2012 Wrap up: Book of the Year

2012 Books
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Luka and the Fire of Life: A Novel , by Salman Rushdie
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
To the end of the land, by David Grossman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov


We didn't read as many books in 2012 as in previous years, but the year end discussion was as lively as ever.

In the end The Round House earned the most votes (through a process of elimination votes) to beat out The Master and Margarita for book of the year.  The Night Circus and To the End of the Land had very strong support.

Our least favorite book was Luka and the Fire of Life.  Sorry Mr. Rushdie.

We think we'll try doing a secret ballot next year.  Our plan is to set those votes aside, do a discussion, then a live vote and see where the differences are.  However, we believe the live voting will be the deciding vote.  All this will be worked out before we discuss.

Dead Souls, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

Ah...Russian literature.

The inside cover of this book touts:  Since its publication in 1842, Dead Souls has been celebrated as a supremely realistic portrait of provincial Russian life and as a splendidly exaggerated tale; as a paean to the Russian spirit and as a remorseless satire of imperial Russian venality, vulgarity, and pomp. As Gogol's wily antihero, Chichikov, combs the back country wheeling and dealing for "dead souls"--deceased serfs who still represent money to anyone sharp enough to trade in them--we are introduced to a Dickensian cast of peasants, landowners, and conniving petty officials, few of whom can resist the seductive illogic of Chichikov's proposition. This lively, idiomatic English version by the award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky makes accessible the full extent of the novel's lyricism, sulphurous humor, and delight in human oddity and error.

Doesn't that make you want to curl up with a hot cup of tea and get reading?  I mean, who can resist sulphurous humor?  Heck, my spell check doesn't even like it.

So, as with our other tromps into the land of Russian lit, I can say that I've read Tolstoy, Chekov and now Gogol.  I can't say that I've finished many (any) of their greatest works, but I've lived for a moment in their worlds.

There are far better summaries of historical literature than I could ever muster, but the gist of the story is that the hero Chichikov (Chick) has a scheme to make money by purchasing the ownership rights to the slaves of land owners.  However, he only wants the ones that have died.  It's a strange, complicated plan where he saves the landowners from paying taxes on dead people and he ends up looking like a very wealthy man because he owns all these people, that he can mortgage to buy an estate.  Sounds like it should work - not quite.

In making all the transactions we get a commentary on all the different types of people in Russia.  We meet the trusting people, the suspicious people, the vain, stupid people, the drunk nationalists and on an on and on.

We found it entertaining and challenging and even a little repetitive at times.  The book is unfinished and ends mid-sentence.  That can be really frustrating for a reader who needs

The Night Circus

Oh what a fun book to read.  It was genuinely enjoyed by all members of our group.  Opening comments that were captured were:

I unabashedly liked it.
It was fluffy and not deep, but took intelligence to follow. 
Incredibly imaginative & vivid.
It's like what a smart goth girl would write when she was all grown up.

Insert picture of author here:




We noted that the time shifting between chapters took a while to catch onto.
We liked the Yin & Yang relationship with the various characters, that there were pairs but not couples.

As for the characters, aside from the primary couple, whose love story seemed a little weak and obvious we loved the clockmaker, who was exceptionally well developed and the modern day Bailey.  He seemed like a real person with real world motivations in a fantastical world.

We understand that a movie is already in the works and we discussed if it should bend more towards a Harry Potter feel or Tim Burton.  Either way, we hope Helena Bonham Carter is not cast as the main character.

On the personal side of the discussion we decided that we like short chapters because we can knock them out and it keeps things moving.  Also, I head this quote "I love how our conversations about books mostly evolve to just about us."   True... so true.

The bad post-master

Aggghhhh...

I am so behind in updating the blog.  I know that it's not life or death, but how sad to have missed a few titles.

These are the 2012 titles that I have in my notes:

• The Round House by Louise Erdrich
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
• Luka and the Fire of Life: A Novel , by Salman Rushdie
• To The End of the Land by David Grossman
• The Master and Margarita By Mikhail Bulgakov, et al

The Round House is being read right now and cannot be commented on.  I owe you a write up of the Night Circus and will have to defer to another member for the Luka book - I tried to read it and walked away.  

Whidbey

Most of us

 Ah, the annual weekend getaway.  This year, to reduce the chances of scheduling conflicts we picked our weekend early in the year.  Sadly, one of our members had the crud and didn't join us, but the trick of picking a late summer/fall weekend in January paid off as we were all free.

Unfortunately, our selected location spot was virtually uninhabitable due to the smoke from the Eastern Washington fires, so we (Melinda) scrambled to locate an alternate spot.  She worked her connections and came up with a cabin on the water on Orcas Island.  Sounds awesome right?  Drive up to Anacortes and take the ferry to beautiful, isolated Orcas Island.  We were happy until someone figured out that not only are there only 3 boats a day to Orcas, but that there was a girl scout event taking place and 500 dads and kids were going to be jockeying for the same boats.

Scramble again, and we (again, Melinda) used out (her) super powers and found a THIRD, vacant cabin for the weekend.  This gem was on Whidbey Island, not as isolated, but boats every 30 minutes.   Yeah!

This place was cute as a button. We were warned that it had a "camp kitchen" but other than the tight space and the shorty refrigerator it was perfect.  We whipped up  a couple great dinners, and two marvelous breakfasts.  

Saturday night we sat down to discuss our book club selection. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.

I don't think I was the only one who was surprised to learn that this story about families living in the slums of Mumbai was not fiction.  The tales of what was happening to them seemed so far fetched that it had to be a conglomeration of events that were molded into an interesting tale.  Nope - all true.  

Let me just say this, the US legal system may be difficult to navigate and skewed to a point where the wealthy have an advantage, but you do not want to be dealing with the legal system in Mumbai.  Everyone you come across has their hand out and are working you for a payment to make your case go away.  Not all of these folks have the authority or ability to do what they say, but they will gladly wipe you out to do it.  

The discussion about the book was good, but there was little controversy and we all seemed to like it equally.   That makes for a quick talk and little fireworks.  Note to authors everywhere:  our write ups will be far more interesting if you can irritate all or parts of us.  This business of writing an engaging, good book is boring.

Other topics discussed over the weekend was our health.  Mostly everyone is fine, but have typical aches and pains associated with not being 22 anymore.  

A discussion arose about affirmations and how women don't typically get all the affirmations they need from their husbands but get (and give) lots of affirmations to friends and colleagues.  Men typically get all the affirmations from their wives and get little if none from their friends and colleagues.  We commented that our one member who has a female partner must get really tired of  must get so tired of validating each other all day long.  She said it was terrible; they can never get up from the dinner table

H: That was a great dinner
G: Thank you for saying that, you’re so nice.
H: It’s so kind of you to notice, you’re very observant.
G: That’s sweet.  I love that about you.
H: Thanks! I noticed that you moved those dirty socks, you’re so tidy.
G: I get it from you, you’re very easy to live with
H: thank you
G: no, thank you

H: No!  Thank you 

During the day Saturday there was a bike ride into Langley while a couple of us took the less active route and stopped by a farmers market.  We met for lunch and enjoyed the Djangofest festivities.  For the uneducated (or regular) people, Djangofest celebrates the gypsy jazz style of Django Reinhardt, who was a Belgian jazz guitarist and composer.  As we dined Al fresco at the Useless Bay Cafe a gaggle of guitarists were jamming on the lawn.  It was very pleasant.

We didn't have time for a fire or a trip to the hot tub, but it was a relaxing get away none the less.

Our borrowed cabin

try doing this at night...

In the Garden of Beasts

There comes a time in every readers life when they ask "How many Holocaust books can I stand to read?"  This particular non-fiction book delves into the events during Adolf Hitler's rise to power as witnessed by the American Ambassador William E. Dodd, who arrived in Berlin in 1933 with his family.  If you're only going to read one book in your lifetime about this dark, but significant historical period, In the Garden of Beasts is not the book to read.   The author, Larson, makes the assumption that the reader knows what happened once the war started and how events unfolded.  There are references to the camps, but since the book is about Dodd and his experiences those horrific details aren't delved into.

This focus on the experiences of Dodd and his colorful family (mostly his daughter Martha) is an interesting view.  Larson doesn't take a stand as to weather or not Dodd is a hero or a bumbling fool who could have been more adamant about what he was seeing in Berlin.  It is clear that it was a complicated world and that the messages from the Hitler camp was that they wanted peace.  Sure, there was the slight Jewish Problem but mostly that issue was handled away from the everyday life of "regular" people.   The slow and steady crimp of the freedoms and liberty were so (forgive the phrase) well done that no one felt the need (or ability) to protest.  Those that did, as we know, were promptly dealt with.

As a group, we felt it was an accessible book but hard to read at times.  Hard, not because of the subject matter but because the events were happening and it is so obvious to us with the luxury of knowledge that something needed to be done.  Dodd was in the position to influence the American participation but his focus on diplomacy was maddening.

Larson suggests that Dodd was sent to keep relations with the Germans in good standing because they owed the US money and if the relationship broke down then the likelihood of being repaid dwindled.  It all comes down to money.

Dodd and his adult daughter Martha are the most well drawn characters in this book.  His wife and son are present, but as they didn't keep their own diaries their perspective and participation seem to be to the side.  Martha was busy while in Germany.  She "dated" a number of men, had affairs and was excited to dine with Hitler.   After the truth about what was happening and about to happen in Germany came out I doubt Martha was so thrilled with her encounter.

Perhaps it is because Erik Larson is a local author, but most of us encountered strangers who felt the need to comment on this book when we were seen reading it.  It was good, but not the end all be all WWII political account.

To the end of the land

To over simplify, this book is about mourning someone who is not yet dead, or whose death may be immanent.  In the prologue we meet two young people in an Israeli hospital who have essentially been left on their own due to a conflict raging outside.  Ora and her young friend Avram connect, share secrets and as their time together wears on he brings his silent, and also very ill roommate Ilan into their circle.

Turn the page and it is more than 25 years later.  Ora is devastated to learn that her son has voluntarily reenlisted in order to serve at the West Bank.  Ora's husband, Ilan (what!?) and their son Adam are on a holiday, and rather than stay home and wait for the inevitable knock on the door informing her of her son Ofer's death she drops everything, sort of kidnaps Avram and goes for a walk throughout Galilee.

As the walk, she heals a broken Avram by telling him every detail of Ofers life, his birth, his growth, his stubbornness, and his compassion. As Avram learns more and more about the son he fathered, but never parented (I'm not ruining it, it is not a secret) he is able to shed the pain of his own horrific army experience.

They walk and talk and avoid all news and modern communication in order to delay the inevitable for Ora.

Our readers mostly finished this book (three read to completion, two to almost the end, and one read to a certain point then skipped ahead to the last two chapters) we had one hold out who didn't become engaged.  (There is no judgement from me on that front, sometimes a book doesn't grab you and it is ok to move on!)

My notes from the meeting are as follows:

The narrative was repetitive, with Ora unable to move past her belief that her son was dead but very important details of the characters and their story unfolded when you were not expecting it.

The consensus was that Ora's plight was raw, honest and amazing, but that it was hard to read.

There were several stories that gave insight into what life must be like for people living in this perpetual land of upheaval.   Ora rides the public buses to markets that have been attacked by suicide bombers.  She seems to enjoy stepping on a new bus and having the regular riders assess if she herself is a potential threat, and then as they get to know her she assesses strangers who get on the bus.  Is she facing her fear, or testing fate in order to feel closer to the reality of the conflict?

These episodes point out the fragility of life.  We, in the US for the most part have the luxury of believing we will live into our old age, but the Israeli's don't have that safety.  They are aware that going to the market for milk is a dangerous activity and they have a different relationship with death.  We agreed that a mother would mourn her child to the same level regardless of geopolitical circumstance, but we couldn't decide which would be worse, a constant nagging "it could happen today" feeling or the utter shock of an unexpected death.

So much of this book is centered on Ora and her storytelling, but it is also a lovely tale about fatherhood.