Beautiful Creatures

By Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

This is a young adult book about, well, two teenagers growing up in a small town discovering there is a lot more than meets the eye. Their eyes are open to the fact that there are other powers at work and much of the book is simply them trying to discover what those powers are and which ones they have. It is an interesting read, a little bit choppy but it kept me engaged and interested. I will definitely read the sequel!

Book 59

The new clock starts ticking as we enter 2010! Please send me your book recommendations . . .

Dracula The Un-Dead

The Sequel to the Original Classic

By Dacre Stoker

Yes, you read that correctly a sequel to the original classic Dracula story written by Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew. I was intrigued.

This was a compelling story with a lot of action and enough horror, which would make it a really good movie. The author and his co-writer did a lot of research and worked to create a sequel that Bram might have made based on his diaries, old writings and letters. This was also an attempt, stated by the author, to get some of the royalties of Dracula back into the family. Any version of Dracula, plays, movies or otherwise, created here in America never paid the proper royalties to the Stoker family.

This was an interesting story, a good easy read and some compelling re-invention of the original Dracula story. It is well written. There is definitely re-invention so you kind of have to keep an open mind when reading it. I don't have any purist ideas about what a real vampire is so it was easy for me to kind of roll with the adaptations. I guess there is some online controversy about it in the vampire community (meaning those who read vampire books).

I think this is an important book in the genre and well worth the read!

Book 58

Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates

Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife and Everything in Between

By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Given to me by Conrad Simonds (today)

Inspired by an NPR book review

Memento mori. "Remember you are mortal!"

This is a great, fun exploration of the meaning of life, why we are here, why we contemplate suicide and all the philosophical struggles of human existence. Fun! It is dedicated to Woody Allen and they take that dedication seriously.

Despite the great jokes and comic strips (I will break down some of my favorites in the quotes section) it is a great simplified exploration of human existence and how we have struggled on a mental plane to understand our meaning, life after death, spirituality and the like through the western (primarily) history of philosophical exploration.

Great, easy, thought provoking read:

Comic strip of a man on his death bed with the caption: "I should have bought more crap."

Reminded me of my grandpa:
"Ole and Lena - "Ole dies and Lena calls the obituary section of the paper and says she wants to put an obituary for Ole. The newspaper man asks what she wants to say. She said, 'Ole died.' He reminds her, 'You were married for fifty five years and they had four kids and fifteen grandkids. Are you sure that is all you want to say? The first five words are free!' She responds, 'Ole died. Boat for sale.'"

"But our favorite version of a Heaven that reflects the spirit of its religious tradition is the Norse mythology surrounding Valhalla, the palace of slain warriors, where the roof is made of gold shields. The departed warriors feast every day on the flesh of a wild boar and drink liquor from the teat of a goat. Their principal pastime is clobbering each other. King of like celestial Ultimate Fighting." Pg 132

How could I pass up a quote with Norse myths and Ultimate Fighting? I am a big fan . . .

Oryx and Crake

By Margaret Atwood

Recommended by Michael Foertsch

This was an incredible book. It is hard to write anything about it really, that is why I finished it almost three weeks ago and I still haven't posted. I don't want to give anything away and yet I want you to get interested and excited. Michael introduced it as "dystopian science fiction" and that is a very good description. It presents a possible future we could face based on plausible factors in our current reality.

In another sense, it is a simple story about friendship and what it means to love someone.

Although, within that, there is a lot of destruction, beasts that have been created based on two species we are familiar with joining into one and the division of earth into those that have and those that have not. The "have nots" live in a disease and virus filled world where the "have's" live in pristine "utopian" environments unknowingly creating future destruction.

Ok, I have either thoroughly disgruntled you with my smoke and mirrors or intrigued you into an incredible book about a future we could potentially live to see.

Book 56

He also recommended WE which I still need to read.

My Sister's Keeper and Handle with Care

Both books by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper recommended by Cheryl Fullmer

My Sister's Keeper was the first book by Jodi Picoult I have read. I inherited Handle with Care while in Mexico and it was the perfect read for our travels home (and into the wee hours of the next few nights). I review them together because the way Picoult writes you can't really tell someone what the story line is about, anything I would say would be wrong and give something crucial away at the same time. I almost want to say her stories are so tightly woven together that you can't just extract a fiber out and expect to give an adequate visual of the entire blanket. But woven is not the right word.

Picoult's stories come at the reader like a brutal and beautiful song moving around you, the reader. Each instrument has a different point of view and yet they are all coming together as a whole. The characters dance around each other, in the most painful ways sometimes, and yet through this movement the story is formed and somewhere within it a question is pushed into the front of the song. And the question shifts your perception of the song, the instruments and yourself, now a participant in the piece.

These books are compelling, hard to put down and thought provoking. They are challenging, painful, excruciating at times, and yet so easy to see your own reflection in them. They are about families. And broken humans. They sock you in the gut while leaving you turning around your own beliefs in your head for days.

Book 54 and 55

Mara Salvatrucha

Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang

By Samuel Logan

This is the story of one young girl who found herself in the middle of the notorious MS-13 gang. The modern "mafia" with all the organization, loyalty and brutality of the classic Italian mob but without the nostalgia. It is a gripping story, very well written and an important part of American life that we should all be aware of. A slim book that packs a lot of punch. If you want to know the real story of MS-13 this is it.

Book 53

Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers

Untold Tales of Men of Jewish Descent who Fought for the Third Reich

By Bryan Mark Rigg

Recommended by the New York Times Book Review

Life would be easier if things had clear lines between black and white, the challenge is to struggle in the gray area in between. This is one of my personal favorite places to be. As the author of this book states, "History does not fit into simple black and white categories. We must struggle to understand the gray middle where real life happens." Page 277

This was a challenging book and a great addition to Holocaust history and understanding. It explores the lives and experiences, on the battlefield and beyond, of those who were considered "half-Jewish" or "quarter-Jewish" by the Nazis and yet served in the Wehrmacht military. They are called Mischlinge by that regime. This exploration raises questions of what is identity and who defines it, what being a proud soldier means especially when carrying the memories of your fellow fallen soldiers, and ultimately what being human means even under the darkest conditions. Most of these men were raised in Christian homes and did not think of themselves as Jewish at all. In fact, many did not know they had any Jewish relatives until the racial laws passed in Germany around 1939. Many of them, post-war, did not believe in God at all. A few of them (interestingly, the medics) went on to become pastors. Some became religious Jews after their experience serving in the military.

There are so many interesting points to make highlighted in this fascinating book. One of historical irony is that when Hitler finally determined that Mischlinge should no longer serve in the military, an estimated 150,000, he pulled these soldiers from their stations and sent them back to Germany. This was right before the German army went into the Soviet Union where most of their comrades died in a brutal war. Inadvertently, Hitler saved the lives of these part-Jewish soldiers. Most were then sent off to forced labor camps but not to death camps. Most of them lost family members to the "final solution."

Each of these stories pose a different response to the realization after the war of the horrors that the Nazi's enacted upon the Jewish people and other groups considered undesirable. They each had their own struggle to come to terms with their service to Germany, most of them considered their service proudly despite the evils done under the Nazi regime. They were, as all soldiers are, doing their duty selflessly to their country. They also saw their service as a way to protect their families from the racial policies sweeping through Germany.

This was a great book, well written and challenging. A great read and an excellent book 52 for 2009!

Quoting the Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer, "Too many people learn about war with no inconvenience to themselves. They read about Verdun or Stalingrad without comprehension, sitting in a comfortable armchair, with their feet beside the fire, preparing to go about their business the next day, as usual. One should really read such accounts under compulsion, in discomfort, considering oneself fortunate not to be describing the evens in a letter home, writing from a hole in the mud. One should read about war in the worst circumstances, when everything is going badly, remembering that the torments of peace are trivial and not worth any white hairs. Nothing is really serious in the tranquility of peace; only an idiot could be realy disturbed by a question of salary. One should read about war standing up, late at night, when one is tired, as I am writing about it now, at dawn, while my asthma attack wears off. And even now, in my sleepless exhaustion, how gentle and easy peace seem."

"Many soldiers, like Kopp, believe that events in war prove the non-existence of God." Page 31

"Schlesinger believed religion prevents the pursuit of tolerance and that this is one of the most important lessons to come out of the history of Nazism." Page 168

"Fischer also described how war,in a strange way, made him feel alive. It brought him close to the grave and made him appreciate the life and beauty that 'God has given mankind.' Evading the clutches of death so often made him want to live life more fully." Page 238

"Many Nazi's denied the fact that Jesus was a Jew. . . . Regardless of the nonsense the Nazi religious elite preached, the Jew Jesus, the central figure in Christianity, presented Hitler with a dilemma: either exempt him from his racial ideology or face millions of angry Christians who believed the Bible when it said Jesus was Jewish. Hitler therefore dubbed Jesus an Aryan, and Nazi Christianity made images of Jesus look more Nordic and no longer described him as the advocate of love, but as the bearer of the sword for the rebirth of the Volk. Hitler believed Jesus did not practice Judaism, but was the greatest early fighter in the war against the Jews. Nor was he, according to Hitler, the apostle of peace. Hitler believed that Jesus preached against capitalism and this is why the Jews, his archenemies, killed him.What Christ had started, Hitler said he would finish." Page 238

"The Mischlinge lead us beyond the Third Reich into a discussion of identity both as individuals and as members of society. Identity can be fluid and is often forced upon a person. Who we are can be a reflection of how people view and treat us, rather than how we want to be perceived. The dramatic identity crises of the men in this book should remind each of us to ask, 'Why are we the way we are?' The way we understand ourselves directly influences how we interpret history. More importantly, the way we view ourselves affects how we treat others. This lesson should never be lost on students of the Holocaust. In other words, we need to constantly monitor ourselves for how we talk about and treat others. Genocide - including the post-Holocaust genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan and Iraq - begins with discriminatory and prejudicial thoughts long before anyone dies." Pages 277 - 278

Book 52

Wishful Drinking

By Carrie Fisher

You know life is weird when Princess Leah is a bi-polar drunk! How can she fight off Jabba the Hutt if she is stoned out of her gourd? Anyway, this is all explored and answered in Carrie Fisher's book. It is a quick, easy read which should actually be read out loud. It is the written form of a one woman act she does on Broadway, of the same name. A comedy, if you can believe that! A very interesting story of her wild life growing up rich and having famous parents and yet the same old story of addiction and mental illness. She makes it pretty funny.

Interesting note. I read this book on my way to AASLD - our annual liver disease meeting. I read it on the flight there. My nurse Jana was in a session on alcoholic liver disease and said the speaker told everyone to go buy the book. He said its an easy read and a good reminder of what our patients are going through!

Book 51

Horse Soldiers

The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan

By Doug Stanton

Recommended by Steve Applebaum

I finished this book Saturday night and in the Sunday New York Times in the Week in Review section was this article about Afghanistan, written by someone not mentioned in the book but apparently was in the battles described therein. Very interesting coincident. It just so happens I was reading this book almost to the day of the anniversary of their victory in Afghanistan in 2001.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/weekinreview/11baker.html

This is a fascinating story of a band of special forces soldiers sent into Afghanistan about a month after September 11, 2001. Highly skilled, highly trained, fearless men going behind enemy lines with stealth and the task of partnering with those already fighting the Taliban. This covert action was only acknowledged in the public media once the bombs started being dropped. Even then, the whole story was not released.

This is a well crafted story about an absolutely essential point in our history that we are clearly still dealing with today. The beautifully executed, targeted campaign still leaves us with many problems eight years later in Afghanistan as the Taliban has slowly returned.

The other very interesting thing to me was how much this mirrored Pressfield's book about Alexander the Great fighting against the Afghan people. There is something about the people and the terrain that just can't be beat in any traditional way we talk about winning a war. It is a very challenging idea.

A side story woven throughout is the story of John Walker Lindh, the young kid from Marin County, CA who got mixed up with the Taliban and picked up by this band of warriors.

The story is full of heroism, although none of them would like to hear me say that. It is just an amazing, well told story of a group of guys fighting for their country.

Why the horses? Most men had never been on a horse. Special forces had not trained them to be cavalry. But this handful of specialists dropped into Afghanistan and had to get from point A to point B, the only way to do so was on horseback. Awesome story!

Book 50

Soldiers & Sled Dogs

A History of Military Dog Mushing

By Charles L. Dean

Reading about working dogs, especially in the military, is such a treat. You cannot help but admire the brave, strong dogs that risk their lives in rescue and military operations just doing their job! This book is unique as it chronicles an art almost lost in the annals of military history. These teams were never fully understood or utilized during war and were slowly phased out as helicopters became more adept at rescue.

But this little book ensures that they will not be forgotten. In that regard, it meets the objectives laid out. There is a lot of technical information in the book about sled design and dog control but it is all for the purpose of remembering. Many of the people he interviewed were the last of the original crews.

"Less than two months after leaving Nome, dog teams with French drivers were hauling supplies and ammunition to areas that previously could not be reached. One group of these dogs delivered ninety tons of ammunition to an artillery battery in only four days. It had taken up to two weeks for a combination of men, horses and mules to accomplish the same thing." Pg 4

"John Eslick, a trainer at Camp Rimini, had a standard orientation spiel: 'A dog is not just a dumb animal. You need to be much smarter than the dog to be a dog driver. Few men are smarter than these dogs.' Army doctrine stated that experienced drivers should use whips only to break up dogfights. Many new drivers were inclined to believe they should crack the whip to ake the dogs run harder, in the romantic Hollywood image of a dog musher. Eslick would provide his own team for a new recruit's first overnight run. Eslick would warn the soldier driver not to use a whip, since his dogs would not respond to it. As soon as the team was out of sight, a new driver would give in to the temptation and crack his whip over the team. Immediately the team woud do a 180 degree turn, spilling the sled contents and the drive along the trail. Then the dogs would race back to main camp, where Eslick would be waiting. When the trainee finally caught up with the team, Eslick would dress him down and he would then have to drive the team back to recover the sled load scattered all along the trail and then catch up to the rest of his group." Page 31

Book 49

The Lace Reader

By Brunonia Barry

Recommended by Lisa Hoefs Nau

I don't know how to describe this book. To give even a terse account of it would probably give too much away. When my sister Lisa recommended it she said the end really took her by surprise, we talked about how rare that was and difficult to achieve as an author.

This ending was not foreseeable. In fact it really turned everything upside down. I could not stop thinking about it after I was done reading!

It is a family's story, a family with a lot of secrets both good and bad. They have gifts that others would consider supernatural. They also have some bad blood wreaking havoc on innocence within the family's borders. Woven in the pages are elements of a crime novel, an exploration of post traumatic stress and a loose study of the old craft of lace making in Salem, MA.

The story is pieced together with such care that the reader barely notices the tiny folds unfolding, the story lines being drawn in invisible ink. It is with this artistry that the true story, in all of its weight and depth, unopens itself to the reader.

This book made me miss the ocean, my sisters and even parts of myself.

Book 48

Catching Fire

Recommended by Stephanie Meyers

This is a sequel to Suzanne Collins book The Hunger Game.

I am not sure what else to write about it except . . . block off a chunk of time. Settle yourself down and read the book from cover to cover. It is worth it.

The original book and this sequel is geared to teens, the same demographic as Harry Potter and Twilight. It is a completely different book than either of those but equally compelling. This is a GREAT story with some beautiful character development, started in the first book and made even better in this one.

Rrgh. I want to divulge some story but it really would ruin it. Please trust me on this one, it is one of my number one books this year and it is an easy, entertaining read.

Kids pitted against other kids to the death. Does THAT intrigue you?!

Book 47

Angela's Ashes

Frank McCourt

Recommended by the New York Times book review in an article memorializing his death

I have been reading, just needed a break from blogging. It is a whole different ball of wax.

This is supposedly one of the first in the memoir genre, if it is McCourt set a very high bar. I love his style. Very stark, straight forward, telling the story like it is writing style. This is a particular challenge when you are telling the story of your younger years. There is such a temptation to etherialize or romanticize what you experience when you are little because you are trying to make sense of it in the context of who you have become. McCourt will have none of that.

This is a fairly brutal true story of Frank McCourt's life growing up extremely poor. Step back from whatever impression you have about the term "extremely poor" and magnify it by ten. Maybe even twenty. The family lives in New York, they cannot hack it and go back to Ireland where conditions are far more harsh and the family faces far deeper struggles. Half the little brood of children die of what ostensibly is from starvation. The cold and lack of food, and with that the quest for some semblance of hygiene, is the families sole focus. The babies are constantly fed sugar and water in a bottle.

Angela is McCourt's mother. I suppose the title is a tribute to her endurance and suffering for the sake of the family. His father, although extremely lovable and charismatic, when sober, is a stereo-typical catholic Irish who can't keep money in his pocket for "the drink." He will spend two weeks of wages in a night, forego the next day of work and be out on his ear until the next job rolls around. Which is not that often to begin with.

I love Court's writing. He seems to become more animated as he moves into puberty and is trying to figure out how his body and his religion work together. He has the Catholic guilt (can I call it "the guilt"?) and tries desperately to be good. During this time, he also spends excessive amounts of time in the hospital. For him, they are some of his best times. Not only does he get three square meals (something he literally has never had) but he gets inspired by poetry and Shakespeare (even though its English).

"I wish I could talk to the girl in the blue dress or anyone about the books but I'm afraid the Kerry nurse or Sister Rita might find out and they'd move me to a bigger ward upstairs with fifty empty beds and Famine ghosts galore with green mouths and bony fingers pointing. At night I lie in bed thinking about Tom Brown and his adventures at Rugby School and all the characters in P.G. Wodehouse. I can dream about the red-lipped landlord's daughter and the highwayman, and the nurses and nuns can do nothing about it. It's lovely to know the world can't interfere with the inside of your head." Pg 202 (emphasis mine)

I look forward to reading more McCourt.

Book 46

Fat Girl

A True Story

By Judith Moore

Recommended by New York Times Book Review

Stark and honest. Moore writes her story with a brutality of self without succumbing to pity, excuse or blame. She writes what happened and what she experienced as a fat child growing up. She tries to strip away even her attempts as a writer to make certain facts more palatable to the reader. This is an excellent book which challenges the reader with its honesty.

"I am fat. I am not so fat that I can't fasten the seat belt on the plane. But, fat I am. I wanted to write about what it was and is like for me, being fat.

This will not be a book about how I had an eating disorder and how I conquered this disorder through therapies or group process or antidepressants or religion or twelve-step programs or a personal trainer or white-knuckling it or the love of a good man (or woman). This will be the last time in this book you will see the words 'eating disorder.'

I am not a fat activist. This is not about the need for acceptance of fat people, although I would prefer that thinner people not find me disgusting." Pg. 1

Book 45

The Secret Speech

By Tom Rob Smith

A sequel to Child 44 (reviewed below) it was also its equal. Taking place in post-Stalinist Russia it takes an intimate story of one families life and ends up telling a broader story about Russia at this time period. Moreover, this is done through a very exciting, ever surprising storyline of murder and betrayal that apans from Moscow to the gulags to Budapest and into a million smaller terrains of each characters' interior landscape. A harsh landscape, formed through a brutal system under Stalin where mistrust was a given, betrayal always a possibility and where simple survival was a major accomplishment (and in turn made you a suspect).

When one experiences unfair cruelty what kind of a person is forged? When one works along side coercive power and participates in unmentionable acts how do they reconstruct a person of honor? When both of these and every experience in the middle have agonized an entire people with brutality and fear, how does the collective move forward, how does a people purge the wrongs of the past?

"It can't be true. How could it be? But it was here, with a State-stamped letter, containing information only the State would know, with sources, quotes, references. The conspiracy of silence, which Nikolai had presumed would last forever, was over. It was no trick. The speech was real." Pg 55

"I know about the changes you've made. You're no longer KGB, your militia. You deal with real crimes, not political ones. You've adopted two beautiful young girls. This is your idea of redemption, yes? What does any of it mean to me? What of the debt you owe me? What of the debt you owe the men and women you arrested?How is that to be paid?" Pg 117

"I have done things of which I am not proud. It is time I asked for your forgiveness." Pg 225

"The three year pretense had come to an end. He was no father, no husband, and certainly no hero. He would join the KGB." Pg 297

Devil in the White CIty

Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

By Erik Larson

Referred to me by Lara Hoefs

I didn't know much about the World's Fair of 1893 prior to reading this book. I only knew it was a major event of another time period full of things I don't necessarily enjoy: crowds, carnival rides and hoopla. I did not know that this was a record breaking event bringing us many things we consider a part of our lives to the public: electrical lights as part of public architecture, shredded wheat, Pabst blue ribbon and the Ferris Wheel. The story of the amazing effort this event took to become successful, how we were competing with France for the best World's Fair and the major progress that came out of the fair is pretty mind blowing. Apart from inventions and the very odd and time specific "entertainment" of bringing whole villages of cannibals from remote locations to be ogled at it was fascinating to see how this event shaped the future planning of cities. The art of what we now know as urban planning.

This story is told parallel to a different, more sinister (I love that word) story of a serial killer. A true story of a doctor who builds a home, later converted into a hotel for the World's Fair, specific to his choice of murder and the ability to maximize it. His modus operandi is finding brave young woman, away from home for the first time, ready to make it on their own in a new, big city. I won't give any details away but the man earned the term serial killer and it reminds you how we often think repeated, fetishistic murder is a modern phenomenon but perhaps in the past it was just easier to get away with.

This is a fascinating tale of modernism, history, manipulation and the hard work of honest folk.

Book 43

More Vampire Books

These are the last of the Sookie Stackhouse books 7 - 9 (at least to date, I do not think Harris is done writing them!). I really enjoy these books for pure entertainment value. Her writing and story telling ability have grown with each book. I have not seen the TrueBlood series but from what I hear they have done her work justice. I devoured these books and will read the next in the series no doubt!

My only warning is that the character development has a little work to be done (getting better in the later series) and if you read the first one and don't like the silliness it gets a lot better. Lisa, this is the series I was telling you about that I think you would like!

7. Dead Together
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone

Books 40 - 42

The Soul of Medicine

tales from the bedside

By Sherwin B. Nuland

This is a simple book of collected stories from a group of physicians who are asked who their most memorable patient was. The stories range from tragic to humorous and give a human perspective on what physicians experience every day. This was an interesting read and a great gift for any aspiring physician or retiring physician. It is also not a bad question to ask if you ever find yourself at dinner with a bunch of doctors!

Book 39

Wolf at the Table

By Augusten Burroughs

This book is a son's search for why his father didn't love him, instead treating him with indifference and cruelty. His mother and him were close as she tried to make up for what his father lacked but she was also a little bit wacky, as detailed in his first book Running with Scissors. What drives the book is really Burroughs writing. He writes with words painting a distinct picture, more of the landscape of experience than image. Each little story he tells from this time period in his life make up the tapestry of that story.

"In Mexico my mother wore thin-soled sandals and looked over her shoulders. She watched me through large, dark sunglasses and said, "We had to get away from your father. He's not safe to be around right now."

This is my first clear memory of my father: I am in Mexico, I am five, and he is not safe to be around.

I could not fathom what this meant. The things I knew that weren't safe included furious dogs, putting a fork in a toaster, rushing water. How was he like these things?

Everywhere we went, an awareness followed us: we were fleeing. The feeling tainted even the food we hastily ate out of the cans stacked in her suitcase, a measure of economy. I was not allowed to have ice because it, too, was unsafe."

Page 13

Book 38

Child 44

By Tom Rob Smith

Set in Stalinist Russia, Child 44 is a riveting novel about a husband and a wife trying to survive the wretched times. That survival takes many forms - crisscrossing hands with spies, vengeful colleagues, the fear and forces of the Stalinist system and ending in the hands of a serial killer. The unfolding story forces a question about vocation and how we relate to what we do, in particular in situations of destitution. As the story unfolds it reveals the reality of life in Russia at this time, leaving the reader with more than anticipated about the history of this time period. I love the way this story is spun to keep you guessing and how it intensifies as the story moves forward. This is Smith's first novel and I look forward to reading his future work!

Excellent excellent book, compared to Gorky Park which I am not sure I have read!

"If he discovered that there were no similar cases, no other murdered children, then he could be sure that the brutal punishments he'd been instrumental in bringing about had been fair, just, and appropriate. Though he mistrusted Leo and resented the doubt he'd stirred up, there was no escaping that the man had posited a very simple question. Did his work have meaning or was it merely a means to survive? There was nothing shameful about trying to survive - it was the occupation of the majority. However, was it enough to live in squalor and not even be rewarded with a sense of pride, not even to be sustained by a sense that what he did served some purpose?"
Pg 274

Book 37

Out of Range

By CJ Box

Defined as a mystery by the New York Times Review, this book is more of a crime novel meets western; maintaining the best attributes of each and carefully bringing them together. It is very well written and engaging, the book did not necessarily stick to either genre's formulas so it was also somewhat surprising.

Wyoming is the setting for this story, out by the Great Tetons, where a game warden Joe Pickett faces bears, extreme conservationists, land grabbers, developers and outfitters. Within the little stories of this small town with big britches is a mystery that Joe starts to unravel. In the back drop of some of America's most beautiful landscape, this story depicts American people today and the many different views, priorities and agendas that can be found and need to be managed in one small town.

"He embraced the wilderness around him as he would his daughters and welcomed the real danger and beauty it presented. He felt alive, and alert." Pg 206

Book 36

Club Dead through Definitely Dead

By Charlain Harris

I read a whole host of vampire books on my vacation to Fredericksburg, TX. I read book 3 - 7 in the Sookie Stackhous series. What can I say that won't give away the plot?

Sookie is a telepath. She tends to get involved with the supernatural. First vampires and then . . . lots of other stuff. How do I tell you about it without ruining the story?


If you watch the True Blood series, you have already seen the first book. They made the books into a television show on HBO. I have not seen the television show.

The books are very entertaining, worth the read.

Books 32 - 35

The Trail of the Fox: The Search for the True Field Marshal Rommel

By David Irving

"Between Rommel and his troops there was that mutual understanding that cannot be explained and analyzed, but which is the gift of the gods . . . The men knew that 'Rommel' was the last man Rommel spared; they saw him in their midst, and they felt, 'This is our leader!' He knew how to make them feel somehow immortal."

- Major Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin in an interview with the author, Pg 117

Written in the 70's this book is still considered one of the essential histories of Field Marshal Rommel. A brick of a book weighing in at 455 pages, it rolls quickly due to the writing style and the intrigue of Rommel himself. The author also has access to many of the people close to Rommel to get first hand accounts of the mysterious history of Rommel's end to help piece together this convoluted story.

Most of the book is the exciting and compelling character of Rommel and his extraordinary feats on the battlefield. Countless stories of his unconventional, bold strategies (bordering on reckless at times) coupled with an intense bravery and commitment to being with his men that fostered deep love for their brazen Field Marshal.

"However tough the strain he seemed inexhaustible. He seemed to know just what the enemy were like and how they would probably react. His plans were often startling, instinctive, spontaneous and not infrequently obscure. He had an exceptional imagination, and it enabled him to hit on the most unexpected solutions to tough situations. When ther was danger, he was always out in front calling on us to follow. He seemed to know no fear whatever. His men idolized him and had boundless faith in him."
- Theodor Werner's own writing to the author

The convoluted story of the last few years of his life, near the end of the Third Reich, is full of blatant misinformation, intentional hoodwinking and feigned loyalty. In some ways, reading this book made me think about how naive the world was back in WWII. The chicanery Rommel used routinely on the battlefield included creating fake tanks in Africa, made out of wood and cardboard to trick the enemy into thinking they had more armaments than they actually had, to later in the war, having his own trusted staff plotting the Reich's demise feeding false intelligence information to Rommel to get him to change his course of military action.

Much to my surprise, though, Rommel was loyal to Hitler and the Reich. Granted, he was sadly surprised to hear rumors of massive executions and killing of prisoners of war. Keep in mind, the military were not the Gestapo, they were soldiers defending the homeland like any soldiers. But he did sign his loyalty to Hitler oath, required of all military leaders, just a year or so before his death.

According to Irving, even though it has been claimed otherwise elsewhere with people who had other intentions in promoting it, Rommel was not a willing participant in the plot to kill Hitler. He had convoluted conversations with the plotters which led them to believe he was a supporter, nothing more, but in reality his disagreement with Hitler that coincided with the plot was a military one. He did not think they should pursue so many fronts, the one in the west as well as the one in Russia. He truly believed this division would be the death of Germany. He was bold enough to share this information, with the plotters urging and under their false intelligence information, with Hitler in an untimely manner right as the assassins were taking action. Wounded at the time from an air attack, presumably directed specifically at taking Rommel's life, which resulted in a car accident he was at the time of the assassination in a coma and then after that recouping from a head injury that he should not have survived.

The assassination did not kill Hitler so obviously there was a price that had to be paid. Generals were hung. Commanders ratted out other commanders as well as their superiors. Many lives were lost as Hitler had his revenge. But Rommel, always a favorite of Hitler's, was spared the shame and the execution. Instead he was asked to do the heroic thing and commit suicide. Out of consideration for his loyalty and years of service he was even provided a cyanide pill to spare him the problem of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This conveniently enabled the Reich to give him a hero's funeral claiming natural causes resulting from his accident and allowing his wife to receive the benefits of a Field Marshal's widow. Controversy has ensued ever since then as the mystery and intrigue of Rommel lives on.

Named as one of the "Best Dressed" of the 20th Century in 1999, shortly after the author of that list was fired for being pro-Nazi!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/282554.stm

Book 31

The Little Book of Athiest Spirituality

By Andre Comte-Sponville

Parental warning: Don't read if you don't want to know (I mean this as a literal warning to my parents!)

This book was a birthday gift from my friend, Conrad. (By the way, Conrad, I look forward to a conversation with you about this book over a cup of coffee or two!)

This book was mind blowing. Comte-Sponville's thinking is thorough yet open to his own potential error, true to himself yet aware of his own limitations, genuine in a way that is difficult for philosophers to muster. He seemed to love the exploration, understand the complexities and be unafraid of the controversies. Surely, to someone like Dawkins or Harris, his American counterparts writing about the problem of religion, even using the term "spirituality" is anathema. Comte-Sponville struggles with that as well but deals with it straight on, honestly and openly.

His discussion of morality was an important beginning, expressing clearly why atheism does not in any way break down the possibility for human morality. He then exposes his six reasons for being an atheist, a twist on the usual formula of refuting arguments for the existence of God. Once morality is on the table and religion is off the table, Compte-Sponville can freely explore the moments of transcendence we experience as human beings (moments of being moved by music, taking a great hike that connects you with nature, true friendship). This is where he delves into the content of this spirituality - immensity, silence, serenity, simplicity, unity (to name a few). Regardless of your opinion on the use of the term "atheist spirituality" his exploration of each of these experiences is refreshing, personally challenging and stimulates self-searching.

Woven throughout his discussions of "why atheism" and then into his spirituality section, he grapples with the reality of human suffering. All of my personal and academic life has centered around a search to understand what religious people call "the problem of evil." And what those who are afflicted with said "evil" (slavery, holocaust, rape, just to highlight a few) call suffering or their own personal story. I turn the reality of it over like a perplexing object and as much as I read, as much as I study, as much as I listen to painful stories I still can't make heads or tails of it. I always end up perplexed. Grasped viscerally by the horrific reality of human existence. I appreciated how attuned he was to the reality of human suffering.

I do think that redefining "spirituality" in the way he does is debatable. It is helpful if you are, as Compte-Sponville openly admits, interested in dialogue with believers. It is a twist that can lead to interesting dialogue. But what if any is the value in usurping that term for atheists otherwise? An interesting point to talk to with other non-believers. I think the book would have been just as good had he used an alternative, not as heavily loaded, word as "spirituality." At the same time, for me, it made the ideas compelling and challenging in another respect to not be afraid of the term simply because it has been largely used by religion.

There are so many, many quotes I could put here. I really hope these are a pleasant smorgasbord of what lies in wait for you, the potential reader of this fine philosophical yet extremely accessible book.

"Horror is numberless, with or without God. Alas this tells us more about humanity than it does about religion." Pg 76

"The existence of being is intrinsically mysterious. This is what needs to be understood - this, and the fact that the mystery is irreducible. Not because it is impenetrable but (on the contrary) because we are inside it. Not because it is too dark, but because it is light itself." Pg 86

"Despite its suggestiveness, the analogy [the watch in the field as an indicator that there is a watch maker-my addition] has a number of weaknesses. Firstly, it is only an analogy; the universe is clearly not made up of springs and gears. Secondly . . it makes short shrift of the countless examples of disorder, horror and dysfunction in the universe. A cancerous tumor can also be described as a kind of clock (as in a time bomb); an earthquake, if we wish to prolong the clockwork metaphor, would be something like a planetary buzzer or alarm. Does this prove that tumors and cataclysms are all part of an intelligent, benevolent design? Thirdly and most importantly, the analogy advanced by Voltaire and Rousseau is out of date. Its model (like eighteenth century physicis) is mechanical, whereas nature as described by contemporary science has more to do with dynamics (being is energy), randomness (Nature plays dice - this is just what distinguishes it from God) and general entropy (what would we think of a clock that tended toward maximal disorder?)." Pg 88 - 89

"Finally and most important, in human beings the idea of the infinite is a finite idea, just as the idea of perfection is an imperfect one." Pg 92

"If the absolute is unknowable, what right do we have to believe that it is God?" Pg 105

"Life is too difficult, humanity too weak, pain too frequent or atrocious, chance too unfair and haphazard for us to be able to believe that so imperfect a world is of divine origin!" Pg 111 (I love this quote!)

In regards to humans: "The more I get to know them the less I can believe in God. Let's say I don't have a sufficiently lofty conception for humanity in general or myself in particular to believe that a God could be at the origin of this species and this individual. Everywhere I look, there is too much mediocrity, too much pettiness, too much of what Montaigne called nothingness or vanity - "of all the vanities, the vainest is man!" What a poor result for omnipotence! Some will object that God may have done better elsewhere. Well, perhaps he has. Is that any reason to be satisfied with such a lousy job here? What would you think of an artist who, on the pretext that he has produced masterpieces for other people, would saddle you with his trash?" Pg 119

"Were we copies of God we would be either ridiculous or terrifying." Pg 120

"A religion of man? Definitely not. What a sorry god man would make! Humanism is not a religion; it is an ethics. Man is not our God; he is our neighbor. . . Ours is an illusionless humanism that cares about protecting our species, especially from itself. We must forgive humanity, and ourselves, for being what we are - neither angels nor beasts . . . neither slaves nor supermen." Pg 120 - 121

I love this whole section on "Desire and Illusion":
""What do we wish for more than anything else? Leaving aside our base or vulgar desires, which have no need of God to be fulfilled, what we wish for most is: firstly, not to die, at least not completely, not irreversibly; secondly, to be reunited with the loved ones we have lost; thirdly, for justice and peace to triumph; finally and perhaps most importantly, to be loved. Now, what does religion tell us . . .That we shall not die, or not really; that we shall rise from the dead and thus be reunited with the loved ones we have lost; that justice and peace will prevail in the end; and, finally, that we are already the object of an infinite love. Who could ask for more? No one, of course! This is what makes religion so very suspicious: As the saying goes, it is too good to be true!. . . .God is too desirable to be true; religion is too reassuring to be credible." Pg 125

"To be deluded is to believe that something is true because one wants it to be true." Pg 129

"God is too incomprehensible, from a metaphysical point of view, not to be dubious (if you don't understand something, how can you know whether it is God or chimera?); religion is too comprehensible, from an anthropological point of view, not to be suspicious." Pg 129

"Not believing in God does not prevent me from having a spirit, nor does it exempt me from having to use it . . . The spirit is not a substance. Rather it is a function, a capacity, an act (the act of thinking, willing, imagining, making wisecracks . . . ) and this act, at least, is irrefutable, since nothing can be refuted without it." Pg 135

(Contrast this with the theologian that dubbed God as verb, God is not a noun or a being but is in the act of connecting, the act of friendship, the act of serving homeless people, the act of goodness).

"All our speeches are about this, which itself is not speech. Not the Word, but silence. Not meaning, but being. This is the field of spirituality or mysticism, when they break free of religion. Being is mystery, not because it is hidden or because it hides something but, on the contrary, because self-evidence and mystery are the same thing, because the mystery is being itself." Pg.143

"When I contemplate immensity, the ego seems laughable." Pg 149

"Spiritual life . . is the life of the spirit - but only . . . inasmuch as we can break free, at least partially and occasionally [moments] from what Kant called 'our precious little selves,' our precious little fears, resentments, self-interest, anxieties, worries frustrations, hopes, compromises and conceits. Is it a matter of 'dying to oneself'? The expression recurs in the writing of many mystics. . . however it puts too much emphasis on the death wish. Rather, I would say that it is a matter of living more - of living at last, rather than hoping to live - and, in order to do so, leaving oneself up behind as much as possible: not dying to oneself, therefore, but opening oneself up to life, to reality, to everything." Pg 200

Personal aside: This book was my first ability to accept the term atheist for myself instead of agnostic. He makes a very good, entertaining and spirited argument that agnostic is simply a term used to provide smoke and mirrors in order to avoid the controversial label "atheist." If you really believe "there are mysteries or spirit, but no old man with a beard roaming in the sky deciding our fate" then why not just use the term atheist?

Book 30

Do Cats Hear With Their Feet?

By Jake Page

This book is well written and researched thoroughly; it is clever, instructive and engaging. Beginning with a great natural history of the cat, the first few chapters takes you through the millions of years of feline development. Jake Page engages the arguments of paleontologists and geneticists about origins of feline domestication and feline evolution. Page writes nimbly and trots the reader through such discussion without getting bogged down or distracting from the subject at hand. The sketch drawings of the various cats he is talking about brings the differences among these felines home.

A chapter is devoted to understanding the senses that are keenest in cats and how they assist in night hunting (cats being nocturnal and predators by nature, even domesticated cats). I found his exploration into the senses fascinating and thorough. He begins with the sense of touch, a sensation which he argues is much stronger on creatures with fur.

"On a cat or a dog, for example, each hair grows out of a small cluster of cells that are fairly strongly tweaked when a hair has been moved. Each hair is like a lever, the shifting of which in one direction or another has a magnified effect on the sensory neurons at its base. The most sensitive levers on a cat's body are, of course, its whiskers, which scientist call vibrissae . . .These are especially thick and stiff hairs, and the little bundle of cells are three times farther below the skin than regular hairs. These deep cells send vibrissae-sensed messages back to the brain along the same pathways as the nerves to the eyes. And some of them produce a sensation that is probably analogous to vision." Page 100

The vibrissae on the face "are what have given the cat the reputation of being able to see in the utter dark. While the cat's eyes are excellent gatherers of light, even very low light, they cannot perceive anything in true dark. But the vibrissae, held forward, can detect the slightest motion of the air in a wide swath as wind or air currents are reflected from nearby objects - a kind of "seeing" that is unimaginable except perhaps to some blind people." Page 101

"Aside from the use of their whiskers, it is speculated that their feet are so sensitive that they can pick up the vibrations on the floor, say, of someone walking in a familiar gait." Page 117

Cat communication comes in three categories of cat sounds: murmur (sounds made with mouth shut like a purr), high intensity (made with the mouth open like growls, snarls etc) and then vowel sounds (the miaow). "The cat vowel sound calls are used to ask for something, to complain about something, or to express confusion. In these instances, the cat's mouth stays open, changing the shape to make different vowel sounds." Page 135 The cat uses its entire body to communicate - posture, tail position, whiskers. "Most of the signals cats make with their posture, their tails, their ears and their facial expressions are what scientists call distance-increasing signals - as opposed to distance-reducing signals that are more common among dogs and other highly social animals." The movement and position of a cat's tail can tell you fairly accurately the mood of the cat. Here are some examples from the book:

-Arched tail over its back or tail in an upside down U, or straight up, "it is making a friendly approach or if it is a kitten, it wants to play"
-Tip of the tail or whole tail waves back and forth, "it means the cat is uncomfortable with the situation at hand"
-Flat ears back are almost always fear or aggression

"Suffice it for now to say the cat has twelve separate muscles serving each radar antenna-like ear, and the cat's eyes work well in both day and night. Here we will observe some of the details of the predatory strategies cats (including domestic cats) use, of which there are two main types: mobile, where the cat actively seeks out prey; and stationary, where the cat waits silently for the action to come to him or her." Page 60

Page's premise is that cats are "obligate loners" and in some situations when forced they can learn to tolerate socialization. All other domestic animals were social in the wild, living in packs or herds. "Cat's are the only domestic animals that derive from loners in the wild. The notion of herding cats is a colorful way of describing anarchy." Page 148

As loners, their day to day experience is not about dominance like a dog who is used to a pack structure but instead about territory. Each cat has a series of boundaries around them which are related to safety and comfort. Home range is the whole space the cat considers its area, the widest boundary around a cat. Within that is a territory, which is "the area the cat will defend agianst encroachment by feline strangers." Within the territory is an area called "social distance and inside that is personal distance." Males have a wider territory and are considerably more territorial (more aggressive over a wider area).

While understanding cats remain an utter mystery, Page's book brings us one step closer to grasping aspects of feline behavior which we can utilize in everyday life as well as a genuinely enjoyable exploration of felines in history. For cat lovers, it brings us closer to those amazing, curious and mysterious creatures who fill our lives with such humor, audacity and admiration.

"Here is an animal whose direct ancestor only a few thousand years ago was a lone hunter, and body language are geared to keeping other cats at a distance if not altogether out of the picture. Here is no herd animal, no creature drawn to the life of the pack, like dogs or cows or elephants or dolphins or horses. Here is the lone stalker, an animal so preoccupied with itself that it will spend up to a third of its waking hours licking its own fur. And this animal, if treated well, will allow itself to find warmth and affection, food (at least some), and companionship with you and me. This is an astonishing turnabout . . . Indeed if we are smart, we just let cats be cats, and recognize that they have done a pretty good job of domesticating us." Page 164

Book 29

Killing Rommel

By Stephen Pressfield

In this historical fiction, Pressfield gives the account of a more modern desert battle that of the Nazi African campaign in World War II. This book was as well written, meticulously researched and contained as complex characterization as his other books. Which of coarse meant I absolutely loved it! Engaging, challenging, didactic. There are so many interesting things I learned about fighting war in a desert and the specific challenges faced by those who fight in this terrain.

Interestingly enough, we watched Humphry Bogart's "Sahara" last night and it dramatizes some of these challenges. Mainly: water, exposure, sand and then water again.

"Let me say this about courage under fire. In my experience, valour in action counts for far less than smply performing one's commonplace task without cocking it up. This is by no means as simple as it sounds. In many ways, it's the most difficult thing in the world. Certainly for every glorious death memorialsed in dispatches, one could count twenty others that were the product of fatigue, confusion, inattention, over or underassertion of authority, panic, timidity, hesitation, honest errors or miscalculations, misphas and accidents, collisions, mechanical breakdowns, lost or forgotten spare parts, intelligence deficiencies, mistranslated codes, late or inadequate medical care, not to say bollocksed-up orders (or failure to grasp and implement proper orders), misdirected fire from on'es own troops or allies, and general all-around muddling, sometimes the fault of the dead trooper himself. The role of the officer, in my experience, is nothing grander than to stand sentinel over himself and his men, towards the end of keeping them from forgetting who they are and what their objective is, how to get there, and what equipment they're supposed to have when they arrie. Oh, and getting back. That's the tricky part." Page 13 - 14

"Am I mad? On the one hand, I cannot and will not let myself believe that what I have ordered and performed at Benina is "right" It isn't and never can be. I can't simply block it out and carry on as if nothing has happened. At the same time I must carry on - for my mates, for England, for Rose and for our child. The alternative is unthinkable. With this, I understand the perverse logic of war and the true tragedy of armed conflict. The enemy against whom we fight are human beings like ourselves, individuals with whom each of us might have been friends except for the deranged fictions of nation, doctrine, race and religion, and whom now me must murder (as they seek to murder us) in the name of those very same fictions. And yet, knowing all this and understanding it, still, in some depraved and ineluctable* way, we and they must live it out to the bloody finish." Page 241

*impossible to avoid or evade

I am now very interested in reading something about Rommel himself, a true account of his life and history. He sounds like a fascinating leader.

Book 28

Fan Fiction

Total Aside: I thought it important to disclose that I have read an additional probably 4000 words online through what is known as "Fan Fic." It is basically fiction written by fans of famous books utilizing the characters from those books but taking them into very different places, story lines and conclusions. The ones I know about are based on Harry Potter and the Twilight series. They may exist for all kind of books or stories but I have exclusively limited my reading to Twilighted. Yes, I am a certifiable nerd about this story.

With the upcoming release of New Moon and the just released trailer to that movie it is hard to stay away. It is a complete indulgence. How can Stephanie Meyers write such a good story that you can turn it on its head, unravel it and knit it back together and the characters are still compelling, intriguing and surprising? Anyway, I will certainly have to re-read New Moon before it comes out as well.

Something unique about the experience is that I do love to see new writers unfold. It is a GREAT venue for a writer to get immediate feedback on what and how they write. It is a great way to "practice" writing. None of them can publish anything they write (Stephanie Meyers owns everything) so they do it purely for the sake of the story. I love that.

Nobody Move: A Novel

By Denis Johnson

New York Times Book Review Recommended

Crime novel would not adequately describe this book. Although it feels like that is exactly what you are reading. Without crime solvers, only crimes. The omniscient view point Johnson writes from almost forces the reader to become the only one observing the crimes, privvy to the "who done it" unfolding in this mystery.

Tired phrases come to mind to describe this unique book: gutsy, hard-boiled, dark (my least favorite). It is almost a Pulp Fiction in fiction. Very entertaining, full of twists and turns, you never know what sort of laughable horror the next page will hold.

Book 27

The Last River

The Tragic Race for Shangri-la
By Todd Balf

Driven by the love of rivers, the outdoors and extreme adventure, these river runners are akin to climbers who attempt Mt. Everest with their willingness to push the boundaries between the human body and nature. To simplify this interesting sport, river running consists of people in small boats or kayaks taking on rapids and falls as a climber would take on a mountain or cliff.

This is easier shown than written so I am including a link to a video clip from the Tsangpo River. While this video clip is not from the expedition explored in this book, it is the best way to understand what this extreme sport consists of and how intense, mysterious and beautiful the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet really is.

http://outside.away.com/tsangpo/video/huge_water.htm

If that did not impress upon you the power of the Tsangpo and the intense challenge this river was to run, then nothing will! If you like outdoors or survival stories this is a great story with an unfortunate but thought provoking story line. In the end it left me thinking about the challenge to live life fully - to do what you believe are the most valuable things you can do with your time on earth regardless of anyone else's opinion or interpretation of what you have chosen!

I can't help but think of some of my favorite words from a hero of mine Indian Larry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kak0isL360o&feature=related

Carpe diem!

Book 26

Ten Degrees of Reckoning

The True Story of a Family's Will to Survive
By Hester Rumberg

A gripping story of a family who embarks on a journey to live at sea. This young couple and their two small kids equip themselves over the course of years in equipment, knowledge, safety tools, and experience in preparation for an experience of a life time: to sail around the world.

The love within the family is palpable. Their courage to set out into the unknown loaded down with the supplies they need, the extensive planning of true seafaring people and the confidence (and I would argue wisdom) to take their children with them on this awesome adventure is inspiring. Their hijinx on the sea, in little towns, in untampered villages in far off regions of the world are incredible - the best schooling children could hope for.

If you enjoy any kind of water sports the maritime knowledge in this book is fascinating. For someone who is a land lubber, I learned a great deal of respect for the seafarer. Of coarse I have always loved the true, gripping tales of pirates on the open seas and in many ways the adventure of this story is much like those.

Unfortunately, it is a survivor story. It is never good to give away the key elements of a story like this because it is the mystery that grips you, the reality that shakes you to your bones.

This book is a great read and a harrowing story.

Judy Sleavin - the memories live on with us.

Book 25

Lone Survivor

The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10
By Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

Recommended by Brett Berkowitz

Incredible, true, riveting survival story. There are alternate subtitles which could also describe this book . . .

How many times can one man fall from cliffs while fighting the Taliban and still land with his rifle arms length away?

Or . . . . how four SEALs fought off hundreds of Taliban fighters full of hate and the solid advantage of intimate knowledge of the terrain (see Pressfield's book review from a few books back)?

Or . . . the bravery of a village invoking the ancient law of lokhay in order to save the life of a stranger.

I loved this book, I could not put it down. It was an incredible story of friendship, bravery, the reality of war, and survival. These guys live and breath valor. I have the utmost respect for their dedication, training, and ultimate devotion to a team. I don't want to give anything away about the story, it is too good. I will simply leave you with a quote of part of the Navy Seal Philosophy:

"I will never quit . . . My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates . . . I am never out of the fight." (pg. 235)

Luttrell's recounting of this heroic story etches his memories into the pages of American history. The acts recounted in this story by these men will not be forgotten.

Book 24

The Witches of Eastwick

By John Updike

I was listening to NPR a few months back and they had an obituary on John Updike, an author I had certainly heard of, knew little about and had never read. I say obituary, but it was more of a remembrance, a tribute (link provided at the end of this post). It made me want to read his books.

I thought witches wouldn't be such a stretch for me after my streak of vampires lately.

This book spanked my bottom! John Updike can write. He writes a wonderfully fun and slightly sinister story (it was about witches!) with some incredible prose. I love the way he crafts paragraphs and his descriptions were surprising, hand painted images. He has a way with language. It made me want to read everything he has ever written.

The story is simply about three friends who are also witches and a man that comes into their lives and changes everything for them. They have some bewitching times and push the envelope on what society expects of women. Provoking, on a number of levels.

[Describing the sound of a cello] " . . . it's vibratory melancholy tones, pregnant with the sadness of wood grain and the shadowy largeness of trees . . ." (20)

"We all dream, and we all stand aghast at the mouth of the caves of our own deaths. . . " (210)

"The little trees, the sapling sugar maples and the baby red oaks squatting close to the ground, were the first to turn, as if green were a feat of strength, and the smallest weaken first. Early in October the Virginia creeper had suddenly drenched in alizarin crimson the tumbled boulder wall at the back of her property, where the bog began; the drooping parallel daggers of the sumac then showed a red suffused with orange. Like the slow sound of a great gong, yellow overspread the woods, from the tan of beech and ash to the hickor's spotty gold and the flat butter color of the mitten-shaped leaves of the sassafras, mittens that can have a thumb or two or none. . . The ferns underfoot in fading declared an extravagant variety of forms. Each cried out, I am, I am. There was thus in fall a rebirth of identity out of summer's mob of verdure. The breadth of the event, from the beach plums and bayberries along Block Island Sound to the sycamores and horse-chestnut trees lining the venerable streets (Benefit, Benevolent) on Providence's College Hill, answered to something diffuse and gentle within Alexandra, her sense of merge, her passive ability to contemplate a tree and feel herself a rigid trunk with many arms running to their tips with sap, to become the oblong cloud oddly alone in the sky or the toad hopping from the mower's path into deeper damper grass - a wobbly bubble on leathery long legs, a spark of fear behind a warty broad forehead. She was that toad, and as well the cruel battered black blades attached to the motor's poisonous explosions. The panoramic ebb of chlorophyll from the swamps and hills of the Ocean State lifted Alexandra up like smoke, like the eye above a map. Even the exotic imports of the Newport rich - the English walnut, the Chinese smoke tree, the Acer japonicum - were all swept into this mass movement of surrender. A natural principle was being demostrated, that of divestment. We must lighten ourselves to survive. We must not cling. Safety lies in lessening, in becoming random and thin enough for the new to enter. Only folly dares those leaps that give life." (97 - 98)

Here is a link to the obituary:
http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2009/01/remembering-john-updike/

Apparently there are movies and musicals and all sorts of productions based on this book. I had a hard time getting the original cover, the one from the book I read!

Book 23

The Afghan Campaign

By Steven Pressfield

"I wished once to become a soldier. I have become that. Just not the way I thought I would." (350)

A compelling and harrowing coming of age war story written by the extremely talented Pressfield. The story is told through the eyes of the young Matthias who comes to serve Alexander the Great in this Afghan campaign. The reader grows up with Matthais as he moves from a child to a man and into a soldier, bearing the memories he must endure to get there.

Another simple narrative throughout this story explores the role of honor in Afgan society at that time. It involves a woman and the code of honor which binds her by death to anyone who breaks that code of honor. The clash of cultures unopened is riviting and heart breaking.

Pressfield tells this story with an engaging storyt, simple but beautiful prose and a deep heart for the soldier's experience, coming from his own history as a Marine.

His books are popular with our troops. I completely understand why- he writes from the soldiers point of view, in an authentic and fearless way. He writes the truth of war, not just the glory or horror. He tells the truth from both of these extremes and everything (painfully) in between.

"We are keenly aware that we are boys, not men like Flag and Tollo. We do nothing like they do. We don't talk like them or stand like them; we can't even piss like them. They inhabit a sphere that is magnitutdes above us. We ape them. We study them as if we were children. They remain beyond us." (37)

"It is simultaneously extraordinary and appalling to see how efficiently our Macks (Macedonian soldiers) work this. They slaughter an entire male household with barely a sound, so swiftly that the wives and infants are cast into dubmstruck shock. It is the kill of wolves or lions, the cold kill of predation. It is work." (45)

"What makes Afghanistan so miserable is there's no shelter. The wind howls out of the mountains with not a twig to break its rush. Terrain is spectacular, but its beauty, if you can call it that, is stern and unforgiving. No trees intercept the rain, which descends, when it does, in volumes unimaginable. In the hot season you bind covers round every surface of metal exposed to the sun. To touch them unprotected blisters you to the bone. Now comes the wind. To trek in such a gale is like marching in a tunnel. The universe contracts to the cylinder between your muffled eyes and the rucksack of the man in front of you." (68)

In a speech by Alexander, beloved by the troops: "This is not conventional warfare. It is unconventional. And we must fight it in an unconventional way. Here the foe will not meet us in pitched battle, as other armies we have dueled in the past, save under conditions of his own choosing. His word to us is worthless. He routinely violates truces; he betrays the peace. He comes back again and again. He hates us with a passion whose depth is exceeded only by his patience and his capacity for suffering. " (70-71)

"Our women are still with us. The ordeals of mountain and desert have transformed them. They have earned our respect and their own. They fear now only the halt, when the corps may decide it no longer needs them. Biscuits paints my sore-pocked soles with vinegar and binds them with molesckin. Ghilla sets bones. Another girl, Jenin, sets up as the outfit's source for nazz and pank. The women have become indispensible. Even Flag defends them." (130)

" 'There must be a way to be a good soldier in a rotten war.' Boxer laughs. 'When you find it, Matthais, be sure and let us know." (156)

"The depth of horror one experiences to witness this is impossible to convey by the medium of speech." (176)

"The Afghans . . . posess two invincible confederates: the scale of their land and its desolation." (186)

"The enemy loves to attack out of the rising or setting sun. In the mountains, vales and even shadows can conceal battalions. In prarie country, dust storms building late in the day provide cover behind which the foe maneuvers and strikes. The tribesman appears along your track, where you think only your own men are coming from. He knows how to use glare to blind you and grit and rain to obscure his nubers. Suddenly he's on top of you." (231)

In The Company of Soldiers

In the company of soldiers
I have no need to explain myself.
In the company of soldiers,
everybody understands.

In the company of soldiers,
I don't have to pretend to be a person I'm not
Or strike that pose, however well-intended, that is expected
by those who have not known me under arms.

In the company of soldiers all my crimes are forgiven
I am safe
I am known
I am home
In the company of soldiers.

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Book 22