Monday, January 26, 2009

The History of Love

The History of Love
Nicole Krauss

Recommended by Jay Lalezari

Reading this book was like opening up a piece of origami you found on the subway and finding a secret message written only for you.

This book laughs at my inability to read fiction for two years.

This is a book within a book, within a story that holds a smaller story which turns out to be the cellular structure of the author. I cannot possibly provide the proper words to describe THAT.

"When he heard music he no longer listened to the notes, but the silences in between. When he read a book he gave himself over entirely to commas and semicolons, to the space after the period and before the capital letter of the next sentence. He discovered the places in a room where silence gathered; the folds of curtain drapes, the deep bowls of the family silver. When people spoke to him, he heard less and less of what they were saying, and more and more of what they were not. He learned to decipher the meaning of certain silences, which is like solving a tough case without any clues, with only intuition." (Pg 114 - 115)

"And then I thought: Perhaps that is what it means to be a father - to teach your child to live without you. If so, no one was a greater father than I." (Pg 164)

"The first language humans had was gestures. There was nothing primitive about this language that flowed from people's hands, nothing we say not that could not be said in the endless array of movements possible with the fine bones of the fingers and wrists. The gestures were complex and subtle, involving a delicacy of motion that has since been lost completely." (Pg 72)

Link to the book on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/History-Love-Novel-Nicole-Krauss/dp/0393060349

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism

The Limits of Power
Andrew J. Bacevich
Professor of history and international relationsa at Boaston University, retired from the US Army with the rank of colonel

Recommended by Conrad Simonds

Manifest Destiny may be a part of American history but it is alive and well in the form of what Bacevich calls "American Exceptionalism." This exceptionalism plays itself out on the international political front in places like Iraq and here at home in the daily lives of Americans through an "ethic of self-gratification" most visibly seen in flagrant American consumption without any sense of the long-term cost of what we consume.

Bacavich calls on Reinhold Neibhur throughout the book as a voice of wisdom from the past. I actually studied him in seminary and when you google his name Barak Obama comes up. Pretty interesting.

I have struggled with this post since I finished the book two days ago. I want to re-create his argument about freedom, the erroneous path we are on and some of his insights into ways to fix them but keep stumbling. I am going to instead include some of the many quotes I highlighted and hope to give you snap shots that compel you to read it or at least look it up online. Bacavich did an internview with Bill Moyers which I have not seen but which was the inspiration of the gift of this book from a friend of mine.

"To insist that the liberation of others has never been more than an ancillary motive of US policy is not cynicism; it is a prerequisite to self-understanding." (pg19 - 20)

"Neibuhr once wrote that 'the whole drama of history is enacted in a frame of meaning too large for human comprehension or management.' Acknowledging the truth of that dictum ought to be a prerequisite for election or appointment to high office. If policy makers persist in pretending otherwise, they will court disasters that may yet make the ongoig mimsadventure in Iraq appear almost trivial." (pg 122)

[I love this. As someone who reads a lot about war, I love this simple argument against the Bush administrations belief that they found a way to wage a different, more streamlined, technologically advanced war. War as the deliverer of freedom. War is hell and no framing or marketing ploys will make it other than death, destruction and tragedy. Albeit, sometimes necessary. But let's enter it with an impeccable strategy and with the lives of our soldiers at the forefront of every decision.]

"As the novelist and World War II veteran Norman Mailer put it, 'Fighting a war to fix something works about as good as going to a whore house to get rid of a clap.' As a problem solver, war leaves much to be desired." (pg 162)

"Folly of Preventive War"

"The Lost Art of Strategy"

"One possible alternative is to pursue a strategy of containment. Such a strategy has worked before, against a far more formidable adversary. It can work again as a framework for erecting effective defenses. The main purpose of containment during the cold war was to frustrate the Kremlin's efforts to extend Soviet influence. The purpose of containment today should be to prevent the sponsors of radical Islam from extending their influence.

The basic orientation of this strategy is defensive; yet its ultimate aim is not to accommodate but to overcome." (pg. 176)

I will leave you with a final Niebuhr quote: "For all nations, Niebuhr once observed, 'The desire to gain an immediate selfish advantage always imperils their ultimate interests. If they recognize this fact, they usually recognize it too late.'" (pg 182)

For more on Reinhold Neibuhr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr

The Limits of Power on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Limits-Power-American-Exceptionalism-Project/dp/0805088156

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Gabrielle Zevin

Recommended by Christine Guerrero

What if you suddenly couldn't remember the last four years? Would you like your friends? Would you like the choices you have made for yourself and your time? Would you change anything?

This simple story is about a teenage girl who falls down some stairs and loses her memory for the past four years. As she is figuring out life with this brain injury and memory loss she comes to terms with friends and boyfriends she doesn't like, passions she is not sure why she invested time on and a lot of questions about who she is and who she loves.

I really enjoyed reading this book. A simple yet compelling and thought provoking story. What would you change if you suddenly had a brand new perspective on your world? And of course that question begs the next one: then why don't you change it anyway?

http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Teenage-Amnesiac-Gabrielle-Zevin/dp/0374349460

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

This book is about Savannah, Georgia. The author moved part-time to Savannah when he first felt its lure. As he meets the characters of the city he describes the true stories of its eccentric inhabitants including a murder and subsequent court proceedings. There is love, late night piano playing, drag queens, antiques, Nazi fire arms - all set amid the beautiful architecture of Savannah, Georgia.

As the author is being introduced to Savannah culture an elderly woman takes him to their oldest cemetery and tries to describe a part of Savannah culture:

"We may be standoffish but we're not hostile. We're famously hospitable, in fact, even by southern standards. Savannah's called the 'Hostess City of the South,' you know. That's because we've always been a party town. We love company. We always have. . . . Parties became a way of life, and it's made a difference. We're not at all like the rest of Georgia. WE have a saying: If you go to Atlanta, the first question people ask you is, ' What's your business' In Macon they ask, 'Where do you go to church?' In Augusta they ask your grandmother's maiden name. But in Savannah the first question people ask you is 'What would you like to drink?'"

This story is but one small voice in the whole collection. Each new character opens up a new aspect to the city, widening the readers curiosity and interest in this small southern town. It reads kind of like watching Slackers (the movie) with one small story moving to the next, each a sort of stand alone story all on its own. This novel has a little more cohesive overall narrative as the town comes together in the murder and subsequent trial of one of their own.

http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Good-Evil-Berendt/dp/0679751521

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Black Flies: A Novel - Shannon Burke

148 pages

This is the story of life as a paramedic in Harlem in the 1990's. The story moves quickly like flipping through a stack of old photographs, each giving a quick, memorable scene then moving on to the next. In this case, each picture is horrifying and grim. Days filled with blown off heads, blood soaked clothes, mistrusting patients and unacceptable living conditions.

Altruism, bravery, heroism. These themes try to grow in sick soil from the beginning of the book and never come to fruition. They would have bogged this story down with what we hope from the world rather than what truly is. Instead, the question of the effects of daily trauma and violence takes root.

"Dirty streets, rundown subway stops, overflowing trash cans, rats, vacant lots filled with rubble. That was Harlem in the early nineties. The most violent precincts in the city were the 32nd and in West Harlem and the 34th in Washington Heights. That was exactly the area our unit covered and we were proud of this. It meant we were badasses, that we could handle anything. We were always understaffed so we learned how to do everything ourselves. We got out of date equipment that barely functioned, so we got really good at doing physical exams with just our hands, a flashlight, and a stethoscope. Half the time we were in abandoned, boarded-up buildings with no electricity or heat. And, very quickly, without realizing it, my manner changed. I smiled less. I talked louder, in a more authoritative voice. I became accustomed to giving orders to the techs and the firemen and the cops."pg 48

This early naivete and desire to fit in with the older, jaded medics leads the main character Ollie Cross to witness events that call into question his moral fabric, challenge his early idealism and explore the power of stress and violence on the human person and in the human body.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski

This book was given to me as a gift from Sherif Ali and Leslie Franklin
576 pages

This is a story about a dog and her boy, a boy and his dog. Edgar Sawtelle, the little boy, was born mute. Boy is real, flawed and human. Dog is real, flawed and canine. But they are one. Connected since his young uncertain beginning of life. She and he able to connect through a home grown form of sign language, comprehensible only to them.


After suffering loss, then forced apart, we see the pain of separation through Almondine's eyes:


"When she wasn't sleeping already she lay in the shade and waited for sleep to return. In slumber everything was as it had once been, when they were whole and he ran beside her, pink and small-limbed and clumsy. Those were nights when the timbers of the house had breathed for them and no sand had yet worked into her joints. No search for him was necessary. In her dreams, he was there, always, waving bachelor's buttons for her to smell, unearthing oddities she was required to dig from his clenched hands for fear he'd found some dangerous thing. Not so in the waking world which held nothing but an endless search." pg 460


Edgar’s dad and his dad’s dad breed Sawtelle Dogs. Through letters that go back decades, the author explores controversies within dog breeding, canine choice and ultimately what it means to be human in relationship with canine. Is breeding a dog that can make their own choice the ultimate breeding success? Or the trainers worst nightmare? Can we boil it down so simply?


A great, wonderful adventure story. A most amazing look at well trained dogs and wild wolves and humans trying to find their way through this strange life.


**As a relevant aside: Have you heard of the Japanese dog Hachiko? A story worth hearing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

2008 Highlights

I am often asked what were the highlights or favorites for any given year. It is a difficult question because I try to read books I am going to like! I would have an easier time making a list of books I thought were a waste of time. I will share these selections and a little bit about why they were memorable.

Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness - William Styron
This is a stark, small book about a man with depression. He writes about his experience which nearly ended his life. He does not try to put a positive spin on it nor does he project a "poor me" ethos. This is a book I want to read again and again throughout my life and I think is very important for anyone who has friends or family members with depression.

Sleepaway School: Stories from a Boy's Life - Lee Stringer
I like Lee Stringer's writing. This is a story about his life as a young boy growing up with a lot of hard knocks. He tells the story well. He resists revision, reinterpretation and justification. His writing was so compelling I read his other book, which I enjoyed as much, called Grand Central Winter.

On Call in Hell: A Doctors Iraq Story - Richard Jadick
Very interesting non-fiction book about this doctor's experience treating the injured in Iraq. He worked with his senior officers to create a new methodology for where the MASH (they call them something different now) units are located and how they are organized to minimize death to the practitioners but also put them closer to the injured men and women who need their services.

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
I simply cannot ignore the impact of this author on my reading this year. Her series of four books was written for a young adult audience and is about a vampire and human who fall in love (I read the series twice this year but did not count the second read in my final tally). There is nothing I can point to specifically that explains why I enjoyed her books so much. There is something compelling in the way she writes, I mean I literally could not put them down. I would read into the wee hours of the morning with only hours before my ride picked me up for work! I also read her first adult science fiction book, The Host, and loved that as well. Her books make me think about what it means to be human and what love really means between two people.

Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth - John Hubner
This is a book about kids who end up in the criminal justice system and an experimental program in Texas that seems to work. The subject matter is very interesting, but the way the story is told draws you into the social responsibility for these kids. It really challenged me to think about what it means for humans to change and rise above our own upbringing. What is redemption and can a child growing into a person move beyond the horrible things life has handed them? If so, how? What is our responsibility as a society?

Merle's Door: Lessons From a Freethinking Dog - Ted Kerasote
An amazing story of a relationship between a man and his dog and the extraordinary life they live together. The author is an extreme snow sports writer and lives in the middle of the mountains. Daily, they go skiing and hunting together, living more like our forefathers did than most of us city folk are used to. Very fascinating story with a lot of science woven throughout about humans and one of our oldest companions. Excellent, exciting and inspiring read!

Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain - Martha Sherrill
This is simply the true story of a Japanese man who saved the Akita breed from extinction after WWII. After WWII life in Japan was extremely difficult, there was scarcity of every kind. Despite this squalor, a single man and his family took on the challenge of breeding Akita's, a Japanese breed out of favor post-US military influence where the German Shepherd became the dog of choice. A beautiful, inspiring story of how one person with passion, determination and hard work can change the world.

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior - Ori and Rom Brafman
This book is about human behavior written by two brothers - one an economist and the other a psychologist. They look at the reality that we all act irrational, consistently. They name the primary irrational modes and give a host of fascinating examples of these throughout history as well as from each of their respective practices. I was so enthusiastic about this book I wanted to buy you all a copy! If we could master these subtle delusions we all fall into we would be more stable, happy human beings.

Loss aversion: The more meaningful something is (a potential loss) the more loss averse we become. "For no apparent logical reason, we overeact to perceived losses. We experience the pain associated with loss much more vividly than we do the joy of a gain." (pg 18 -19) If you add committment to the equation, heels dig in much deeper. "As difficult as it can be to admit defeat, however, staying the course simply because of a past committment hurts us in the long run." (pg 30)

Value attribution: "Once we attribute a certain value to something, it is very dificult to view it in a different light. The value that we attribut to something fundamentally changes how we perceive it." (pg 56)

Diagnosis bias: "Our propensity to label people, ideas, or things based on our initial opinions of them and our inability to reconsider those judgements once we've made them." (pg 70) "When we brand or label people, they take on the characteristics of the diagnosis." (pg 100)

The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars - Andrew X. Phan
This novel covers three generations of the characters family, taking the reader through the history of the French occupation of Indochina, the Japanese invasion during WWII, and the Vietnam War through the story of this family. Excellent book.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
This is a young adult science fiction book about a society being misdirected toward a single annual event which results in young kids from each district fighting to the death in The Hunger Game. This was a recommended book on Stephanie Meyers website. The book was an excellent read and a unique story. I look forward to reading the sequel's when they come out!

Child of God - Cormac McCarthy
I have been away from fiction for awhile and away from McCarthy for a very long time. This dark, rhythmic, eloquent book burns with stark human conditions told in language that sears. His writing is charged, yet simple, stark and unafraid. I loved this book.

"He moves in the dry chaff among the dust and slats of sunlight with a constrained truculence. Saxon and Celtic bloods. A child of God much like yourself perhaps." (pg 4)

Books Read in 2008

-Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness - William Styron (84)
-My Lobotomy - by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming (270)
-Fugitives - Adam Gwainn (116)
-Roasting in Hell's Kitchen - Gordon Ramsey (278)
-The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales - Oliver Sacks (256)
-What was asked of us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers who Fought it - Trish Wood (296)
-Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (334)
-Songs From the Black Chair: A Memoir of Mental Interiors - Charles Barber (202)
-On Call in Hell: A Doctors Itaq Story - Richard Jadick (275)
-Hogs in the Shadows: Combat Stories from Marine Snipers in Iraq - Milo S Afong
-Sleepaway School: Stories from a Boy's Life - Lee Stringer (225)
(2/24 - 11)
-Ammunition - Ken Bruen (226)
-Last Breath - George SHuman (270)
-Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (307)
-Grand Central WInter - Lee Stringer (247)
-Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (498) (read this one again 7/08 but didn't count it!)
-a long way gone: memoirs of a boy soldier - ishmael beah (239)
(3/10 - 17)
-Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth - John Hubner (257)
-New Moon - Stephanie Meyer (563) (read this one again 10/08 but didn't count it!)
-Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob - Bob Delaney (255)
-Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer (read this one again 11/08 but didn't count it!)
-Rescuing Sprite - Mark Levin
-Nasty Bits - Anthony Berdain (304)
-The Cat Inside - William Burroughs
(5/12 - 24)
-Merle's Door: Lessons From a Freethinking Dog - Ted Kerasote (364)
-The Host - Stephanie Meyer
-The Hatchet - Paulsen (193)
-Third Strike - Philip Craig and William Tapply
-Into the Wild - John Krakaur
-Into Thin Air - John Krakaur
-In My Brother's Shadow: A Life and Death in the SS - Uwe Timme (150)
-Dog Man: AN Uncommon LIfe on a Farawy Mountain - Martha SHerrill (234)
-A Mighty Heart: THe Brave LIfe and Death of my Husband Danny Pearl (266)
-From Baghdad to America: Lime Lessons from a Dog Named Lava - Jay Kopelman
-Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the US Army - Kayla Williams
-Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer (read this one again 12/08 but didn't count it!)
-Animals in Spirit:our Faithful Companions Transition to the Afterlife - Penelope Smith (179)
-Willie Nelson: An Epic Life - Joe Patoski (494)
-Sway: The irresistible pull of irrational behavior - ori and Rom Brafman (181)
-The Pirrnce of Frogtown - Rick Bragg (250)
(8/17 - 40)
-Hospital - Julie Salamon (342)
-The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars - Andrew X. Phan
-City of THieves - David Benioff (257)
-The Little Prisoner: How a Childhood was Stolen and a Trust Betrayed (247)
-Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent - Fred Burton (265)
-Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
-The Teahouse Fire - Ellis Avery (391)
-Epilogue: A Memoir - Anne Roiphe (214)
-The Forger: An Extraordinary Story of Survival in Wartime Berlin - Cioma Schonhaus (212)
-Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss - Philip Carlo (342)
-Hubert's Freaks: The rare-book dealer, the times square talker and the lost photos of Diane Arbus - Gregory Gibson (263)
-Outlaw Journalist: The LIfe and Times of Hunter S. Thompson - McGee
(52 - 10/5/08)
-Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe (323) - Bob Spitz
-War: A Novel - Todd Komarnicki (231)
-The Diving Pool - Yoko Ogawa
-Wake up & Smell the Beer - Jon Longhi
-The Gourmet Club - Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
-The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami
-The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
-Eyeing the Flash: Education of a Carnival Con Artist - Peter Fenton
-Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
-Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
-I am A Cat - Soseki Natsume (658)
-Stark - Edward Bunker (220)
-How the Dead Live - Derek Raymond (British Ellroy - existential) (213)
-Still Waters - Nigel McCrery
-When You are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
-What Would Kinky Do? - Kinky Friedman
-Hurry Down Sunshine - Michael Greenberg
-Lost Girls (Sherry Moore Novel) - George D. Shuman
-The ROad of Lost Innocence: The True SStory of a Cambodian Heroine - Somaly Mam
-Child of God - Cormac McCarthy ("He moves in the dry chaff among the dust and slats of sunlight with a constrained truculence. Saxon and Celtic bloods. A child of God much like yourself perhaps." pg 4)
(72)

Books Read in 2007

-Bury us upside down : the Misty pilots and the secret battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Rick Newman
-Torture Taxi: On the Trail of the CIA's Rendition Flights - Trevor Paglen and AC Thompson
-Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America - William H. Colby
-Inside: Life Behind Bars in America - Michael G. Santos
-This Way to the Gas Chamber, Ladies and Gentleman! - Tadeusz Borowski
-Medic!: How I Fought World War II with Morphine, Sulfa, and Iodine Swabs - Robert J. Franklin
-Man Is Wolf to Man: Surviving the Gulag - Janusz Bardach and Kathleen Gleeson
-Faith of My Fathers - John McCain
-The Twins Platoon: An Epic Story of Young Marines at War in Vietnam - Christy Sauro
-Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming - Jonathan Shay
-The Soul of a Doctor: Harvard Medical Students Face Life and Death - Susan Pories
-Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate - Angus Konstam
-The Family That Could Not Sleep - DT Max (prions) -3/1/07
-Iraq Study Group Report
-The First Men In: US Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day by Ed Ruggero
-What Did I Do Last Night?: A Drunkard's Tale - Tom Sykes
-Variatites of Scientific Experience - Caral Sagan
-Flyboys - James Bradley 5/1/07
-Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky
-Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
-Animals in Translation - Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
-Mississippi Sissy - Kevin Sessums
-This Band Could Be Your LIfe: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981 - 1991 - Michael Azerrad
-Leaving New Jersey: A Crystal Meth Memoir - James Salant 6/25/07
-Song of the Silent Snow - Hubert Selby
-A short Dance in the Sun - George Benet
-this has happened: An Italian Family in Auschwitz - Piera Sonnino
-Confessions of a Yakuza - Junichi Saga
-Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy - Albert Ellis
-So Sad to Fall in Battle:Based on General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's Letters from Iwo Jima
-Requiem to a Dream - Selby Jr.
-Blood Stripes: The Grunt's View of the War in Iraq-David Danelo
-Gates of Fire - Stephen Pressfield
-Jubilee City: A Memoir at Full Speed -Joe Andoe
-Deadwood - Pete Dexter
-I'll Do My Own Damn Killin': Banny Binion, Herbert Noble, and the Texas Gambling War - Gary W. Sleeper
-The Horse Whisperer - Nichols Evans
-Mind of Clear LIght: Advice on Living Well and Dying Consciously - Dalai Lama
-Chasing Justice - Kerry Max Cook (good couple to Tulia)
-Spymistress: The Life of Vera Atkins, the Greatest Female Secret Agent of World War II - William Stephenson
-You Can Run But You Can't Hide - Duane Chapman ("The Dog")
-After Henry - Joan Didion
-HEAT - Bill Buford
-Hard Corps - Marco Martinez
-The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City's Cold Case Squad - Stacy Horn
-Heroin Diaries - Nikki Sixx
-The Innocent Man - John Grisham
-The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby
-Gone to the crazies : a memoir / Alison Weaver
-Cat Confidential: The Book Your Cat Would Want You to Read - Vicky Halls
-That Mean Old Yesterday - Stacy Patton
-Angels of Hell
52

Quotes I Want to Remember
this has happened
-"We could not imagine our father and mother victims of violence. Even today, if I try to re-create within myself the reality in which they perished, I feel my mind waver as if streams of black liquid had invaded it."
p 107

-Her sister could not get up to go work and she has to go work so the whole day she is beside herself with her sisters health and fate.
"The day was agonizingly long. It's difficult to find words to describe how the measure of time is simply a convention, how there exists within us a time that can contract and expand infinitely, escaping any calculation. When evening came I was more exhasted by the waiting than by the work."p 133

-Just before this her sister has died in Auschwitz and her body is thrown beside a shed which she has to walk past every day. She sees her sisters face slowly get covered deeper and deeper in snow over the course of four days.
"And from that moment my memoires became confused, detached, impersonal. My subconscious holds them like an evil nesting inside me. I know that I should free myself of them but I cannot. I am not capable of bringing them to the surface of consciousness." p 139

From HEAT
-"History always teaches us we can't turn back the clock but I seemed to have been surrounded by people who kept trying."

HG Books Read prior to 2007 that I want to Remember
-My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage with Gypsy Rose Lee by Erik Preminger
-Woody, Cisco, & Me: Seamen Three In The Merchant Marine by Jim Longhi
-Flags of our fathers - James Bradley
-Tin Can Solidiers - James D. Hornfischer
-Rumors of War - Philip Caputo
-In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
-Education of a Felon - Ed Bunker
-Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur
-In Our Hearts We Were Giants (dwarfs in aushwitz)
-Panzram A Journal of Murder by Thomas E. Gaddis, James O. Long, and Harold Schechter
-Million Little Pieces - Frey
-A Strange Piece of Paradise (Cline Falls hatchet man)
-A Question of Torture - Alfred McCoy
-Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss
-Stuart: A Life Backwards - Alexander Masters
-The End of Faith - Sam Harris
-the tender bar-J.R. Moehringer
-The God Delusion - Dawkins
-Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town - Nate Blakeslee

Read-Only Mode


I love to read. My sister tells her friends I am a reading enthusiast. When they look a bit puzzled she says, "She reads at least 52 books a year!" I read because I search to see humanity from all different angles, myself and those I love included. I am constantly interested in what it means to be human, all the broad spectrum of good across the landscape to the horrific depths of human suffering. I can't seem to shake from myself this fascination with all the earth encompasses simultaneously: Miss America pageants and little girls in sexual slavery, Bob Dylan and Pol Pot, George Bush’s torture taxi’s and having a good meal with good friends. Maybe those are obvious or extreme examples, but I find even myself sitting in my reading chair part of the equation. With all these variety of human emotions, experiences, horrors coursing through me, by choice, through the wonder of books.


What does it all mean? Why are we here? What does it mean to be human? What does it mean for me to be human? How different are we really from one another? And yet, how amazing is it that we can accomplish anything with the diversity of human experience on this planet!

The last two years I have had a goal to read 52 books. The first year, 2007, I hit my mark exactly reading 52 books in 1 year. This past year, 2008, I am almost embarrassed to report that I read 72 books. One major difference between the two years was that I did start reading fiction again in 2008, prior to that I went through about three years of non-fiction only.

I keep a log of the books for tracking my goal. At the end of each year, I enjoyed sharing the books I have read with my friends and family. I think they find it interesting. Usually a few people ask me each year what the highlights were. I cater my answer to what I know they like - if its my Dad I will pick a few good history books I read if it is my Uncle Bill I will choose some great book about life on the outer edges - musicians, circus performers, and other freaks. And if its Jimmy, forget it! I will keep my mouth shut because he will never read a book that I have already read.

This blog was Jimmy's idea and inspired by him. He named it based on a technical phrase that means you have access to a document you can read but not alter. His thought was since I am writing them down anyway, I may as well say something about the book and what I thought of it. At least for my own record, to remember specifics about the books I read instead of just a list. I think it will also help others pick and choose what, if anything, I read they may enjoy.

If I am given a book or if the book was recommended by someone I will put that information for my own reference.

Finally, I have one personal note. My grandfather Carlsen, was a big reader. My memories of him were him sitting quietly in his big black chair reading. He gave people books as gifts and often talked about books he was reading. My father is a big reader. He would probably exceed my 52 books a year if he had the time and if his reading wasn't sometimes interpreted as an escape. I grew up with him reading books out loud to us as young kids. When I got older and read on my own he and I would always discuss what we were reading - what we thought about it, how it challenged us. He has an amazing capacity to remember books, even ones he read years and years ago. I do not have that gift. I have many memories of our family on vacation and after everyone else went to bed he and I crammed in a hotel bathroom reading into the wee hours of the night. My whole family has always read together, Lara being the biggest exception. When she was younger it didn't hold the same interest as it did everyone else although I know she reads plenty now. She is the only one in the family, that I know of, is in a book club!