuce wraps, and double-pan fried noodles, and tea. Tea! Now, I have found that a smile is all it takes to open untold doors in this world, and so I smile as much as I can whenever I can, and the waitress took an immediate liking to me, bless her heart. So, when I asked her what kind of tea it was, she said, “Revolution Tea, like the war. (Isn’t that Revolutionary? But, never mind.) You can Google it.” Which I did. After she gave me five bags to take home so I have something to drink while I read. Which I’ll do in a few minutes.

However, now I am passing the information on to you. Free of charge, of course. You know you shouldn’t be drinking sodas, because of all the sugar, and artificial flavoring, and coloring, and calories, and I’d been denying all those things drinking merrily away until I found my jeans no longer zip. So, now I’m drinking tea. Lots of it. And my favorite is the Dragon Eye Oolong which I just ordered from amazon.com. But, here’s another link to Revolution Tea in case you want to research the topic further yourself.

Which, I’m sure you do.

Green Books Campaign: The Players

Title: The Players
Author: Margaret Sweatman
Published: September, 2009, on 100% post consumer-fibre
Number of pages: 320
Rating: 4 out of 5

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a  a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

I turned the creamy pages of this historical saga slowly. I dwelt within them as surely as the characters did, who struggled to survive the winter snows which blew through Hudson Bay in the early 17th century.  It reads like a poem. The images resemble an impressionist painting, impeccably recreated according to the artist’s eye.

Lily, who’s lost her mother in her late adolescence, befriends Bartholomew in the tavern where she’s found retreat. He teaches her the skills of an actress, which she perfects to such a degree that she becomes the favorite mistress of King Charles. When two French explorers arrive in his court to request ships from the King, and succeed in their persuasion, Lily smuggles herself on board; she is one woman among a crew of men. They set sail for China, but end in the Hudson Bay, where they make the acquaintance of Cree Indians with whom they barter for beaver pelts, food and the grace to help deliver Lily’s baby. I felt as if I was on the voyage enduring their struggle for survival, and relationship, with them.

We see Lilly content to be King Charles’ lover:

“Lilly had never before experienced such generous admiration-taking into account that she hadn’t quite reached her seventeenth birthday. In the sweet surfeit of the hours, she drifted down into nearly trusting desire, to the place Charles invented or knowingly sought out, where she, with the last shreds of separate mindfulness, thought, I will be what you like, let you do what you like: I’ll even like what you do.” (p. 119)

compared to Lilly’s desire for another:

“In the gallows garden below, there was a huge cry over her absence-Charles sent attendants back to fetch her and to bring the new overseas Governor of the Voyage to Hudson Bay. Lilly Cole waited for them. It had been a dream, these past months. This prison cell, the beatific bulk of Magnus Brown, here was the hinge to the future. The voices below grew louder. They were coming, all the more insistent because they’d forgotten about her. She watched Brown. He obviously heard but didn’t respond. These were the last few minutes of what now seemed to Lilly to have been a pretty play, borrowed for a time, then stripped away.” (p. 156)

With whom does Lilly find herself at the end of the novel? It is, perhaps, the least important question in her search for survival.

Find other works, reviewed by other bloggers, in this iniative to buy books which have been made ‘green’ by using recycled paper. You’d never guess a tree didn’t die for this.

Back to Basics

When I first began blogging, I wasn’t even aware that there was such a world as book bloggers. It wasn’t until I met Booklogged, and then Lesley, and then Bookfool, Nan, Tanabata, Carl, Chris and Nymeth that I knew it existed.

I was filled with awe that there could be so many people like me, who loved reading, who loved talking about the books they’d read, who actually read books which were taken from places other than the grocery shelves’ wire racks of top ten bestsellers. I’d been living in a lonely world, let me tell you, with not many people who shared my passion.

But, then something ugly came into the picture: Page Rank. Technorati Authority. Rankings. Feeds. Stumble, Digg, and Twitter. People posting give-aways with more chances to win if you became a follower, or if you posted about their giveaway on your blog. Somehow, the whole purpose of being a book blogger, to share the love of literature, was tainted with the issues of popularity and power.

I don’t like it.

I don’t want to become a book pimp…posting on books because I’m paid to, advertising a bunch of widgets for other blog ’services’, consumed with worry about my status instead of my love.

Which is for books. Which is also for one another. Which is the whole reason I want to blog in the first place.

You can find additional, and much more eloquently written, thoughts on Linda’s blog here and Mark David’s blog here.

One of My Favorites From “Story People”

“When I first met him, I knew in a moment I would have to spend the next few days re-arranging my mind so there’d be room for him to stay.”

~Story People

Your Family Constitution

Title: Your Family Constitution
Author: Scott Gale
Published: 2009

Last night on AMC’s show Mad Men, Roger Sterling toasted his ex-wife at their daughter’s wedding reception with these words, “You are a lioness. And, I congratulate you for not devouring your young.”

Which of us, in the role of parenting, have not wanted to devour our young at least once? There was not a happier day in my life than the day my son graduated High School; I knew that I would never get a call from the Dean’s office again. However, he still lived at home. I still had to cope with some unsettling behaviors which were causing a lot of tension in our home.

It’s important to arm ourselves with the necessary artillery to create a smoothly running home for ourselves, our marriage, and our children’s sake. This is precisely what Scott Gale gives us in his easy, and interesting to read, new book: Your Family Constitution…A Modern Approach to Family Values and Household Structure.

One of the things I so appreciated while reading his book is his honesty. Rather than a formal, condescending, know-it-all voice, Scott speaks to us as if we were gathered in his home. He speaks with vulnerability and candor which is so refreshing in such a volatile topic as the way we run our family life.

Rock Bottom was a state of mind for me. I struggled to find satisfaction during my day-t0-day interactions with my kids. My pessimism overshadowed my family’s many blessings. My negative emotional responses aggravated existing tensions. I dragged the people I loved most down with me. Fear, frustration and anxiety became the staples of family life.”

Scott identified a few core issues, “ingrained problems that were both hard to identify and painful to accept.” Understanding these would help in addressing the troubles in his family: 

• Core Issue #1: Lack of Time
• Core Issue #2: Lack of Clarity
• Core Issue #3: Lack of Consistency
• Core Issue #4: Lack of Commitment to Improvement

His “Family Constitution” became the 3C’s (clarity, consistency and commitment) that would help his family have the critical structure that all families need to be the most effective.  The Family Constitution relies on rewards and consequences, understanding and empowerment, and simplicity. Throughout his book, Scott Gale shows us how to implement these principles through comparison to our country’s Founding Fathers, anecdotes (Tales from the Gales), and step by step guidelines toward establishing parental objectives. Here is a brief list of the steps Scott carefully explains in his book: 

• Step 1: Introspection. Identify your own personal values, family principles and parenting goals.
• Step 2: Vision. Establish clear and mutual parenting objectives.
• Step 3: Observation. Identify potential issues and behaviors to address in your Family Constitution.
• Step 4: Organization and Prioritization. Finalize a list of primary issues you intend to address in your Family Constitution.
• Step 5: Creating Structure. Produce a detailed framework for manageable family structure.

Following these, is a chapter called “The Household Bill of Rights”; every one needs to find the privileges that they can rely on to find success.

I think this is a book that would benefit any family, even the ones that seem to be running smoothly now. There is no guarantee that personal needs or misunderstandings won’t interfere with our best intentions. Afterall, as Scott says, “I wasn’t a bad parent. I was just a parent.”

If you’re a parent, you need to have a home which meets your needs and your child’s.  This book can show you the way.

Two copies are available as give-aways. Simply leave a comment should you wish to be entered to win one of them.

The winners of their own copy are JoAnn and Susan. Please email me so I can forward your addresses to Scott.

Women Unbound: A New Challenge

The challenge runs from November 1, 2009-November 30, 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish!   Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ 

Interested in participating? Great! There are three levels you can choose as a reader (you can count books for other challenges as well):

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

Maybe by joining this challenge I’ll get over my petty annoyance every time I drive by the moms waiting with their children at the bus stop in the morning, thinking, “All I want to be is a stay at home Mom when I grow up.”

Maybe we always want what we don’t have, because actually, I don’t think I’d give up my teaching career in a million years.

But, this challenge gives us a chance to look at other women and the choices they have made, both fictionally and from real life. That’s always a fascinating thing to do: learn from books about all the lives that we could have led.

My choices for the Philogynist (wait, do I see the letters “GYN” in there?) include:

• Good-Bye Madame Butterfly: Sex,  Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman by Sumie Kawakami and
• STiLL ALiCE by Lisa Genova

Unless I take the woman’s perogative and change my mind halfway through…

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Number of pages: 644
Published: Vintage, 2009
Rating: 2 out of 5

I’m so disappointed.

It wasn’t until page 642 that I really enjoyed this book. Not until I got to some of the unlocking of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s heart, and there was a lot to suffer before I got there:

• a long, boring, tedious beginning hinting at some case for libel that journalist Blomqvist made pertaining to some businessman that we neither know, or care, about.
• a somewhat magically solved chain of events, that were long drawn out, pertaining to the Venger family’s huge dysfunctionality.
• the way that Blomqvist, our alleged hero, can commit himself to neither female: his long time lover and co-worker, who’s already married, or Salander with her tattoo and broken life.

I love mysteries. I love thrillers. I love the race through a compelling novel of crime and intrigue such as I found in The Bourne Identity.  Or, The Death of A Red Heroine. I had greatly anticipated such a read with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, especially after reading accolades not only from the blog-0-sphere, but from The Washington Post and The New York Times. The later two are especially trustworthy sources, no? No! My summary:

It was a brick of a book, 608 pages in paperback. (p. 626)

Alas, I couldn’t have said it better myself, Stieg.

Friday Fill-Ins: The Night Before Halloween

1. “It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.” by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

2. My fine at the library was huge so I offered to take the books from Borders instead of their shelves.

3. Rushing out, before the vampires rushed in.

4. While watching an Alfred Hitchcock film, like Rear Window,…I think I heard a howl!

5. Shhhh…don’t wake the monster under your bed!

6. Don’t give me something good to eat! I’ll eat it all!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going to a Halloween party at The House of Heller (our Art teacher’s last name, who decorates her home with drop cloths, leaves from outside, and the only light is candles), tomorrow my plans include going to a Halloween party at our neighbor’s and Sunday, I want to go to the last Halloween party at Misericordia for my husband’s handicapped sister!

On A Bike Ride In October

In the world outside
is it harvesting time?
The grass of my hut.

~Basho