July 2014 Reviews

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was a very unique and odd book about a unique and odd man named Eustace Conway. Conway was born in South Carolina, but mostly grew up in Gastonia, NC. Through his parents he developed an intense love of nature and being outdoors. He taught himself TONS of survival skills and studied Native American and other indigenous cultures to learn more natural ways to live. Conway's father, also named Eustace Conway, was an incredibly demanding and exacting man and he constantly let Conway know what a disappointment he was as a son - even though Conway was incredibly skilled and talented. Unfortunately this terrible relationship with his father would be a constant shadow on Conway's otherwise incredible life. He experienced things only a handful of people in the world ever experience. He devoted his life to trying to teach other how to live a more meaningful and natural life. But, he was also very similar in personality to his own father and most people could never live up to his expectations, which strained most of his relationships. Conway lived on 1,000 acres outside of Boone, NC called Turtle Island. He acquired his land piece by piece and wanted nothing more than to live his back-to-the-land existence with a family, but it hasn't happened, at least by the end of this book anyway. While Conway's story is fascinating, it is also sad because from the outside it's obvious that his strained relationship with his father has affected him so much. Being from North Carolina myself, I can't believe I'd never heard of Conway until I found this book. He is an incredibly accomplished person who's led a unique and fascinating life. At the end of this book I'm curious to know more about Conway and what he might be doing now.

Some quotes I liked:

"So Eustace pulled out a huge map and unfolded it before him, as if he were a pirate. His land was blocked out in small and large connected parcels, and he told me how he'd acquired each piece over the years. What emerged was a portrait of genius. Eustace had put the thing together like a chess master. He first bought the 107 acres that made up the valley of Turtle Island, and then, as he earned money over the years, he slowly bought the peaks of each hill that surrounded the valley. The peaks of a hill are the most valuable real estate to developers, after all, since everyone wants a home right on top of a mountain. By securing those peaks, then, Eustace had made the hills below them much less attractive to any roving land speculator and therefore much less likely to be sold to someone else before he could afford to grab it...Once he owned the crests, he filled in the gaps, buying the slopes that connected his valley to the surrounding mountaintops. In this way, he guarded his watershed. What he was doing, actually, was transforming his holdings from a small, flat, low-lying basin into a large teacup - a perfect valley - which would be protected by mountains on every side." (p. 116-7)

"My initial reaction on witnessing Eustace Conway's life was relief. When I first heard of his life and adventures, all I could think was Thank God. Thank God somebody in America was still living this way. Thank God there was at least one genuine mountain man, frontiersman, pioneer, maverick out there. Thank God there was one truly resourceful and independent wild soul left in this country. Because, at some deep emotional level, Eustace's existence signified to me that somehow it's still true, that we Americans are, against all other available evidence, a nation where people grow free and wild and strong and brave and willful, instead of lazy and fat and boring and unmotivated." (p. 125)

"Jason was the very model of the young guy who typically comes to Eustace Conway for guidance. He was trying to discover how to be a man in a society that no longer had a clear path for him. Just as Eustace Conway had struggled as a teenager to find rituals to lead him into manhood, Jason was struggling to find some ceremony or meaning that would help define his own ascension. But he had no role models, his culture had no satisfying coming-of-age ritual for him, and his background had provided him with none of the manly skills that were so attractive to him. He was, by his own admission, lost." (p. 202)

The One and Only by Emily Giffin

I really like Emily Giffin, but this one was not one of my favorites. The story follows Shea Rigsby who from a very young age LOVED football - specifically the college team of her hometown of Walker, Texas. It also didn't hurt that her best friend Lucy is the daughter of Coach Carr, the head football coach at Walker. Fast forward to Shea's mid-thirties and even though she's working on staff at Walker, her life feels stuck. She knows she's just coasting and could be doing more with her life. When Coach Carr recommends her for a new job and she starts dating the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys it looks like Shea's life is starting to shape up. But, she still feels like something is missing. When she starts to realize what she really wants Shea has to decide if it's worth taking the risk or if she'll keep taking the safe route.

There was enough going on in the storyline that I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen, but it also felt very scattered and there was a LOT going on. There was also a LOT of football - which I'm not super interested in, but it was important to the story. I did like the overall theme of fighting for love and that you don't choose who you fall in love with, but I just didn't like the feel of the book. I still really like Emily Giffin, but this wasn't her best book.

Sous Chef by Michael Gibney

This is one of those books that leaves you almost exhausted at the end. Michael Gibney takes you through a typical day in a higher-end restaurant working as the sous chef. The sous chef is one step down from the head chef, so there is a lot of hard work and responsibility involved. Gibney does a great job walking someone unfamiliar with a restaurant kitchen through a typical day working on the line. It definitely makes you appreciate the kind of hard work that goes into running a smooth restaurant. I wish I had been able to just sit down and read this book in one sitting since it only covers one 24-hour period. There are also a few pages at the end that defines kitchen terminology, some of which Gibney defines throughout the book. I would recommend this one for anyone interested in chefs and restaurant work.

Problems with People by David Guterson

I'm not much for short story collections, but I really like David Guterson so I decided to try this one. I didn't like it at all. All of the stories are about people dealing with grief or loss, but you didn't even really like most of the characters themselves. Almost all of the stories had a very uncomfortable feeling, which a little of that is OK, but the whole thing?! Overall, it was just not good in my opinion.

A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans

In the winter of 2003 Nick Jans encountered a lone wolf near his Juneau, Alaska home. Having seen wolves in the wild before, but only rarely he is amazed at how much this wolf seems to seek out human and canine attention. Over the next few years Romeo, as the wolf becomes known locally, interacts with dozens of humans and dogs - always seeking the interaction himself. Within a few years though there are a faction of local residents who are not happy about a wolf hanging around so much. There is also the increasing problem of Romeo's popularity with local residents who are thrilled to have the chance to see a wild wolf so close. Jans knows that this increased attention to Romeo could easily backfire if the wolf feels threatened and lashes out. Jans is also worried about dog owners who don't have control of their dogs or have aggressive dogs - although he never personally saw Romeo react poorly to an aggressive dog. But, unfortunately in 2009 at trophy hunter from Pennsylvania comes to Juneau with the intent of killing Romeo solely because of his local popularity. He does and when locals like Jans find out they bring it to the attention of local authorities. The trophy hunter is arrested, along with his friend who is a local resident, but their prosecution is a joke and shows that even with an animal like Romeo - in Alaska it's just another wolf that's been hunted illegally.

While Romeo's story does have a sad ending, his impact is still felt on the community in Juneau. Especially with a few people like Jans who had a more long-term, intimate relationship with Romeo. Interspersed throughout Romeo's story Jans also gives a lot of information about wolves and shows just how unique the situation with Romeo was. He also gives a lot of the complicated and sad history of human interaction with wolves, both in the Continental US and specifically in Alaska. He also includes a few beautiful pictures of Romeo that he took over the years of their interactions. Overall, even though the end is sad, this is an incredible book about a very unique wolf and how much he impacted a small community over just a few years.

The Bees by Laline Paull

Flora 717 is a sanitatation bee who is born into the lowest caste in her hive. The sanitation bees clean up after the other bees and remove dead bees from the hive. But, from the very beginning Flora 717 is different. She is curious and smart and doesn't just go along with what's expected of her - which is very little. She quickly is able to feed newborns in the nursery, she works as a forager gathering pollen and nectar to make into honey, she then helps fight off a wasp which grants her seldom-given access to the Queen. Soon Flora 717 is doing things that are NEVER done in the hive - things that put her life in jeopardy. The motto of the hive is Accept, Obey, and Serve, but Flora 717 is starting to realize things must change in order for the hive to survive. She uncovers secrets and risks her life to do what she knows is right even if no one else agrees. In the end her courage to go against the hive mentality of Accept, Obey, and Serve will change not only her life, but the life and future of the hive.

This is one of the most unique and interesting books I've read in a really long time. On one level it's a unique look at the culture of a beehive from an "insider's" perspective, but on another level it's also a story about power, hierarchies, risk, and the importance of believing in yourself and doing what is right no matter what. A fascinating book that I just could not put down.

Exodus by Deborah Feldman

I loved Deborah Feldman's first memoir Unorthodox, where she described growing up in the Hasidic Jewish community and making the decision to leave. Exodus picks up shortly afterUnorthodox ends. She has to work out how to support herself and her son and make the HUGE adjustment to life outside the rigid and secluded Orthodox Jewish community. Feldman is also trying to work out how she can connect with her Jewish heritage and religion outside of the Hasidic community. In order to work through a lot of her issues she travels across the US and decides to trace her Grandmother's roots in Europe - starting in Hungary where her Grandmother was born to the concentration camps in Germany that her Grandmother survived. Feldman discovers a lot on her European journey, unfortunately one thing she finds is that there is still a lot of anti-Semitism there. She struggles the most in Germany thinking about all that happened to the Jews there because of the Nazis. Incredibly though she also falls in love with a German man who's grandparents were Nazis!

Overall, I think this book was almost as good as Unorthodox. The story is not strictly chronological, but it works. She walks through some of the journeys she took to discover herself after her Exodus and also explores her family's Holocaust history and shows just how much that affected her growing up and still today. My only complaint was there was some definite weirdness/awkwardness with her relationship with the German guy who's grandparents were Nazis - she was very conflicted about their relationship even though he was ashamed of his family's history. There were a few weird/uncomfortable sexual scenes that I did not need to know about with him. But, overall it was a really good book and I definitely enjoyed it. I look forward to her future work.

Goodnight June by Sarah Jio

This was a really enjoyable and light read. June Andersen is a successful vice-president of a banking company, but she works 60+ hours a week and has absolutely no personal life. When she finds out that her beloved aunt Ruby died and left June her children's bookstore Bluebird Books in Seattle, WA, June thinks she'll fly out for a week and get her aunt's bookstore ready to sell. But, once she gets there she remembers how much her aunt and the bookstore meant to her as a child. She always loved reading, but now barely has time to sleep much less read for pleasure. She also starts to unravel some secrets about Bluebird Books, but also about her aunt's life. As June starts to understand the secrets of Bluebird Books she realizes there is an important connection between her aunt and Bluebird Books and the famous children's author Margaret Wise Brown and her most famous book Goodnight Moon. Soon June has quit her banking job and decided to make a go of running Bluebird Books. Will she be able to save Bluebird Books and reinvent her life? 

There were a few things that were pretty predictable, but not painfully so. There was also a weird storyline with June's sisters Amy that I felt like didn't really work and didn't add much to the overall story - I think that whole part could have been left out completely. But, overall I did like the story and even though it was somewhat predictable I still wanted to keep reading and see it all play out. A fun and light-hearted read with a happy ending.

June 2014 Reviews

Point of Direction by Rachel Weaver

I don't know how this book was ever characterized as a "psychological thriller" because it was definitely not in my opinion. It was more of a "coming of age" for adults type of book. Anna meets Kyle while hitchhiking in Alaska. She is running from an event in her past, but being with Kyle seems to help. When Kyle wants to sign up to live on a remote lighthouse Anna actually thinks it might be the best thing for her to deal with her past. But, life is harder than they realized it would be and while Anna actually enjoys the challenge it seems to make Kyle edgy and irritated - and they aren't even close to winter yet. Anna also finds out that Kyle has been running from a problem in his past too and it might be closer to them than they realize. Both Anna and Kyle must confront their demons in order to move on whether together or individually.

I was really expected more tension or crazy events, but most of the book was pretty dull. There were a few moments of action, but overall it was more Anna in her head trying to sort things out for herself and realizing some things about Kyle along the way. It was OK and I did want to know what happened at the end, but it wasn't great and I wouldn't really recommend it.

Year of No Sugar by Eve Schaub

After Eve Schaub and her husband watched a YouTube video by Dr. Robert Lustig about sugar actually being a poison in our bodies, they make the radical decision for their family to eat NO added sugar for one year. At the time their children are 11 and 6 years old too. They do make a few exceptions - one "real" dessert each month, and each family member can pick one exception item. While I applaud the Schaub family for their experiment, I think the larger point from this book is just how much of our food now has added sugar in it - things that you wouldn't think like condiments, salad dressing, meats, etc. I was also impressed at how well her children did, but they were never eating McDonalds every day to begin with either. This is yet another book that shines a light on how unhealthy processed food is today and how so few people even think about it at all. Food is what fuels us so what is in our food should be priority #1! I also found it interesting that as their experiment went on Eve's taste buds began to change. In her words her mind still craved sugar, but her palate didn't. At the end of the book they do keep many of their diet changes, but they relax a little more and do eat sugar, but they are much more aware of just how much sugar is hidden in everyday food. I would recommend this one to anyone who cares about what is in your food.

Some quotes I really liked:

[From Dr. Lustig's video] "As a society, we all weigh twenty-five pounds more than our counterparts did twenty-five years ago...Even as our total fat consumption has gone down, our obesity has continued to accelerate...Simply drinking one soda per day is worth fifteen pound and a half pounds of fat gain per year...Americans are currently consuming sixty-three pounds per person of high-fructose corn syrup per year..." (p. 8)

"Part of the problem is that as parents and as a society, we are providing too many choices. Did Laura Ingalls refuse to drink her milk if it wasn't chocolate? To eat her cereal if it didn't have Day Glo marshmallows in it? I have to believe that, if your kid is hungry enough, they'll eat. If they're thirsty enough, they'll drink. Are Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms really the best we can do?" (p. 119)

"What Rhonda's comment made me realize is that it's all well and good to demonize sugar when you're talking about the Big Bad Corporations sneaking high-fructose corn syrup into our ketchup and mayonnaise; it's another thing entirely to go after Grandma's lovingly baked molassas cookies. The problem is, nutritionally, your body can't tell the difference between the 'bad' sugar (from Big Food Inc.) and 'good' sugar (from Grandma). Fructose is fructose. And an excess of fructose consumption, now at its highest levels ever and still climbing, is making our society sick." (p. 140)

[After the experiment] "But, the thing is, we are weird. We were weird before - not eating at McDonald's and avoiding soda. And we're weird now - avoiding juice and crap sugar food (doughnuts, cookies, free lollipops), as well as anything that sweetened when we know it needn't be: dried fruit, chips, crackers, tomato sauces. We had become much, much more selective about the sugar we do consume, and in a culture like ours - which is utterly saturated with sugar, convenience food, and fast food - that's weird." (p. 260)

[from Stephen Schaub] "But what I have learned is that it is the food industry in our country that is really the extreme; eating local, fresh food - not loaded with needless added sugar, preservatives, additives, chemicals, and general crap - is really what should be considered normal. Because it is normal. It was normal for thousands of years." (p. 267)

Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel

After Georgia's business goes under and her husband Graham is fired from his professor position in Illinois, they decide to move back to Georgia's hometown of Miami. One of Graham's friends has gotten him a position working on hurricane research. Their family is dealing with not only the scandal that cost Graham his job in Illinois, but also the fact that their 3-year-old son Frankie has stopped talking. Once in Miami, Georgia finds part time work running errands for an reclusive artist because she can bring Frankie along on the errands. Spending time with the artist helps Georgia begin to see what may be behind her son's speech issues and the best way to help him. As more of Graham and Georgia's story unfolds, Hurricane Andrew is brewing in the Atlantic. When the epic storm hits all hell breaks loose - for Florida, but also in Georgia's life. Once the storm dies down Georgia has to decide how best to move on for herself and for Frankie. 

I didn't really have any expectations for this book before I read it, but I was blown away and just could not put it down. The way the author unfolds the plot is unique and I didn't see any of the ending coming ahead of time. I also liked how the book was realistic and everything didn't work out in a cookie-cutter perfect way. This was a very unique book that explored a lot of issues - love, family, sleep disorders, selective mutism, the ocean, loss, and grieving.

The Meat Racket: the Secret Takeover of America's Food Business by Christopher Leonard

The Meat Racket explores the modern, industrial meat industry through the lens of one of the major companies - Tyson Foods. Christopher Leonard explores the rise of the industrial chicken industry that John and Don Tyson created and how that business model shaped all other industrial meat industries. I've read a lot about this topic and was very familiar with CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), but had no idea that Tyson basically created the first CAFOs for chickens and the other meat industries followed suit because there was no other way to compete with Tyson without CAFOs. This book also reiterates the illusion of choice that consumers have with industrial meat - there are only a handful of companies that control almost all the consumer meat. There may be various company names on packages of meat at the grocery store, but almost all of those companies are fronts for the illusion of choice and are owned by one of the few meat giants like Tyson. Leonard also explores some of the most unscrupulous practices of Tyson and how terribly they treat their farmers. Basically the fastest way to work yourself to death and end up bankrupt is to become an industrial chicken farmer. Some of the stories from the ruined farmers are heartbreaking. This is a really great overview of the industrial meat industry by examining one of the biggest players and leaders in this horrific industry. Definitely an eye-opening book!

Some of the many quotes I really enjoyed:

"Just a handful of companies produce nearly all the meat consumed in the United States, and Tyson is the king among them. The company sits atop a powerful oligarchy of corporations that determines how animals are raised, how much farmers get paid, and how meat is processed, all while reaping massive profits and remaining almost entirely opaque to the consumer...[this is]a system that keeps farmers in a state of indebted servitude, living like modern-day sharecroppers on the ragged edge of bankruptcy." (p. 3)

"Tyson could roughly predict which chicks would be healthy based on the age of the hens that laid the eggs. Older hens produced weaker chicks, while younger hens laid more vigorous broods. Edwards noticed that some farmers were consistently receiving chicks produced by the healthiest, youngest hens. Whoever was setting up the deliveries in the Broiler Office was giving these farmers the cream off the top. And he noticed something else: Other farmers were consistently getting the batches of culls. As Perry Edwards pored over the shipping logs, he saw that the pattern was the same. When there were bad batches of birds, they went to the same group of farms. And the healthiest birds also went to a select group of farms that, not coincidentally, always ranked as the highest paid farms in the network." (p. 37)

"Cash-basis accounting is simple. A company records its expenses only when it pays out the actual cash for them. And it only books income when the actual cash comes in the door. By contrast, companies using accrual accounting methods record their expenses when they sign a contract to pay someone, even if the cash hasn't actually left their account yet. Farmers were allowed to use cash-basis accounting because it was simpler, and Congress didn't think small farms had the money to hire accountants for complicated recordkeeping...By 1985, Tyson's Foods had avoided paying $26.5 million in annual taxes through the cash-basis loophole, according to a report written by two economists with the U.S. General Accounting Office. The morality of the ploy didn't seem to be a matter of much debate inside Tyson. When the company saw a loophole and a chance to make a profit, Tyson took it, a strategy that became part of the company's culture for decades to come...In 1986 Tyson was forced to quit using the scheme when the Tax Reform Act closed the loophole for farms with more than $25 million a year in gross recipts." (p. 72-4)

"At the end of any given week, a series of letters is mailed out from the Tyson complex in downtown Waldron...The letters are several pages long and packed with complicated financial figures. The farmers call them settlement sheets. The one critical piece of information the settlement sheets contain is the going price of chicken, or, more accurately, the price that Tyson deems appropriate to pay. Each farmer receives his own price, determined by the tournament system that ranks each farmer against his neighbor. At the end of each week, Tyson makes a competitive pool out of all the farms that have delivered chickens to the plant. The company has far more data about the farms than their owners; the company can compare how much feed each farm consumed compared to its neighbors, how many birds died and how much weight gained overall...All this information is fed into an equation that spits out a simple ranking: the most efficient farms on top, the least efficient at the bottom...But there are critical pieces of information that Tyson keeps secret. The company doesn't tell the farmer whom he competed against in a given tournament...If a farmer ranks near the top, he might earn 5 cents a pound for his labor. If he ranks in the middle, he would get paid 4.5 cents. Close to the bottom, he would make 4.1 cents...When a farmer gets hammered in the tournament, it might seem prudent for him to approach his neighbors and ask what they were doing differently. This is tough to do, and not just because the names on the tournament ranking are left blank. Each page is clearly marked with the warning: 'Confidential and Proprietary Information of Tyson Foods, Inc.' If farmers were to meet and compare their settlement sheets, or show them to a journalist or lawyer, Tyson can sue them for leaking confidential information." (p. 115-117)

"The tournament system is kept afloat by an obscure federal organization called the Farm Service Agency. The FSA spends hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to make sure that there will always be cheap loans for a new chicken farm when an older one is put out of business...While the agency was limited in how much money it could loan directly to farmers, it had far more leeway in the size of the loan it could guarantee. Under the guaranteed loan program, the FSA would pay back the bank more than 90 percent of the loan value if a farmer defaulted...Between 1999 and 2009, the Arkansas FSA office alone guaranteed more than $797 million in new loans, leaving taxpayers on the hook if the farms failed...It's difficult to determine how much money taxpayers spend every year to support Tyson's system of contract farmers. Clearly, billions of dollars underpin the construction of new chicken farms in the United States. This steady flow of easy credit allows Tyson and its competitors to cast off farmers without worrying that banks will hesitate to lend money to the next chicken grower in line." (p. 139-143)

"The free market had very little to do with the U.S. food market anymore. The USDA, for example, centrally controlled how many acres of corn were planted each year. This wasn't as completely Sovietesque as it sounds: The production controls weren't mandatory. Farmers could plant as many acres of corn or wheat as they wanted. But if they didn't comply with the USDA's state production levels, the farmers got cut out of government subsidies. In essence, the USDA bribed farmers to go along with its central planning regime. And it worked remarkably well...In 1996, Congress ended the farm subsidy program with a new farm bill called the Freedom to Farm Act. Strangely enough, Freedom to Farm only enlarged the farm subsidy program and made it much more expensive...In 1998 taxpayers handed over $12.4 billion to farmers, and in 1999 they paid $21.5 billion, nearly triple what they paid before Freedom to Farm was passed. While it didn't end subsidies, Freedom to Farm made one critical change that benefited Tyson Foods. The law disbanded production controls. Farmers got their government checks, and they could grow whatever they wanted. When the production controls went away, farmers did what they do best: They massively overproduced. The world was glutted with corn, wheat, and soybeans. Prices plummeted, farmers bemoaned the low prices, and taxpayers subsidies grew rapidly to cover farmers' losses. This cycle led to a remarkable gift for meat producers. Feed grains were the biggest cost that Tyson Foods had to pay to raise animals. If feed grains got too expensive, the company's profits could quickly vanish. Freedom to Farm didn't just make grains cheaper for Tyson. The federal program went so far as to produce an upside-down food economy, where corn was actually cheaper to buy than it was to grow....For industrial hog producers alone, Freedom to Farm delivered about $947 million a year in savings, according to one study." (p.165-6)

"On the meatpacking side, there are now just four companies that buy 85 percent of the cattle sold in the country. Tyson is the biggest, followed by Cargill, JBS Swift, and National Beef. As meatpackers have become bigger, feedlots have tried to keep pace, expanding to meet the needs of their corporate buyers...What has evolved is a kind of de facto vertical integration, with whole networks of feedlots tied to meatpackers under contract. The cattle market is technically an open one, but no one behaves that way, and it's an open secret that they don't. There is ample evidence that the big four meatpackers have chosen to divvy up the market, picking territories where they can buy all the cattle from a feedlot without facing a competing bid." (p. 208-9)

"While Tyson has been the architect of this system, the driving force behind it has been the American consumer. Americans have decided that meat must be cheap and plentiful. It must be consistent in its attributes and predictable in its taste. It takes factory farms to raise meat like that. It takes companies like Tyson. It takes networks of chicken farmers integrated tightly with big slaughterhouses like the one in Waldron. It takes a steady flow of genetically selected pigs from the nursery in Holdenville, Oklahoma, that are shipped to contract farms in Iowa for raising. It requires massive feedlots, controlled by contracts, that can guarantee a nonstop supply of cattle. The system also requires the rules that Tyson has imposed. This is what delivers the cheap pork chop, the Zilmax-infused hamburger patty, and the ever-ready supply of chicken McNuggets." (p. 226-7)

"Industrial food lobbyists know it's smart to stick together. A regulation over one of them could open the door to regulation over others. By pooling their money and time, they present a united wall against any legislation that might change the power structure of American agribusiness. They fight together, and they profit together. Meat lobbyists hold regular conference calls, sharing tips and news and planning future campaigns." (p. 251-2)

"The biggest meat companies - Tyson Foods, ConAgra Foods, Cargill, Smithfield, and JBS - spent a combined $5.94 million on lobbying during 2010 alone, according to an analysis of disclosure reports. Tyson had the biggest lobbying operation by far, spending $2.59 million." (p. 286)

"In 68 percent of the counties where Tyson operates, per-capita income has grown more slowly than the state average over the last forty years. Tyson counties, in other words, were worse off in terms of income growth than their neighbors, even as Tyson's profits increased...But the data suggests that Tyson is a suffocating economic force on the communities from which it derives its wealth. Without question, the company provides thousands of jobs and steady paychecks. But its cost-cutting ethos and the lack of competition restrains income growth in rural America. The company has expanded in economically marginal areas, and it has kept those areas economically marginal. Tyson Foods is feeding off the lowly economic position of rural America, not improving it." (p. 315-6)

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson

This was a really interesting book. When Lucy and Matt meet it's love at first sight for him, but Lucy is still hung up on her on-again, off-again jerk ex-boyfriend Griffin. Matt is perfect on paper, but she knows she'll never love him like he loves her. But, when she finds out she's pregnant she decides to make a go of it with Matt. But, a few years later Griffin comes back on the scene and Lucy just can't resist him. I don't want to give anything away, but both Matt and Lucy have to deal with the consequences of their relationship and how that affects their children. When Matt does something drastic, Lucy realizes just how much she loves her kids and the lengths she would go for them. Overall it was a really interesting book that really makes you think about how every act has long-term consequences even when you think you're doing the "right" thing. I did think the ending was a little too vague and that's why I didn't give this one more stars. The story definitely kept me going wanting to know what would happen next, but I don't like vague endings.

Yin, Yang, Yogini by Kathryn Livingston

Kathryn Livingston was always a worrier, but it's gotten worse for her since her mother died. Her mother was a worrier too and they worried about everything together. When one of her sons signs up for a month-long class in Europe she really starts to freak out about him being on the plane and so far from home for a month. She starts seeing a therapist to deal with her anxieties and they suggest she try yoga before going on medication to calm down. The book chronicles her first 2 years of practicing yoga. In the second year she is diagnosed with breast cancer and that's when she really sees the changes that yoga has brought in her life. She learns to stop being afraid of everything and dwelling in the past. Yoga teaches her to enjoy the moment and not worry about the past or the future, but just to be in the moment.

I've been practicing yoga for about 6 months now and I love it. I thought I would love this book, but it just wasn't great. While you do see Livingston change and grow through yoga I didn't like the tone of the book - it almost seemed complaining even when she was talking about good things. It also seemed very repetitive and wordy. Overall, I would recommend going to yoga instead of reading this book about Livingston's experience with yoga.

The Sisters Weiss by Naomi Ragen

Rose and Pearl were not only sisters, but best friends when they were children. Growing up in an ultra-orthodox Jewish house Rose had a lot of responsibilities from a young age, including helping care for her younger sister Pearl. When Rose innocently borrows a book from her friend her parents freak out because the book has "indecent" pictures in it and banish Rose to a new school and living with her grandmother. From that time on Rose realizes that she will never have a say in her own life if she stays with her family. On the eve of her arranged marriage she runs away and never looks back. Pearl is heartbroken after her sister leaves and Rose's decision to run away also has a huge impact on Pearl's life. 40 years later Rose and Pearl finally interact again, but not because of something good. Pearl's youngest daughter Rivka has run away from home and show's up at Rose's daughter Hannah's house. Rivka's decision to run away stirs up a lot of memories and feelings for Rose. It also is what finally brings the two sisters back together after 40 years apart. An interesting look at the orthodox Jewish life from two perspectives - Pearl who stayed and Rose who left. Through Rose and Rivka's stories you also see that even when you run away from your past and family - it never really leaves you. 

I thought the ending felt kind of rushed and crazy, but overall I really liked the book. I do wish there had been more of Rose's back story of her life when she ran away - there is some, but not enough. Overall, I really liked it and it explores a unique segment of our society.

Chickens in the Road by Suzanne McMinn

After Suzanne McMinn's divorce she decides she wants to live somewhere with "chickens in the road" and decides to move to West Virginia where her father's family is from. Suzanne grew up spending time in West Virginia, but has never actually lived or worked on a farm. She and her 3 children move to a very small community and she begins working on her farm. Once in WV she meets the man she calls "52" and they decide to buy land and build a house and farm. It's VERY obvious from the very beginning that 52 is an asshole and their relationship won't last, but Suzanne tries because she loves the farm so much. Finally she begins to realize that she CAN support herself and live her own dream without someone like 52 in it making her life miserable. While a lot of the book is about her tumultuous relationship with 52 there is a lot of great stuff about the farm and Suzanne trying to live more self-sufficiently on the farm. The end of the books has a lot of recipes and craft projects too. After reading the reviews of this book I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it, but I liked it more than I thought I would. I definitely want to try out some of her recipes too!

My Wish List by Gregoire Delacourt

This is a very odd little book. It was so short I finished it over the course of one day. The story follows Jo, who lives an average life with her husband and almost grown children. She owns a fabric shop and is mostly content with her life. When two of her friends convince her to play the lottery she wins 18 million euros! But, Jo doesn't tell anyone that she won. She is worried that the money will change things between her and her husband. But, then he betrays her in a terrible way. He seemed like a terrible husband, so I'm not sure why she wanted to keep their life the same. The end of the book is very odd and doesn't really explain everything clearly. It was a very odd book with a not great ending, so I wouldn't recommend it. The only redeeming part was that it definitely makes the point that money can't buy happiness.

May 2014 Cookbooks

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Brent Ridge, and Sandy Gluck

This book is worth looking at if only for the beautiful photos and illustrations. It made me want to visit the actual farm and see it all in person! There weren't as many recipes I wanted to try as I thought there would be. A lot of the recipes were just not my taste, but there were definitely a few I plan to try. I really like the other Beekman 1802 cookbooks because they all explore heirloom vegetables and recipes which I think are important to keep. If nothing else you can just enjoy all the beautiful pictures!

Surprise-Inside Cakes by Amanda Rettke

This is an amazing book. The author basically taught herself how to create these amazing surprise-inside cakes! But, most of the surprise-inside ones look REALLY time-consuming and complicated. Thankfully she does have some other easier cake recipes too. The "stripe" cakes where each layer is a different color look really pretty and are MUCH easier than some of the others. She also has a few recipes for cakes that aren't "surprise-inside" too. At the beginning she gives some basic cake and icing recipes and tips on how to spread the icing on for a smooth finish. This is definitely eye-candy, but I don't think I'm going to attempt any "surprise-inside" cakes. I will try some of her other easier ideas though.

The Chopped Cookbook by Food Network Kitchens

I LOVED the show Chopped, so of course I had to check out the Chopped cookbook. It was definitely worth looking through and I did find a few recipes I want to check out. There are various broad categories like pasta, chicken, eggs, etc. and lots of good tips about sauces, salad dressings, ways to make variations on the same dish like pot roast. Overall, it was good and if you're a fan of the show you'll definitely like the cookbook as well.

May 2014 Reviews

Strangers at My Door by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

This was really an amazing book. Many people may be familiar with the scripture where Jesus says "I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in..." and the response is "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger? and He replied what you did not do for the least of these you did not do to me." (Matt. 25:40-45 paraphrased) Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and his wife Leah take these words to heart and decide to try to be Jesus to the least in their community. They move to the Walltown neighborhood in Durham, NC - an area of mostly African-Americans known for povery, drugs, and gang violence. They basically open up a hospitality house and will take in anyone in need. Anytime day or night their neighbors can call or stop by for help. They live with the very people they are trying to help. He is honest with the struggles and the failures, but there are also LOTS of success stories. Many of the people they help never had long-term, healthy relationships with anyone and fell easily into drugs or gangs and prison, but when they realize these people truly care for them and will be there for them many are able to completely turn their lives around. This was an inspiring read of a couple who truly took Jesus's words to heart and decided to try their best to be Jesus in their community for people who need it the most. Obviously, not everyone can do work like this, but I'm thankful there are people out there like the Wilson-Hartgroves who are giving their lives to really help people like Jesus did - meeting them where they are with love, compassion, and grace.

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (book club)

I don't know how this book was recommended for our book club since it's the 7th in the series, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I haven't read anything else in this series, but I guess these don't HAVE to be read in order to get the story. I'm sure there were things that would have made more sense if I'd read the previous 6 books, but I was able to understand everything going on. I'm not a fan of mysteries and I'm definitely not a fan of "cozy" mysteries, which is what I would classify this book. I'm just not much for cutesy, everything-works-out-in-the-end, and everybody-learns-an-important-life-lesson type books. I also didn't love that most of the detective "cases" were just either miscommunication or a misunderstanding. Even though I didn't love it, it was a quick, light read and I can see why it has such appeal for some people. Not a bad book, just not my reading style.

Sum It Up by Pat Summitt (Books & Banter book club)

I remember hearing about Pat Summitt's Alzheimer's diagnosis when she announced it a few years ago, but I didn't really follow women's basketball and didn't really know who she was. The only reason I read this book is because of my book club, but I absolutely LOVED it. Pat Summitt was an incredible trailblazer, not just for women's basketball, but for women everywhere. I had no idea that until 1979 some states did not allow high school girls to play full-court basketball because they thought it would "damage" them somehow. Pat and other women in basketball fought to change those out-dated rules. Through her experience you see how Title IX started to change women's sports - how her teams went from being on the fringes to getting all the same perks and benefits that men's teams did. Her personal life was amazing too. She grew up with 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister and everyone in the family worked HARD all day, every day. She grew up knowing what hard work means and how important that is for success. While her father was not openly affectionate with his family he obviously loved his children and did everything for them. When Pat was in high school her school didn't offer a women's basketball team - so her family moved over the county line so she could go to a school with a women's team. That was unheard of at the time in the early 1970's. While I've never been into watching women's basketball my husband did get me interested in college basketball, so I think that helped me enjoy the book more. But, whatever your interest in basketball, Pat Summitt is a trailblazer for women and everyone should know who she is and what she's accomplished.

In speaking about feminism and the women's movement Pat describes watching the famous Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs:
"Did I have grievances as a young woman? You bet. But protesting or sign carrying wasn't me - and wasn't going to get it done. Billie Jean, now there was an influential force. Was there anything more equalizing than her sheer toughness, her combination of smarts and muscle? I wanted to influence, and to change. But there was only one way I could see that changed things: winning. You changed things for women by winning." (p. 79)

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Girl You Left Behind follows the stories of two women separated by over 100 years. Sophie Lefevre's artist husband Edouard leaves her in 1916 France to fight in the first world war. Sophie clings to a painting Edouard did of her when they first met to remember him by. As the Germans begin to occupy Sophie's small town, a commander takes a liking to both Sophie and the painting. Can Sophie trust this German soldier to help reunite her with her husband? Or will her decision be her ruin? Fast forward over 100 years to Liv Halston living in modern day London. Her late husband bought a painting for her on their honeymoon that he said reminded him of Liv. After his death Liv remembers all the good times with her husband whenever she sees that painting in their house. But, one day she finds out that her painting was supposedly stolen from it's original owners by Germans in WWI and the family of the artist is trying to get the painting back. Liv can't bear the thought of giving away one of the only remaining things from her husband, so even though she can't really afford to she hires a lawyer to fight to keep the painting. As both sides try to find out what really happened to Sophie and the painting, now known as The Girl You Left Behind, during WWI and it's aftermath, Liv tries to figure out not only how to keep her beloved painting but also how to move on from her husband's death. Sophie and Liv's stories show the power of true love that can overcome any hardship.

I really like Jojo Moyes and it seems like every book she writes is even better than her last one. She is truly a gifted writer and as the storylines unfold you just can't put the book down - you have to keep reading to find out what happens to the characters. I would highly recommend this one!

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

This was a really interesting book that explored Beatrix Potter's life through gardens. I knew Beatrix Potter had gardens and drew plants and flowers, as well as the animals that inspired her books. But, I had no idea just how much land Beatrix Potter bought over the course of her life. Apparently because of her much of the Lake District in Northern England has been preserved solely because Beatrix Potter bought every piece of property she could, then had all that property willed to the National Trust after her death. "Our access to the views, the lakes and hills, the cottages and pastures of Cumbria, are thanks in great part to Beatrix Potter and her Tales. The lakesides are not strewn with holiday cottages. The jagged vertebrae of the fells are free of vacation homes perched on unlikely heights. She left a legacy of land as well as words and pictures." (p. 143) And she also farmed much of the land she purchased, not because she needed the money, but because she felt like it was wasteful to have all that farmland and not actually farm it. The book is divided into 3 sections - Beatrix Potter, her life as a gardener, the year in Beatrix Potter's gardens, and visiting Beatrix Potter's gardens. I feel like the middle section was kind of redundant and could have easily been left out. The first and last sections are the more interesting, but the whole book is filled with beautiful photographs of the areas described, photographs of Beatrix and her family and friends, and of course lots of Beatrix Potters drawings and illustrations. If your a fan of Beatrix Potter and also like to garden this is THE book for you! I thought it was a really unique way to explore Beatrix Potter's life.

Lighthouse Island by Paulette Jiles

Nadia Stepan is born into a future, dystopian US, where after the population exploded and cities popped up on every available square inch of earth drought seized the land. Most animals are extinct, only a few crops can be grown, and water is issued by the quart. Nadia is abandoned by her parents at the age of 4 with only a scrap of paper with some constellations drawn on it. She is shuttled from orphanage to foster home with little hope of a better life. But, Nadia is convinced that if she can get to Lighthouse Island in the Pacific Northwest she will be reunited with her parents. When the political climate heats up to the point where people are rounded up, arrested, and executed for no reason Nadia decides that she must escape and make her way North. Along the way she meets James who's confined to a wheelchair, but knows he will someday walk again. James is surprised by Nadia's intellect and helps her on her journey. Will James and Nadia make it to Lighthouse Island? Will things be better there or worse? In this dystopian nightmare world James and Nadia cling to their dreams and to the hope of each other.

This was really a weird, yet interesting book. The first 1/3 of the book is a little slow, but once the pace picks up you can't wait to find out what happens to Nadia and James. There are parts where the story is too slow and lots of added detail that probably could have been left out. Overall, it was interesting, but definitely not great. I did like Nadia's character and how determined she was to be more than what was expected of her.

Harvest: field notes from a far-flung pursuit of real food by Max Watman

This book was so much fun to read. Max Watman wants to make/produce/grow as much of his food as he can. Throughout the course of the book he buys his own steer to raise for beef, tries his hand at making cheese, grows and cans vegetables, makes his own kimchi and charcuterie, and even his own salt from the ocean. He is honest about the failures and mistakes and makes lots of hilarious, dry remarks about everything. I very much appreciate his desire to produce as much of his food as he can because I strive to do the same thing, although I don't think I'm anywhere near the cook he is. He makes points about the problems and wrongs of the industrial food system, but the book is still light-hearted and funny. He hits just the right balance of being informational and entertaining. If you are a regular at your local farmer's market this is the book for you. Max Watman is the foodie neighbor and friend you wish you had!

Some quotes I really liked:

"...but what I'd really wanted was something that didn't take you back to the land. You don't have to walk out of the city and buy a farm - and you'd better not even try to, unless you have a magically refreshing bank account and a television show all lined up about doing it...I just wanted to do what I could with what I had, tune the system up and get better at it. I wanted my readers to think to themselves that maybe they should make their own bacon, despite the fact that they live in a tiny apartment in the city. I don't want a Garden of Eden, something out of reach, something aspirational. I want to do things that everyone can do. To turn myself on to the seasonal, agricultural rhythms. To live, in other words, as if I were on a farm but without the farm." (p. 156)

"One of the most powerful bits of Katz's book comes in his defense of amateur fermenters in response to Paul Stamets, who writes that 'making Kombucha under non-sterile conditions becomes, in a sense, a biological form of Russian Roulette.' Katz replies, 'The idea that kombucha (or any ferment) is safe only in the hands of technical experts denies the long lineages of home and village production that spawned them and plays right into the disempowering cult of specialization. Make sure you understand the parameters of the selective environment you need to create, and you are not playing Russian Roulette. Basic information and awareness are important. Empowered with them, you may ferment without fear'." (p. 194)

"Canning made me even more nervous than fermenting. Fermenting, after all, even if it's just rotting on the counter, is working with the natural proclivities of salt and bacteria. Also, in my experience, a ferment gone wrong is an obvious thing. Canning, however, is an attempt to create an environment in which nature can't happen...It seems improbable, if not impossible, that a thinking person would simply put some jars in boiling water and imagine that after so doing he could go ahead and set those jars on a shelf in the basement and everything would be fine. It works, obviously; it just doesn't feel like it should, and it certainly didn't feel like it should the first time I did it." (p. 196-7)

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

Eva and Jackson have been married less than a year when he is killed in a tragic accident. Eva knew Jackson had had a falling out with his brother Saul and didn't like to talk about it. To deal with her grief Eva decides to travel from England to Tasmania to visit Jackson's family and help heal her grief. But, once there Eva finds out that her whole life with Jackson was based on lies. She has to deal with her grief and the anger she feels toward Jackson as she finds out more about his life before her. Eva is also surprised at the attraction she feels toward Jackson's brother Saul - is it because he reminds her of Jackson or is it something more? 

The plot moves very quickly and this is a fast read because you want to find out the truth about Jackson and his past. I totally saw the ending coming so I wasn't really surprised, but there are a LOT of twists and turns and secrets to be revealed - it was almost too much. I liked it because it was so fast-paced, but I liked her previous book Swimming at Night better.

Falling in Honey by Jennifer Barclay

This book was a HUGE waste of time to read. I was so excited to read it because I thought it sounded really interesting, but I didn't like the author and a lot of the book was very repetitive. Basically, Jennifer Barclay always enjoyed traveling and lived in a few different countries, but she always loved Greece. She had gone to a few of the Greek islands before she discovered Tilos and she just fell in love with the friendly, small-town atmosphere. After a heart-break she decides to stay on Tilos for a month to relax and recover from her breakup. When she returns home to England she reconnects with an old friend and they discover they each have feelings for each other. Soon they are engaged and going back to visit Tilos together. While they are there her fiancée rashly makes an offer on a house and they decide to live there permanently once his business sells in England. Then a week before they are supposed to fly over to Tilos together he confesses that he never owned the business, never owned the houses, etc. and Jennifer goes alone. 

While I do think it's great that Jennifer always wanted to live on Tilos and she made it happen, she made some really poor choices otherwise. She tells her mother she feels like she doesn't know her fiancée well enough to get married quickly, but they're trying to get pregnant - so you know him well enough to have a baby and be linked to him forever, but not to get married?! And one of her Greek friends that she meets on Tilos, Manolis, seems like a jerk and it's not like she doesn't have other friends so I never understood why she spent so much time with him, then complained about it! Basically, I did NOT enjoy her story and would NOT recommend this book. This book was a big waste of my precious reading time.