travelin reading list, part VII

Being on the farm with no booze, transport or entertainment and subsequently on the beach with lots of daylight and no plans, I've read a LOT of books lately.  I've sort of enjoyed scavenging books at the places we've stayed.  At home I would have been more selective since I didn't have hours a day to read.  Now I'll pick up just about anything and almost always finish it, no matter how awful.

Oh, hott travel tip #54.  Always carry a paperback so you have something to trade on the book swap shelves in hotels and coffee shops.  We were able to save a small fortune in guidebooks this way and sometimes I even ended up reading something really super great as a result.

Survival of the Fittest by Jonathan Kellerman
I found this book in the cottage at the farm and selected because it was not covered in rat dung and did not appear to have been peed upon.  I've never been much of a crime reader, but now I'm learning about authors who have one protagonist that appears in a series of books.  In this one, that's Alex Delaware and he's as predictably handsome and wise cracking as all the crime stars.  I enjoyed this fluffy number; the killers are picking off the genetically inferior and a greedy WASPy family is involved.  Senators! Nazism! Disabilities (this was written when the word retard was still used by doctors)! I also find it entertaining to read books from the '80s, when the detective and his sidekick have to create a suspect list from several "print outs" from the "databases."  There are pencils to be sharpened and libraries to be visited while researching the crimes.  Old school solvation!

The Company She Keeps by Georgia Durante
The memoirs of a former model and mob wife turned stunt car driver and is fascinating if poorly written.  The story is long and winding; its obvious that the author isn't a writer by trade and her editor should be flogged.  The intrigue comes in having a peek into the psyche of an abused woman and a glimpse into the inner workings of the mafia.  The frustration at the authors' relentlessly poor choices in men and continued neglect of her kids is just grating.  If I hadn't been sitting on a beach for a month, I never would 't have finished it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Awesome recommendation from Burgie.  A SUPER charming and beautifully written book, its a series of letters between witty, hip characters at the end of the second world war.  The history lesson is revelatory, but what makes it a non-stop read is the cast of sweet and quirky characters that the main narrator, writer Juliet, meets during her time in Guernsey.  Definitely in my top 5 for the year.

Sahara by Clive Cussler
This one was on the shelf of our bungalow in Raratonga.  The protagonist here is Dirk Pitt- also ruggedly handsome and handsomely rugged.  And wise cracking.  And tough and heroic.  I sort of loved this ridiculous but smart novel which incorporated the civil war, gold mining in Africa, the decades old story of a female Australian pilot, naughty big corporate conspiracy, toxic waste, cannibalism, slavery, and shipwrecks.  Getting into the crime genre, its hard not to notice how many salacious elements the authors manage to toss into the plot.  What Clive, no Khmer Rouge?  And what about theFreemasons? Perhaps in the next Dirk Pitt joint.

Bloodline by Tess Gerritsen
Also a paperback in the bungalow.  Also a crime novel.  More toxic waste, school shootings, witchcraft, big pharma, but in a small town setting.  It was sort of like that show "Everwood," but with 'roid rage.  Strange, but ultimately a fun read.

travelin reading list, part VI

I haven't been as bookishly active in Australia because we move around all the time, wine tasting is a primary activity and, get this, check out is at 10.  AM.  As Marc Maron would say, WTF? When you think about the fact that check in time is 2 or 3 p.m. and that we're booted so ungenerously early, we are basically homeless 5+ hours each day.  Heartbreaking, non? For this reason, hot travel tip #12 (arbitrary number applies) is this: if you plan to stay somewhere nice, always stay for 2 nights so as to fully enjoy the facilities for at least one complete 24 hour period. 

And now, on to the stuff I read. 

In a Sunburnt Country by Bill Bryson

This was a freebie on a bookshelf In Pai.  I wouldn't have read it, but I hadn't done a scrap of research on Australia and it seemed the responsible thing to do.  As a result, Bryson is responsible for our having just visited Adelaide, which we lurved! His account of his travels down under are entertaining and quite informative, as he gets off the most trodden path and explores some small towns and quirky sites (like the giant earthworm museum, which we skipped). All of that said, if we hadn't been mere days away from Melbourne without a clue, I definitely would have flaked before the end.  Perhaps this comment illuminates my self-centeredness, but I just don't think I'd care enough to finish an 800 page account of a place I wasn't ever planning to go.

The Godfather of Kathmandu By John Burdett

I barely even remember what this book was about. There was definitely drug trafficking through Tibet and some spiritual hi jinks involving the series' protagonist. Also a tie-in to Hollywood and terrifying accounts of high level meditation.  The rest is a bit murky - I read it while we were in Pai and I was napping a lot at the time. Suffice it to say, it was digestible but far less tasty than Bangkok 8.  Like a rom-com starring the Kutch, this was infinitely entertaining and equally forgettable.  Serving suggestion: best read in a hammock. 

A Nail Through the Heart by Tim Hallinan

Amazon recommended this one based on my downloading of the John Burdett.  Definitely written in the same vein; a SE Asian do-gooder in an imperfect world.  I think Tim Hallinan's portrayal is more restrained but less realistic.  While Burdett acknowledges the infinite corruption rampant in Thailand and thus moderates his policeman protagonist, Tim Hallinan employs an amateur sleuth who doesn't oft get stuck to red tape.  Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the antics of Poke Rafferty, a former travel writer who becomes a Bangkok detective.  Like the Burdett books, its not enough just to have a Thailand based crime-thriller.  This novel involves the Khmer Rouge, Chinese drug smuggling, and a Scandanavian fetishist.  I hope the next one has muppets and midgets and Malaysians too.  I'll probably read it regardless. 

The Man with No Time by Tim Hallinan

I bought this book without realizing it was written by the same dude that wrote "A Nail Through the Heart."  I was doing an experiment on Amazon to see what books I could buy for under $4 that didn't seem like steaming piles of shit.  This was $1.99 and I didn't realize until I hit the AUTHOR'S BIO at the end that it was by the same dude.  This novel features an earlier narrator, Simeon Grist, who is more flawed and less family oriented than nerdy Poke.  He gets drunk a lot and is witty and relatable, making this otherwise ridiculous novel a fun read.  Though still centering around conflicting Asian cultures, its set entirely in LA, where the Chinese food in Chinatown is portrayed to be great, and the characters never sit in traffic. 

Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer

To learn, in detail, about Mormonism, the history of Mormonism, the politics of Mormonism, and Mormons, I'd recommend this book. Its a pretty fascinating religion to learn about, but the marketing of the book is off base. Its synopsized as being about a sensational killing committed by 2 fundamentalist Mormons in the 80s.  And it kind of is, but its more about the religion as a whole. I didn't go in expecting the in-depth schooling that I received, and there are way too many footnotes for reading on a Kindle.  Also, so many characters I needed a pad & paper to keep track.  It was like reading Marquez.  Bit of a slog, so I'd give it a 6 for entertainment and a 9 for educational.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Wowzah. I haven't been this captivated in ages. Franzen somehow takes the seemingly mundane story of some fairly unlikeable members of a mid-western family and makes magic. I read this book to the exclusion of quite a few other things (like talking at breakfast) until I finished its bazillion pages. Somehow the lengthy novel manages real emotion and sentimentality without schmaltz throughout.  I feel like I should go back and give “the Corrections” another shot.  Tons of critics and reviewers thought this book was mediocre or worse.  But they were wrong, and I  am right. Way to go, Franz.

travelin' reading list, part V (aren't roman numerals fancy?)

Since 2011 began, we've been mostly in hammocks in the nature, reading.  Also, there is a flying cockroach the size of a pine cone circling the picnic table as I type this in virtual darkness.  Just FYI. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The story of Chris McCandless, a young and adventurous soul is at once exhilarating and infuriating. Why such a bright and apparently charismatic 20 something year old would unnecessarily try to survive in the Alaskan wilderness with little preparation and few supplies is mind blowing.  Not a first hand account, this book is part bio/part history compiled from interviews, letters and diary entries written by McCandless, and articles published around the time of his disappearance.  The details about the Alaskan wilderness and Krakauer's seeming obsession with understanding what, exactly, happened to McCandless makes it worth reading. But more than anything I walked away thinking that a perfectly good life was foolishly wasted.

Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai

Chelsey gave me this book when we were in Bangkok; its about a young boy growing up amidst major civil conflict in 70s Sri Lanka.  Also, he was gay, and really into musical theater. The narrator is often hilarious (although the title refers to gay slang of the time) and captures the tone and feeling of young love and the unfairness of adolescence so pitch perfectly that I was wholly transported. Not since I watched the first “Twilight” movie have the memories of my school days come back with such force. Just a lovely coming of age tale and quite informative if, like me, you weren't aware of Sri Lanka's troubled past.

Grand Theft: Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason

This was on a bookshelf at our hotel in Mui Ne, Vietnam and I picked it up based solely on the cover. Its a first hand account of an uber-jewel thief and his pursuits in the heady days of 60s celebrity Florida. The author detailed in describing his capers and occasionally remorseful, though perfectly honest about his pride in pulling off some of his jobs. I found myself flying through the pages, fingers crossed that he wouldn't be hurt or arrested. I just liked the guy. And the book.

Catfish & Mandala by Andrew Pham

Super extra must-read edition. I started this when we were in Phan Thiet, Vietnam, which is also where some of it is set. A unique view of the country from the perspective of a twenty-something who was born there and escaped to the US as a child after the fall of the South Vietnamese government. Like a dog who will only take a pill hidden in a hot dog, even I learned about the war and the fraught history of Vietnam through this superbly written memoir. Although there has been no shortage of mocking the title (seriously, what editor let that slide by) I absolutely loved this book and trot out my new-got knowledge of Vietnamese history like a proud school kid.

The Poor Little Rich Girl by Eleanor Gates

Funny story. Molly recommended Poor Little Rich Girl: the Barbara Hutton story to me while we were in Tokyo. In shopping for it through Kindle's online store, I mistook this book for that one and downloaded it. Only when I was approximately half way through and the eponymous little rich girl was still in the nursery and not yet blowing rails off of a Matisse painting did I start to think something was amiss. The book I was reading is not good. Hopefully when the intended title is available for Kindle, I will fare better.

When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge by Chanrithy Him

We were in Cambodia for all of 10 days, which is 9 more than you need to see the impact of the civil war and heartbreaking legacy of the Khmer Rouge. I read somewhere that if you're  speaking to a Cambodian over the age of 30, you're talking to a survivor. That is a true fact, friends, and it is scary as hell. The history has a lot of participants; the US, Vietnamese, and Chinese involvement had all colluded to confuse me, but this account pretty much cleared it up. Written by a girl who lived through the rice-producing reign of the Khmer Rouge, this memoir gives a detailed first hand account of how it all went down. Its horrible, its sad, and, incidentally, it makes no fucking sense. I'm just saying, Pol Pot, if you're going to round up a bunch of your countrymen and murder them with hoes, perhaps spare some doctors to take care of the troops and all the folks you're starving. The anti-intellectual credo is hard for Americans to grasp, but here you have it. The day to day of this book can drag a bit (as I'm certain it did for the author), but overall its eye opening and educational. 

In closing, here's Ed, enjoying "Catfish & Mandala" which I force-read him by coaxing him into a seat he can't get out of and tossing in the paperback.

 

travelin' reading list, part IV

Being at the beach for a couple of weeks with no TV and very limited internet access gave me plenty of time for reading.  A couple of books were given to me in old fashiondy non-digital paper format.  And you know what?  I hate them!  I wasn't exactly an early adapter to the e-reader trend.  Ed bought me a Kindle for Christmas last year in anticipation of eventually going away and even then I was only moderately convinced.  But now that I've grown accustomed its hard to go back to analog.

A lot of people we've met along the way have asked us whether we like our Kindles.  And, seriously, Amazon should be sending us royalties for our unpaid spokesmenship.  Though going back to paper books has reminded me how much more comfortable the Kindle is to read (one handed!), how much brighter the screen is (no glare on the beach!), that one's place is saved automatically (no bookmarks!), there is one feature that I miss more than all of these combined: the dictionary function.  Getting into the habit of moving the cursor to any word I'm not sure of in a book and having a two sentence definition appear at the bottom of the screen has been nothing short of miraculous.  Just last week I learned what "picaresque" and "surfeit" meant.  Growing and changing, growing and changing. 

And now, my words.

Everything Change by Jonathan Tropper
Actually, nothing changes.  This book, like the 3 or 4 others of his I've read follows the same story arch of estranged-rich-Jewish-kid-with-complex-familial-emotions as he comes back to the family fold.  Thing is, I like this story so as long as the Trop keeps writing it, imma keep reading it.  In like a day and a half.

Old School by Tobias Wolff
Set in a New England prep school in the 60s, which is usually the start of something I thoroughly enjoy (Friendly Fire, The Secret History), I have to admit I had a hard time getting through this one.  I found the unnamed narrator dry and there were too many moments where a perspective would have been much more engaging than straight observation.  In some ways it reads more like a play, or short story, than a novel.  The genius of the book which, in itself, is writerly is that the main characters are aspiring writers and the plot is driven by their heroes, the famous writers of the era.  So meta.

Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
This one was on Ed's Kindle, and I'm so so glad to have been introduced to the world of Krakauer.  Just a fantastic author, I had dreams for days about the harrowing experiences he describes on Mt. Everest.  Even though the prologue summarizes the events and names the dead, I still found myself hoping for a happy ending.  The trauma that unfolds, though unimaginable to a non-climber, is completely engrossing and impossible to stop thinking about.  Such a great read.  

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
This book felt like one that would have been assigned in a college level business school class.  But, having recently spent time in China, it was worth slogging through.  Chinese society comes across as heartless, opportunistic, and hollow; the view isn't balanced.  But, the lesson of the last 100 years of Chinese history and how it relates to the evolving workforce is informative and relevant.  Understanding how the interpersonal tenets of Chinese society and the brutality of history have come together to create a new class of independent and brash workers keeps it interesting.  As I was reading it, I felt like so many behaviors and norms I had seen in China were answers to the equation laid out in this book.  But, not that fun.  Not for the beach.

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
An awesome "airplane" recommendation from Pete, reading this book while we were in Thailand was just super cool.  Its definitely on the light side, the plot is pretty ridiculous, but the energy and vibe of Bangkok is captured perfectly.  I actually learned quite a bit about the more illicit underbelly of what I was seeing, too.  I loved this book for the same reasons I loved Thailand: they're a little trashy, but there is no looking away.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Or, as it was renamed in our bungalow, "I Need to Read About Kevin."  This novel was given to me by an awesome girl we met at the beach.  Its written by the mother of a high-school mass-murderer (Columbine style) as a series of letters to her estranged husband.  The couple start off young, successful, hip New Yorkers and somewhat hesitantly transform themselves into suburban, SUV-driving, parents.  The book is a fascinating read and beautifully written (I longed for my dictionary function) but I think it especially resonant for any woman who has questioned motherhood as an option.  Its a brilliant novel and people who give out book awards thought so too.  Must must read it.
 

travelin' reading list, part III

In our effort toward austerity, we decided to table the fantastic list of book recommendations that I received, and instead switch Kindles for a while.  Ed is something of an Amazon impulse shopper, so he has a tremendous backlog.  Unfortunately, he doesn't know what any of the books are about, and his Kindle doesn't get wifi here, so the plot summaries are of no use.

Since I'm generally too lazy to go online and read about my options, going the route of start a book with zero idea about its subject or genre has been kind of an interesting experiment.  I've ended up reading quite a few things I never would have chosen, but really enjoyed.  Between this and my experience with the Genghis trilogy, I'm starting to think I don't really know my own taste at all.

Lush Life by Richard Price
I remember when this first came out all the hubbub about the racial stereotypes, the colloquialisms, the cartoonish portrayal of hipster Manhattan.  But what I don't remember is anyone mentioning that its a thoroughly captivating noir-ish book about a high profile murder on the Lower East Side.  Perhaps I was just homesick, but the thinly anonymized descriptions of my old stomping grounds (I do miss the Cubano at Schiller's) was accurate and engaging.  Ed and I agree Mr. Price's editor was asleep on the job but, overall, this was New York readin' at its finest.  

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
I'm going to group these together because Jonathan Tropper keeps rewriting the same book.  The highest evolution is "This is Where I Leave You" which is, incidentally, the funniest book I have ever read.  Ever.  Haha out loud funny.  Like these others, its about the son of a wealthy Jewish family from the suburbs of NYC who has a complicated/strained/estranged relationship with his tribe but, due to an unfortunate circumstance, must return to his roots.  Everybody loves a good homecoming story and I imagine Jonathan Tropper must have had one hell of family reunion at some point in his life to get this much mileage out of it.  His books are Gross Pointe Blank without the guns.  You can almost hear the Hollywood studio exec pitching the story to Paul Rudd.  

The Ax by Donald Westlake
I'm not giving anything away when I say upfront that this book is about a middle management guy who gets severed from his firm and decides to kill off the job applicants in his field that he sees as his competition.   As an HR professional, I find his insight into the mind of the desperate and unemployed pretty fascinating.  The downfall of the book, though, is that we never get it up to really love or hate this guy.  I wanted him either to be a sympathetic figure in a bad situation, or a despicable villain.  It feels like the author crapped out on taking a side, and the narrator is neither.  He's just a boring middle aged guy in a boring marriage in a boring suburb.  Who happens to kill people.  Boring. 

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
I'm realizing as I type that Ed's Kindle has a lot of murdering on it.  Perhaps something we should discuss at some point.  This book was about several murders committed within a literary community.  It started off fast and captivating; great character development, a colorful community in Ann Arbor, and plenty of writerly dialogue.  Sadly, it devolved into something campy and ridiculous.  I read a review that said readers might find it a "tad improbable."  I'd say on the improbability scale, the needle lands on "fucking ridiculous."  Pass.
 

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About by Mil Millington
I think this was supposed to be a comedy.  Its by a British author so, hard to tell.  This may be a case of a concept that works as a blog but fails as a novel.  From the reader's perspective, there's almost nothing about this relationship that seems happy or worthwhile.  Both of the characters are tossers.  Save us your pain, and just break up already.  

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Unexpected hit of my lifetime.  I never would have guessed that a sci-fi character study about children raised to donate their organs would rock my brain.  I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it.  I'm so glad I started this book with no prior idea of what it was about, because I never would have read it.  And it. Was. Bad. Ass.  So beautifully written and tragic and vaguely Catcher-ish, but in the best way.  You go, Kazuo.

Books

Thanks, everyone, for the book recommendations!  Now that we're back in the land of free and breezy internets, I will be a downloading maniac.

travelin' reading list, part II

Korean cable is crap, we have 1 laptop, and we've all but stopped boozing, which means we both read a lot. In fact, I'm down to my last unread book and in need of recommendations. My favorites are always suggestions from friends, so please shoot me a mail or leave ideas for me in comments and you'll be my hero. You'll also be helping to not waste my terrible mind, keep me off the streets, idle hands, etc.

Here's some thoughts on the last batch...

The Ask: A Novel by Sam Lipsyte

I thought this book was going to be funny, but to me it was a bummer. The narrator is a schlumpy pessimist and reminds me too much of a narcissistic ex-boyfriend. The book is well written and Sam Lipsyte has an admiral vocabulary but, overall, is too up his own ass. That said, I really got some mileage out of the dictionary function on my Kindle and will be wowing you with shiny four-syllablers as soon as I learn how to use them in context. Flash cards, please.

Don't Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff

Rakoff is one of my favorite NPR heads; his contributions to “This American Life” make any episode in which he appears a favorite. His writing is stellar but loses something for me when its not read aloud in his dry, elegant, ready for a v.o., voice. Plus, a collection of short stories has to be kind of miraculous to win my affection. I'm lazy during the courting stage of a book and often find the set-up a total drag. Once I'm through that bit and committed, I'd prefer that the tale goes on and on so that I don't have to start over. With short form, I usually feel like it ends just as I'm immersing. That said, there is a quote in this book about Karl Lagerfeld that I reread 12 times; it was spot on and mean-spirited and David Rakoff-perfect.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This was a recommendation from my friend Aileen, who never steers me wrong, but often recommends mandatory crying books. (see: Eleni, The Glass Castle, Case Histories, I could go on...) Edgar Sawtelle also brought the requisite tears, but holy shit is this a terrific book. I tip my hat to anyone who can write an engaging and cohesive novel that includes a mute protagonist, a cast of dogs with developed and unique personalities and believable mysticism/ghost stuff. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously and when I finished said to Ed, “that, my friend, is how you write a book.” Read it, GO!

Spooner by Pete Dexter

I think I liked this book, but I'm still not sure. Its weird in a good, almost cartoonish way. I felt the same ambivalence when I finished "Confederacy of Dunces," so, you know...  There are some very funny bits and some tragically sad moments. If someone else reads it, let me know what you think. I loved the ending and that might be coloring my overall impression. But, maybe its great? Undecided.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

I don't love reading plays, but I do love Oscar Wilde. Always.

travelin' reading list

Since leaving work and the country, I've had quite a bit of time for reading. Not so much with the consistent electricity or internet access but books, yes. From the list I've embarked on, I have a few recommendations and am always looking for suggestions if you've read anything worthwhile. The magic eight ball sees many hours of train
travel in my future...

The Girl... with the Dragon Tattoo, Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and Who Played With Fire. By Steig Larson. I think by now everyone with an Amazon account has polished these 3 off, so you know they're perfect, mindless, beach/travel reads. Not very well written, yet strangely addicting.
Sag Harbor: A Novel. By Colson Whitehead. This guy is too smart for the good of this novel. He should relax a little.
The Genghis Trilogy. By Conn Iggulden. These were recommended to me by Pete, a client at my old gig. I thought based on his review that they might not be for me (he gave full disclosure on the war-yness).  Surprise literary hit of my lifetime, I totally loved them and plowed through all three. The story of Genghis Khan is amazing and since these are fictionalized somewhat, you learn the history without feeling like you're studying. Reading the first 2 in Mongolia while sleeping in gers and drinking airag was especially excellent. And
learning about the relationship with China provided a lot of context for our visit to the Great Wall. More on that soon!
A Visit from the Goon Squad. By Jennifer Egan. I found this book depressing, for no particular reason. I think it made me miss New York. There are a lot of unlikeable characters but overall its still totally worth the read.

And now, onto China posts!