Friends, Lovers, Chocolate - Alexander McCall Smith (Isabel Dalhousie Series - Book 2)

This is the second installment in Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series about a meddling philosopher in Scotland. Isabel edits a philosophy journal, moonlights at her beautiful niece's deli, maintains friendships with a budding musician 15 years her junior, and interjects her opinions with reckless abandon wherever she pleases. In this one, Isabel meets a gentleman by the name of Ian, a recent recipient of a heart transplant. Ian has been experiencing strange visions and memories, and considers the possibility that they belong to the young man whose heart he now carries. Isabel investigates the possibility, encountering various moral conundrums along the way. My favorite parts are Isabel's conversations with her housekeeper Grace - who may not be as educated or clever as Isabel, but has a wealth of practicality and advice to pass along nonetheless. This series is much better written than Smith's #1 Ladies Detective Series, but the characters are not quite as charming or clever.

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_mcewan - Ian McEwan is a brilliant writer. He won the Man Booker prize in 1998 for Amsterdam, was long-listed for Saturday in 2005, and was most recently short-listed in 2007 for this one. Yet, despite McEwan's mastery of language, I've yet to read a book of his that I actually enjoyed. On Chesil Beach is a study of the relationship between newlyweds Florence and Edward. Florence, who comes from a upper-class background is an artist who loves her husband, but suffers from incurable frigidity. Edward, on the other hand, comes from a more humble background and is prone to bouts of violence. The narrative switches between the couple's wedding night and flashbacks to the beginnings of their relationship. I found myself irritated by Edward and Florence and how they played their gender roles so stereotypically. The end of this book, however, was a bit unexpected. For a study in fine writing, this book is worthwhile, but I don't think I could legitimately say that I liked it.

2007: The Year in Review and My 2008 Resolutions

2007 was a good reading year for me. I finished roughly 150 books. Of course, the number of books I read is a reflection of the fact that for 4 months this year I was either working part-time or between jobs. I also took some wonderful trips that allowed me to read: Japan with Jake, Ashland with Raz, Kauai with my mom, Mexico with Jake's family, and most recently, out to Michigan to see my brother.

I re-discovered the library this year -- trading in my hundreds of dollars in credit card bills at Walden Pond Books and Amazon for the Lakeshore Public Library. The library has been wonderful -- I love being able to check out books that look good, and not feeling guilty if I end up not wanting to read them. Of course, my need to over-consume has led to excessive check-outs and now I fear I will never get to read the books that are sitting on my shelves at home!

I also found new places for book recommendations: I bought a copy of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die which introduced me to J.M. Coetzee, my favorite new find for the year. I began reading the NY Times book reviews on-line and receiving daily e-mail reviews from Powellsbooks.com (my favorite huge bookstore in Portland). And, I joined Goodreads.com, an on-line forum that allows me to keep track of all my books - and see what my bibliophile friends are also reading. I've gotten some great recommendations from friends and family this year, so please keep them coming!

I have missed browsing in bookstores. I try to stay away since it's still hard for me to go in and just look. But, in 2008, I think I may budget myself a little money and time for one of my favorite pasttimes. And, now that I'm back working full-time, I miss just lounging in a cafe with my latte and reading for an hour or so while the world passes me by. In 2008, I think I might let myself skip the gym one day a week and spend that hour just reading. I might even let myself have a scone.

Sometimes I get anxious or stressed thinking about all the books I HAVE to read and knowing that I'll never have enough time. But, in 2008, I am going to try and relax, and just let myself BE with my books and enjoy everything I love about reading.

Thanks to all my friends and family for reading my blog now and again and for encouraging me to keep reading and writing. This has been one of my favorite activities this year, and I look forward to keeping it going in the new year. Happy 2008 and happy reading to all!!

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman

http://www.spiritcatchesyou.com/ - Every once in awhile I start reading a book and I just want to rush out and tell everyone about it. This is one of those books. This is the story of Lia Lee, a newborn Hmong girl living in Merced, California with her parents and seven siblings. Her parents speak no English, and when Lia begins suffering from epilleptic seizures, they reluctantly take her to the nearby hospital. From there, this book chronicles the vast cultural differences between mainstream Americans and the Hmong, and how language and cultural barriers affected Lia's treatment. Throughout the book, Fadiman meets with the Lee's and an interpreter, and provides historical background of the Hmong people who come from Laos and the Northern Hills of Thailand. This is an amazing portrait of how cultural norms can be misunderstood (or interpreted as crazy or the result of stupidity) when taken out of context, and the difficulty doctors face treating people from various backgrounds.

I am America (and So Can You!) - Stephen Colbert

http://www.colbertnation.com/ - Three years ago Jon Stewart came out with him mock textbook America (the Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democratic Inaction. While I sometimes find Stewart irritating, the book was pretty funny, and hit on all the highlights of a civics textbook - but with his liberal humor, of course. Now Colbert (who lately I have actually found funnier than Stewart) has come out with his own textbook of sorts. I am America is a collection of Colbert's thoughts and rants on basic American life from Race to Sports to Old People. There are lines that are laugh out loud funny, but mostly it gets a little old - and without the timely political headlines and figures to mock, the jokes are kind of stale, and a little too heavy on the homophobia for my taste. I was glad that I borrowed this one from the library - enjoyable for a few evenings, but not something I'd want to spend actual money on.

84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/84_Charing_Cross_Road - Many years ago, my Aunty Marji introduced me to this book. I remember just loving it. It is a collection of letters from the late 50s through the 70s between the author, Helene - a writer in New York, and Frank Dole - an antiquarian bookseller. Helene begins in search of rare titles, which Dole doggedly tracks down for her. As their correspondence continues, an interesting friendship develops. Helene sends packages to the bookstore, to be shared by the other workers there. And eventually, she begins to correspond, not only with Frank, but with his co-workers and even his wife. This book is quite short -- I read it in one session on the elliptical machine. It's so strange, because my recollection is that it was so much longer -- I'm not sure if it's because I read more slowly when I was younger, or if it's because I loved it so much that I imagined it lasted forever. Helene can be a bit infuriating, but her letters are funny and charming and contain discussions of the most obscure books. The idea that people could come to life through letters and develop a relationship without ever meeting each other is so wonderful to me. Now with the internet, I guess this is a much more common phenomenon than it used to be, but thinking about these letters traveling by post overseas is almost magical. The book has since been turned into a BBC broadcast, developed for the stage, and become a movie staring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft.

All He Ever Wanted - Anita Shreve

Set at the end of the 19th century, All He Ever Wanted is the story of Professor Nicholas Van Tassel and his all consuming obsession with Etna Bliss. He meets Etna one night when the hotel he's staying at catches fire. He's immediately taken with her, though she doesn't seem to express anything more than mild politeness in his presence. In response to his marriage proposal, Etna informs Nicholas that she does not love him. Yet, he's willing to go forward with the wedding in the hopes that some day she might come to at least tolerate him. As the years go by, nothing much seems to change, and slowly the truth of Etna's past, what she is hiding from and why she will never love Nicholas, is revealed. In general, I am a big fan of Anita Shreve - her stories are usually about the nature of love with a twist and written simply, but beautifully. My favorites are The Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water. Nothing different here, yet, I found the character of Nicholas so self-centered and controlling, that it was difficult for me to enjoy the book. Etna herself is quite unlikeable, but at least she is honest. This is an interesting look at marriage, particularly at the turn of the century -- the decisions that women feel forced to make, the compromises men and women are willing to make, and I think ultimately, the importance of love.