It's Only Drowning by David Litt
During the COVID pandemic and at the age of 35, David Litt decides to learn to surf. His brother-in-law, Matt, is a surfer but he is the polar opposite of David - adventurous, blue-collar, not political, and worst of all didn't get the COVID vaccine. David worked as a speechwriter for President Obama, is more of an overthinking book worm, and is rigorously following all the COVID protocols. As David starts learning to surf, he and Matt actually start spending more time together surfing. Eventually David makes it his goal to surf with Matt at the North Shore of Hawaii. He and Matt actually take a couple of surf trips leading up to Hawaii. The subtitle of the book is "A true story of learning to surf and the search for common ground," but the whole time it kind of felt like David's idea of "common ground" was Matt seeing things HIS way. Their common ground was surfing and they developed a decent relationship around that, but otherwise there didn't seem to be much common ground on David's part. It's like he looked up to Matt as a surfer but down on him in just about every other way. I liked David less and less as the book went on and he didn't seem interested in working toward finding that common ground with Matt.
I'm really curious what David's in-laws and wife think of this book. This doesn't seem like it will help his relationship with Matt much. I wish there had been a few pictures included of some of the breaks they surfed. David is a good writer and funny but he came across very condescending and smug.
I'm really curious what David's in-laws and wife think of this book. This doesn't seem like it will help his relationship with Matt much. I wish there had been a few pictures included of some of the breaks they surfed. David is a good writer and funny but he came across very condescending and smug.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (Books & Banter book club)
Sea of Tranquility follows Gaspery Roberts through several different centuries via time travelling as he investigates a possible glitch in time that happened on Vancouver Island, Canada. He visits Edwin St. Andrew in 1912, Mirella in 2020, and Olive in 2203 - each person has a unique experience with the time glitch and Gaspery is trying to figure out what each experienced and what this possible glitch means and how it may have happened.
The writing is sparse, but Mandel does a great job of conveying a lot with a few words. The main theme I noticed through the writing is the morality or lack thereof in relation to time travel and technology. Gaspery and his sister Zoey are very interesting characters and I do wish there had been more of Zoey's back story included. This book reminded me of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro in regard to the issues explored around technology and the ramifications on humans. This was an interesting book but left a lot of unanswered questions. I haven't read any of her previous books so I don't have anything to compare to. I didn't love this one, but it was interesting enough that I would consider reading another one of her books in the future.
The writing is sparse, but Mandel does a great job of conveying a lot with a few words. The main theme I noticed through the writing is the morality or lack thereof in relation to time travel and technology. Gaspery and his sister Zoey are very interesting characters and I do wish there had been more of Zoey's back story included. This book reminded me of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro in regard to the issues explored around technology and the ramifications on humans. This was an interesting book but left a lot of unanswered questions. I haven't read any of her previous books so I don't have anything to compare to. I didn't love this one, but it was interesting enough that I would consider reading another one of her books in the future.
The Balancing Act by Nedra Glover Tawwab
In The Balancing Act Nedra Tawwab explores how to balance connection in different relationships in your life. The book is divided into two sections - understanding unhealthy dependency and finding a healthier balance. In many things we often only hear about the extremes, so it's always good to find that middle ground/balancing act. In looking at relationships, Tawwab explores how our background can shape our current behavior, but people CAN change if they are willing to work on themselves. But there is something in here for anyone. Even if you grew up in a healthy family, there are still things you can learn about yourself or how to interact better with others. Written similarly to her other books with lots of real life examples from Tawwab's own life and her (anonymized) therapy clients. Overall, a solid book with lots of helpful information and tips that could be helpful to anyone in any kind of relationship.
The Anthony Bourdain Reader edited by Kimberly Witherspoon
Most people know Anthony Bourdain for his television shows or the fact that he worked for 20+ years in professional kitchens. But Bourdain always wanted to be a writer - and often writing doesn't pay the bills. Only once he was more successful in professional kitchens did he have the opportunity to start writing, mostly non-fiction and cookbooks. But he started out with fiction. This anthology was put together by Bourdain's longtime literary agent and friend Kimberly Witherspoon and features some of his never-before-published writing. Witherspoon divides the book into 9 categories from the more general like "eating and drinking" to more specific like "vietnam" and "being a chef." The book is very eclectic and his writing really highlights his dark side - especially the fiction. I've only read one of his books, so a lot of this was new to me. If you're a fan of Bourdain, it's definitely worth checking out.
Some quotes I liked:
[From his book about Typhoid Mary] "I'm a chef, and what interests me is the story of a proud cook - a reasonably capable one by all accounts - who at the outset, at least, found herself utterly screwed by forces she neither understood nor had the ability to control. I'm interested in a tormented loner, a woman in a male world, in hostile territory, frequently on the run. And I'm interested in denial - the ways that Mary, and many of us, find to avoid the obvious, the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day, the things we do and say so that we can go on, drag our aching carcasses out of bed each day, climb into our clothes, and once again set out for work, often in kitchens where the smell, the surroundings, the ruling regime oppress us." (p. 248)
"Even more despised than the Brunch People are the vegetarians. Serious cooks regard these members of the dining public - and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans - as enemies of everything that's good and decent in the human spirit. To live life without veal or chicken stock, fish cheeks, sausages, cheese, or organ meats is treasonous." (p. 469)
Some quotes I liked:
[From his book about Typhoid Mary] "I'm a chef, and what interests me is the story of a proud cook - a reasonably capable one by all accounts - who at the outset, at least, found herself utterly screwed by forces she neither understood nor had the ability to control. I'm interested in a tormented loner, a woman in a male world, in hostile territory, frequently on the run. And I'm interested in denial - the ways that Mary, and many of us, find to avoid the obvious, the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day, the things we do and say so that we can go on, drag our aching carcasses out of bed each day, climb into our clothes, and once again set out for work, often in kitchens where the smell, the surroundings, the ruling regime oppress us." (p. 248)
"Even more despised than the Brunch People are the vegetarians. Serious cooks regard these members of the dining public - and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans - as enemies of everything that's good and decent in the human spirit. To live life without veal or chicken stock, fish cheeks, sausages, cheese, or organ meats is treasonous." (p. 469)
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (Evening Edition book club)
Elaheh and Homa meet in Tehran, Iran in 1950 when they both start school. The girls are very different but become best friends. Even though Homa's family is not well off there is a lot of love there. Elaheh is jealous because her father died and her mother is distant and cold. When Elaheh's mother remarries, they move to a wealthier area and she and Homa are separated. But they are reunited in high school when Homa qualifies to be a scholarship student at the prestigious high school Elaheh attends. The girls are still very different - Homa has become involved in Communist politics, while Elaheh is popular and boy-crazy. In college they have a falling out, then the next day Homa is arrested for her anti-government activities. After college, Elaheh and her husband move to America and Homa becomes a bittersweet memory. Until 1981 when she reaches out to Elaheh for help. That moment allows Homa and Elaheh to reconnect and both women try to make up for the mistakes and wrongs of the past.
This book started off VERY slow. If not for my book club I would have put it down after the first section. It really didn't get very interesting until about halfway through. Elaheh's mother was AWFUL but toward the end she and Elaheh have a more honest conversation about the past and she redeems herself a little. I loved Homa, but in the end her character seemed more far-fetched. Overall, it was good once you got past the slow, superficial sections. I know my book club will LOVE this one.
This book started off VERY slow. If not for my book club I would have put it down after the first section. It really didn't get very interesting until about halfway through. Elaheh's mother was AWFUL but toward the end she and Elaheh have a more honest conversation about the past and she redeems herself a little. I loved Homa, but in the end her character seemed more far-fetched. Overall, it was good once you got past the slow, superficial sections. I know my book club will LOVE this one.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Books & Banter book club)
In the spring of 2020 Lara and Joe's three daughters are home helping with the cherry harvest because of the pandemic. The daughters decide this is the time for their mother to tell them the story from her early 20's when she worked with and dated a now-famous actor, Peter Duke. Going back and forth in time, Lara tells the story of falling into being an actress, moving to Hollywood, agreeing to do a play in Traverse City, Michigan where she meets Peter Duke and also her future husband, Joe. The daughters are all around the same age Lara was when all this happened and as the pandemic has put all their lives on hold, they relish reliving their mother's time as an actress. The girls also find out they have more of a connection to Peter Duke than they knew.
This book started out SO SLOW. I honestly skimmed the first 1/3 before it started getting better. Patchett's writing is great but the storyline didn't have much going on for a long time. It did get better and Patchett does a great job of Lara's character and how she tells and relives her story and time with Peter Duke. I especially liked how the book ended (not giving anything away).
This book started out SO SLOW. I honestly skimmed the first 1/3 before it started getting better. Patchett's writing is great but the storyline didn't have much going on for a long time. It did get better and Patchett does a great job of Lara's character and how she tells and relives her story and time with Peter Duke. I especially liked how the book ended (not giving anything away).
No comments:
Post a Comment