Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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

Thursday, August 20, 2009

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

Monday, August 17, 2009

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

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

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