Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea - Chelsea Handler

Sometimes, I think it's quite possible that I live under a rock, completely and totally out of touch with current events and reality. I blame this partially on the invention of the DVR. It means that I only watch certain shows, and that I have not seen a commercial in years (except during the Superbowl). I don't watch the evening news because I can't stand the bias. And, I don't read the newspaper because I hate getting ink on my hands. And so, I continue in my little bubble. Until someone comes along and asks if I've heard of so-and-so, or my opinion on such-and-such. Then, as a result of extreme embarrassment at my ignorance, I run to the library or the internet to learn what I can. And so it was with Chelsea Handler (www.chelseahandler.com), stand-up comedian, best-selling author, late-night talk show host, and the unofficially hardest working woman in Hollywood. She's been on the scene for a number of years, but it wasn't until my friend Loana started dropping her name on a daily basis that I started to catch a bit of a clue. I almost even bought this book in an airport bookstore, but luckily, she saved me the $14.99 and lent it to me instead. Handler's latest book is a collection of essays about her life growing up in New Jersey as the youngest of six children. She recounts how her wild imagination and her yearning to fit in enabled her to concoct incredible stories. As she grows older, we learn about her somewhat disastrous dating life and her shallow friendships. Handler's stories are observant, and she certainly has a unique and funny outlook on often dismal situations. But, I did not find this book laugh out loud funny. There were clever turns of phrases, cringe-worthy episodes, and some knowing relate-ability. I did particularly enjoy one essay about attending the birthday party of a "friend" she completely dislikes, and regifting a present that the birthday girl had actually given her. On purpose. I have never seen Handler on television, but she is coming soon to the bay area for a stand-up show and I hope I will have the chance to check her out. I've heard that her dead-pan delivery translates better in person than on the page - and the feminist in me loves to see more women out there recognized for their humor. Handler is no David Sedaris, but I can see myself checking out more of her books for a laugh or two in the future.

Wisdom of the Last Farmer - David Masumoto

My husband Jake jokes that if you want to start a successful restaurant in the bay area, all you have to do is work for Chez Panisse for a day, and then bill yourself out as a former employee. People will come running on the assumption that all your food will be fresh, organic, and innovative. So, David Masumoto did a good thing having the introduction to his book about peach farming written by someone who treasured the experience of eating Masumoto's family fruit at Alice Waters's restaurant. With this set-up, I was instantly drawn into the world of Central Valley farming, and excited to learn more about the peach growing process, as well as about Masumoto's life as the son of sansei Japanese-Americans who had lived through the horrors of the World War II internment camps. Wisdom of the Last Farmer is a collection of articles and essays Masumoto previously published about his life on his family farm (www.masumoto.com), and in particular about his relationship with his father and his hopes for passing the family farm along to his own two children. Because of this, there is a bit of repetition - as characters are introduced and re-introduced in different chapters, and some stories and themes are recycled. Masumoto provides an interesting perspective on the aging culture of farming, and what this means for the future of our fruit and vegetable industries. But, mostly what I enjoyed about this book was Masumoto's reflections on family - on tradition and obligation, on why we take care of the people we love, and why we need to tell the stories of our lives. I wanted to love this book - not just because Masumoto's peaches are served at Chez Panisse - but because he stands for so much, not the least of which is incredible success in the wake of racial prejudice and financial difficulty. I was not blown away by the presentation of the stories, but I was inspired by his anecdotes. Masumoto has written a number of other books about his life, Heirlooms, Letters to the Valley, Four Seasons in Five Senses, Harvest Son, and Epitaph for a Peach. While I won't rush out to request these from the library, Masumoto is someone I am interested in learning more about - and I look forward to buying and ordering his fruit from Berkeley Bowl, my local farmer's market, and neighborhood restaurants in the upcoming peach season.

Ground Up - Michael Idov

I keep track of the books I'm reading and the long list of books that I want to read on goodreads.com. But, I need to keep better track of where I get my recommendations, so I can figure out if there are consistently reliable sources, and others that I need to just toss aside. This book came from some unknown source and sounded promising. It's the story of an aimess intellectual couple and their quest to run a hip coffee shop in Manhattan. The book is based on the author's real-life foray into cafe ownership. As someone who has always romanticized the notion of owning a cafe (I mean, who hasn't), preferably with a small bookstore attached, I was curious to see how this one would play out. From choosing the name of the shop (nothing with a pun) to hiring "coffee artists" to figuring out which pastries to sell and what kind of vibe to put forth, I found Idov's dialogue and story telling style for the most part witty (in a Juno, if not realistic, way). But, the characters themselves were simply not likeable. The couple doesn't act like much of a team, and they take themselves way too seriously for the reader to ever truly root for their success. Of course, that might be part of the point. The main characters cannot be bothered to find money important, so the mere fact that they've set off to achieve a capitalist's dream (complete with competing Cup a Joe across the street) solidifies the satire and ensures their ultimate demise. This story is the classic picture of urban malaise. And while it is not as annoying to me as suburban malaise, I found it mostly tedious and uninspiring.

Turnk Music - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch Series #5)

As work heats up for me over the next couple months, I anticipate that the percentage of my reading time taken up with mindless mysteries and other thrillers (probably featuring vampires) will increase. To that end, I plan to make some headway in Connelly's series featuring LA Homicide Detective Hieronymous Bosch (I have 10 more to go!). In this adventure, Harry is fresh off his suspension when he is assigned to the murder of an entertainment industry bigwig found shot and stuffed in the trunk of his car. Suspecting a mob hit, Harry makes his way to Vegas, where he once again crosses path with former lover, Eleanor Wish. As with most of Connelly's books in this series, Harry chases down false leads, always suspects the wife, and has a hunch that there might be some LAPD insiders on the make. This one held together quite well for me, though as usual Harry's romantic interludes always seem forced and awkward. I did, however, particularly enjoy the relatively witty dialogue among the feuding police forces (internal affairs, in particular). Trunk Music does not have much about Harry's past (which I found compelling, especially in The Concrete Blonde), but he is an interesting protagonist and I look forward to his future adventures.

The Kingdom of this World - Alejo Carpentier

When the earthquake in Haiti first hit, I was heartened to see that my local bookstore made an effort to stock and promote books about Haiti and by Haitian writers (most notably Edwidge Danticat). In my effort to learn more about Haitian history, the owner recommended this fiction book, which is actually by a Cuban author. The Kingdom of the World tells the story of Ti Noel, an illiterate slave who lives through the Haitian revolution in 1804. After the United States, Haiti was only the second country in history to break free from European colonization. Dependent entirely on plantation slavery, once Haiti achieved independence, it experienced a complete overhaul of its social and economic order. Carpentier employs the devices of magical realism to tell the story of this brutal transformation, and while short, this book is chock full of voodoo, violence, sexuality, history, and commentary on race relations. Predominantly, I felt this was a book about form - Carpentier's method of storytelling is as important, if not more important, than the actual story he is telling - and it takes a lot of work to follow. As I often feel when books are a little over my head, I think I would have really benefitted from reading this book in a class taught by a professor of literature, as well as Haitian history. I particularly enjoyed the theme of hybridization throughout the novel, and the ideas of intersecting cultural identity - particularly profound given Carpentier's own complex background. I'm not sure I came away with much factual information about Haiti from this novel, but it certainly gave me a feel for the times, and the incredible struggle against and for power endured by those portrayed in the novel. For anyone looking for a work of historical fiction, that is more lyrical than linear, this is a good bet.

The Case for Books - Robert Darnton

With inventions such as the Kindle and the iPad, there has been a great deal of discussion about the future of books - meaning whether actual bound books have become obsolete, as well as how we as a society best store, obtain, digest, and process the written word. This book is a collection of essays about the digitization of literature. Some of the essays take the position that by scanning books and making information readily accessible, that we have a net benefit. How could anyone possibly argue against more information? Other essays question how decisions are made about what information is available, whether there is a monopoly on information dissemination, and whether laws (in whatever form) might somehow insert a level of distrust - or create situations in in which the information is simply lost down the road. The essays are varied and cover a wide variety of concerns about the changing nature of information dissemination. Given how quickly technology evolves, some of the concerns have already been rendered moot - or technology has advanced to a point that the potential fears raised by the essays have not only been met, but possibly surpassed. When it comes to books and technology, my interest lies in whether books themselves as objects are becoming obsolete - whether the next generation of readers will still love the thrill of turning an actual page. But, Darnton isn't particularly concerned with this question (despite the title of this book). His focus is more on how the written word in general (with a heavy focus on newspapers) is maintained and accessed - and whether storing information in digital media will allow for accurate retrieval down the road. This seems like it would be a good read for librarians and others who concern themselves with these types of ideas on a daily basis. As for regular readers like us who just want to keep reading, it wasn't quite what I had in mind.

Bangkok Tatoo - John Burdett (Bangkok Series #2)

I read the first book in this series, Bangkok 8, a couple years ago after returning from Thailand. I loved reading the streotypical corrupt cop story set in the bustling center of Bangkok, with all the excitement and strangeness that city has to offer. Police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is back in this second installment, set against the backdrop of the Soi Cowboy bar/brothel co-owned by his mother and Vikorn, the Chief of Police. When their most popular sex worker is suspected of murdering an American CIA agent, Sonchai is thrust deeper into Bangkok's seedy underbelly, and forced to negotiate with drug dealers and military, all the while pitting his Buddhist sensitivities against those of a sect of Thai Muslims. Sonchai finds himself acting out of character due to love, and hunting down a mysterious Japanese tattoo artist who holds all the secrets. The corruption in Sonchai's police force (including his own) is unapologetically shocking, and his efforts to reconcile his behavior with his religion are almost comical. Yet, he remains a truly likeable protagonist, and I found myself rooting for him - in terms of solving the crime and getting the woman. Burdett tells a good story with the requisite twists and turns, and even once you think the murder is solved, there are still many more surprises ahead. This is great travel/airplane/pass the time reading. I know the 4th in this series was recently released, so I'm looking forward to more Sonchai in my reading future.