Moranthology by Caitlin Moran

Moranthology by Caitlin Moran
Published November 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for this review

Publisher's Summary:
Possibly the only drawback to the bestselling How to Be a Woman was that its author, Caitlin Moran, was limited to pretty much one subject: being a woman. Moranthology is proof that Caitlin can actually be "quite chatty" about many other things, including cultural, social, and political issues that are usually the province of learned professors or hot-shot wonks—and not of a woman who once, as an experiment, put a wasp in a jar and got it stoned. Caitlin ruminates on—and sometimes interviews—subjects as varied as caffeine, Keith Richards, Ghostbusters, Twitter, transsexuals, the welfare state, the royal wedding, Lady Gaga, and her own mortality, to name just a few.

My Thoughts:
Caitlin Moran is a very funny lady. My family probably wishes she were not so funny - they got a bit tired of me reading funny bits to them (if you've ever tried to do this, you'll know that the funny bits are much funnier if you're reading them in full context). She is also self-effacing and completely open, willing to share even her least than stellar moments.

"From the very start, I was a terrible stoner. Not in any sense of being hardcore, and wild, like some crazy-eyed loner on a voyage to Valhalla. I mean literally terrible. Every time I smoked I passed out. I once got so stoned interviewing Radiohead that I had to be put to bed in the bass player's spare bedroom."

I sometimes wondered how Moran kept her job!  Moran shares stories of her hippy upbringing, her married life, her failures (a less than perfect ending to her interview with Paul McCartney, for example) and her successes (she and Gaga are now great buds). Having had a son who was, literally, addicted to the online game "World of Warcraft," I read Moran's piece on it with interest and amusement and being a fan of both BBC's "Sherlock" and "Downton Abbey," I loved getting Moran's impressions.

Moran's writing is not limited to humor. Moranthology includes her articles on libraries and the need for public assistance which make great cases for both, bringing a face to the case for funding for both.

"Everything I am is based on this ugly building [the library she spent time in as a child] on it's lonely lawn - lit up during winter darkness; open in the slashing rain - which allowed a girl so poor she didn't even own a purse to come in twice a day and experience actual magic; traveling through time, making contact with the dead - Dorothy Parker, Stella Gibbons, Charlotte Bronte, Spike Milligan.

A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination."

Isn't that just fantastic? If I were a politician looking to make budget cuts reading this, there is no way I could put the library system on the block.

Reader be warned: Moran has very definite opinions about feminism, politics, abortion and she is unapologetic. I found it refreshing and rarely had an argument with her points. I'm sure there are others who will.

Perhaps the best thing about this book for me is that as I was reading it, I kept thinking it was something that Miss H would enjoy. Miss H, my reluctant reader who on her goals for this year actually including reading. I must find books to put in her hands that will encourage her to find a love of books. Moranthology will, I think, help me in this. I can't wait for us to be able to compare our thoughts on some of the columns.

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
Published January 2009 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: I bought both the paperback and the audiobook

Publisher's Summary:
As Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she may be forgiven for feeling happy. Today she will throw a party for her son and daughter. In the garden of the house she has built, her roses are blooming; her children are almost grown up; and beyond their doorstep, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air. But none of the guests at Rehana's party can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family's life is about to change for ever.

My Thoughts:
I first heard of this book years ago on NPR and bought it before I started blogging. Then, like so many books, it never seemed to make it off the bookshelf and into my hands. Recently I was browsing the audiobooks at the library sale and found it on audio; even though I already owned the book, for $2 I picked it up, knowing I would finally be able to find the chance to "read" this one.

What a wonderful decision - Madhur Jaffrey's narration is marvelous, her voice capturing the beauty of the prose perfectly. I was captured by this novel from the first sentence:

"Dear Husband,
I lost our children today."

When Rehana's husband, Iqbal, died, leaving her with limited means, she was powerless to prevent her powerful, childless brother-in-law and his wife from winning custody of them in court. Without money, there is little hope she will ever be able to win them back. Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh civil war to earn independence from Pakistan, A Golden Age is, at it's core, the story of a mother's love and the length's a mother will go to for her children. It is Rehana's story, a story of sadness, hope, courage, love and sacrifice.

Anam has crafted a story the blends the reality of everyday life with the terror of war (although on an intimate scale; it lacks the grittiness of a true war story) in a way that focuses primarily on the relationships between the characters. The writing made the time, the place, and the characters come alive for me.

"The city slowly adjusted to occupied life. I t adjusted to the stiff-backed soldiers who manned the streets, their uniforms starched, their pale faces grimacing. It adjusted to the tanks sitting fatly in the middle of roads, and to checkpoints where soldier leaned into car windows and barked orders at drivers who held up their hands and shook their heads, protesting their innocence. And it adjusted to the silence, because there were no more speeches, or marches, or processions, just an eerie, still quietness, interrupted twice a day by the wail of the curfew siren; but otherwise all was ghostly, only the rustle of trees and the sizzle of the April sun to draw the line between day and night."

Here's what I knew about Bangladesh going into this book: it is a small country by India. And, when I was very young, my favorite Beatle George Harrison put together a concert for Bangladesh. I was too young to understand why then; by the time I was old enough to understand, Bangladesh was off my radar. A Golden Age gave me a jumping off place to learn more about what drove Harrison to pull together some of the biggest names in music for two Madison Square Garden concerts in 1971. Anam's book is a peek into the war; the reality was, as you would expect, much more horrific. Eight to ten million people fled then East Pakistan into India as the West Pakistani troops escalated the war. Figures for the number of dead vary between 300,000 to three million. All of this followed on the heels of a massive cyclone, torrential rains and floods in 1970 that killed up to a half million people. It's easy to see why Bengali native Ravi Shankar turned to his friend Harrison to help his people. The concerts themselves raised nearly $250,000; sales of the album of the concert raised millions more.

George Harrison performing at The Concert For Bang

Sunday Salon - January 13

Boy am I ready for this week - it means that last week is over! The Big Guy's mother has been in the hospital since last Monday and Mini-me moved this weekend. I'm not sure what this week will bring but at least it's a fresh start. Hope you've all had a good week!

Here's What I'm:

Listening To: I've been releasing my inner rock chick this week, partly because of more car time with Miss H, partly just to relieve stress. Sick Puppies, We Came As Romans, The Used and even some Limp Bizkit on my way home from work the other day. I refuse to worry about what the people in the cars next to me thought about that one!

Watching: A "Live From Daryl's House" marathon on Palladia on Friday. Found some interesting artists that were new to us.



Reading: Persuasion by Jane Austen for a readalong, Jennie Nash's latest Perfect Red, and I might just start Les Miserable this week and try to play catch up on another readalong.

Making: Breakfast for supper. Mini-me moved yesterday and I fed the moving crew pancakes and eggs. I know, I know, it's not the usual moving day meal but I had to. The first time Mini-me's old roommate ever ate dinner with us we had pancakes and for some reason it turned into a big joke between us.

Planning: Stripping down the Christmas decorations and the first of the year always inspire me to do some rearranging and reorganizing and this year is no exception. Some of what I want to do is going to require The Big Guy to move some wiring - that's going to take some major sweet talking!

Grateful for: The support of family and friends this week.

Loving: Special K Cracker Chips. Miss H and I are working on eating better and you get to eat a lot of these little babies for only 110 calories. Plus they taste good, always a key to helping convince me to pay that extra money that diet foods cost.

Looking forward to: Book club this week. I hope that some of the ladies took the time this month to read the book, Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. So much to discuss and I purposely picked something that was quick and not too long.

What are you looking forward to this week? 

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

The Hundred Secret Sense by Amy Tan
Published December 2010 by Penguin Group
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for this review

Publisher's Summary:

Set in San Francisco and in a remote village of Southwestern China, Amy Tan's The Hundred Secret Senses is a tale of American assumptions shaken by Chinese ghosts and broadened with hope. In 1962, five-year-old Olivia meets the half-sister she never knew existed, eighteen-year-old Kwan from China, who sees ghosts with her "yin eyes." Decades later, Olivia describes her complicated relationship with her sister and her failing marriage, as Kwan reveals her story, sweeping the reader into the splendor and violence of mid-nineteenth century China. With her characteristic wisdom, grace, and humor, Tan conjures up a story of the inheritance of love, its secrets and senses, its illusions and truths.

My Thoughts:
Years ago, after seeing the movie adaptation, I read Tan's The Joy Luck Club and enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way Tan blended her own American upbringing with her Chinese heritage but for some reason I never picked up another one of her books.  When I was approached about reviewing The Hundred Secret Senses I didn't hesitate to say "yes." And then it sat on my shelf ... for months.

It was a slow start for me but Tan soon wrapped me up in the story largely because of the relationship between Olivia (or as Kwan called her "Libby-ah). Olivia has grown up her whole life embarrassed and irritated by Kwan but Kwan never seems to notice, her love never seems to flag. Kwan's stories about past lives eventually reveal the reason for this but are they just stories or do Olivia and Kwan have ties from the past that can't be broken? Like Olivia, I'm willing to go along for the ride because it's such an interesting ride, particularly once the sisters travel to China. 

Sunday Salon - January 6

Good morning, all, from sunny and warmer than average Omaha. While 32 degrees might sound cold to many of you, here we are delighted that it is warm enough to melt snow and allow us to go without hats, scarves and gloves for at least a part of everyday. This is life in the midwest in January.

Here's What I'm:

Listening To: Anita Diamont's The Last Days of Dogtown in my vehicle. Two discs in and the jury's still out on this one. On Pandora, it's all Broadway musicals all of the time, prompted by seeing "Les Miserables" on New Year's Eve. Oh lordy, I do love me a play where people burst into song.

Watching: People, we are a mere month away from the end of the football season (and only a few days away from the end of the college football season). I'm watching as many games as I can to build up my football happiness before we head into the long dark months. Yes, I know I have a problem.

Reading: Persuasion for a readalong with Wallace of The Unputdownables. Week one under our belts and can I just say that it's a little startling to be rereading a book and three pages in find yourself utterly confused? For some strange reason, as I started reading, I had in my head the plot of Mansfield Park. Duh. I'm also reading Caitlin Moran's Moranthology. This is one funny lady - I'm quite sure my family's happy this is a relatively short book; I've been reading quite a lot of it to them.

Making: Very little - I've been something of a vegetable since the holidays. Work's been ridiculously busy and when I come home I make the easiest meals I can get away with and do nothing creative whatsoever.

Planning: On getting back into a routine this week. Back to regular work weeks, back to a Christmas decoration-free home, back to regular eating habits (although, hopefully, more healthy habits). I'm actually ready for it.

Grateful for: Sunshine. We've had a lot of gray, cloudy days recently, very unNebraska-like. I need the sun; I'm a happier, more productive person when the sun is shining.

Loving: Clearance sales. I'm stocking up on peppermint mocha creamer, picking up some new things for next Christmas, and finding some great deals on winter clothes just as winter finally hits its stride.

Looking forward to: A delivery from Barnes & Noble this week. I preordered Cathy Marie Buchanan's The Painted Girls (which the Omaha Bookworms are reading in February). To save $3.99 on shipping, I only had a spend another $8.75 (see, Trish, I do it, too!) so I also ordered Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. I'm hoping to get caught up quickly once it arrives to join in a readalong. Yeah, I really am going to try to balance more than one readalong at a time. Notes will  definitely need to be taken!

What are you looking forward to this week?

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon
Published January 2013 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours in exchange for this review

Publisher's Summary:
The summer of 1985 changes Reggie’s life. An awkward thirteen-year-old, she finds herself mixed up with the school outcasts. That same summer, a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother, Vera, the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears. Now, twenty-five years later, Reggie is a successful architect who has left her hometown and the horrific memories of that summer behind. But when she gets a call revealing that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

My Thoughts:
After having read and enjoyed by Promise Not To Tell and Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon previously, I was happy to have the opportunity to read and review The One I Left Behind. McMahon's previous books kept me engaged throughout and she included twists I never saw coming. The One I Left Behind is no exception.

The books is as much a book about relationships as it is a murder mystery (the relationship between friends, the relationship between family members) as well as a coming-of-age story. McMahon moves the story back and forth in time, from 1985 to 2010, from teenaged Reggie to nearly 40 Reggie who is still struggling to overcome the sorrows and things she's missed in her life. McMahon keeps things taut, moving along and never staying in one place long enough for the reader to forget where they were previously. There are is a lot of foreshadowing that keeps the reader interested and enough red herrings to keep you guessing.

My one quibble with the book is that every character is so flawed. This may be my Pollyanna upbringing coming into play; I always have a hard time believing that every person surrounding a lead character can be so flawed so I try to not let this distract me from stories.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour! For other opinions on this book, see list of the full tour.  I don't know about the others on the tour, but I know I'll definitely be reading more of McMahon's writings. They never fail to entertain me - and give me the creepies.

To learn more about Jennifer McMahon, check out  her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Reading In 2013

I'm not much one for New Year's resolutions; they never seem to work for me and then, failing them, I feel both guilty and disappointed. That's no kind of way to start the year! I prefer to think in terms of goals - an end point I'm shooting for. While I may not reach the goal and still be a bit disappointed, goals still allow me to look back and see how far along I got striving to reach the goal.

I like to do the same thing with  my reading. Some of my reading goals for 2013 are carry overs from previous years, things I would like to continue trying to improve on or maintain; others will be new for 2013.

1. Read More Non-Fiction: I did a great job with non-fiction in 2011 but kind of lost speed in 2012. In the coming year I'll be trying to read at least one non-fiction book a month.

2. Read Books Set In Other Countries or Translations: I do a pretty good job of reading books from around the world (my love of books set in the Middle East helps) but I'd like to expand my reading to new countries and to read more translations.

3. Join In More Readalongs: It's always fun to be able to discuss a book you're reading with other people and readalongs nudge me to read books I may have been putting off.

4. Listen To More Audio Books: I'm still working on getting audio downloaded to my iPod which will allow me to listen to books while I'm doing other things. Having discovered that my library sale has audio books, I'll continue to listen to books on CD in my car. Speaking of which, do any of you have experience with "Playaway?" I was surprised to open the audio I bought of John Green's Paper Towns and find that it was a self-contained player and not CDs as I had anticipated.

5. Complete My Challenges: I've signed up for a number of challenges but really tried to pick challenges that fit in with my other goals and my reading patterns. I've also signed up for the lowest level of most of the challenges. I suppose this means I haven't really challenged myself by signing up for these challenges but given  my inability to complete all of the challenges I sign up for each year, I still think I'll be racing at the end for 2013 to finish up.

6. Read More Classics: I joined the Classics Club in 2012, essentially committing myself to reading a classic a month. I promptly fell ten books behind. What? I always read a lot of classics. How could that even happen? So, to get myself back on track, I really need to shoot for 22 classics in 2013.

7. Have Fun: Reading was much more relaxed in the fall after I quit accepting so many review books and started reading for me. My number one goal for the coming year is to continue to read what I want, when I want and to enjoy my reading!

How about you? Do you make plans for your reading?