What I've been reading

By Joel Mathis

Monday, December 3, 2007

Finished two books over the weekend:

"Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space" by Chris Jones: This book expands Jones' award-winning Esquire article about the three men who were stranded on the International Space Station when Columbia wrecked in 2003. There's a lot of good reporting and lovely writing here, but it never seems to get around to being about what it's supposedly about; every time you think Jones is about to take you somewhere with that story, you end up on some tangent about the history of the Soviet space program. The book is strongest at the end, when it's a straightforward narrative about the station crew's hair-raising return to Earth aboard a Soyuz capsule. Other than that, it seems Jones would have served the material better by leaving it alone as a magazine piece.

"Hey Nostradamus!" by Douglas Coupland: This is the story of a Columbine-like school shooting and how the tragedy ripples through lives decades later, told through the eyes of four people: A shooting victim, her husband Jason, his years-later girlfriend and his religiously uptight father. I've not read Coupland before, but my impression of him here is that he's a slightly less shallow version of Nick Hornby — another fine writer who seems to tackle deep topics, but whose work frequently makes me feel like there's less there than meets the eye. In this case, Coupland handles "The Lovely Bones" aspects of the story well enough to avoid the cheese factor of that novel, but then throws the reader for a loop when telling the story of how Jason's nephews were conceived ... a twist that took me out of the story with a "What the f--- just happened?" scream. It didn't work. And the father's redemption at the end, while moving, is cheap because of the two-dimensional stereotype he was before. A good read for a Sunday afternoon, but with real problems that can't be ignored.

And since it's holiday shopping season, I'll offer up the best books I've read in 2007:

"The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis: There are two stories here. The less interesting one is about how the left tackle position became one of the most important spots on the football field. (Yawn.) The more interesting — both thrilling and troubling at the same time — tells of a well-to-do white Memphis family that takes an impovershed, nearly mute black kid into their home, into a private school and ultimately into college. Why? Well, it probably didn't hurt that the kid — Michael Oher — had the right size and athletic skills to someday be an NFL tackle. (He's expected to turn pro, actually, this winter.) So while you're glad that Oher was lifted out of his situation, it's hard not to be troubled by the issues of race and class the Lewis very subtly raises in the telling of this story.

"Fiasco" by Thomas Ricks: Ricks, the Washington Post's military correspondent, dissects how the seeming 2003 victory in Iraq became a slog — pinning blame not just on politicians, but also on senior military leaders who failed to plan properly for, and react to, the insurgency that popped up after Saddam Hussein's fall. Very few heroes in this book: One, Gen. David Petraeus, is now the guy running the war.

"The Braindead Megaphone" by George Saunders:Saunders won one of those “genius” grants a few years back, and it’s easy to see why: I don’t think there’s a finer short-story writer living in America these days — his earlier collection, “Pastoralia,” is one of those life-changing books. If you’ve read it, though, you might be under the impression that Saunders’ work is fueled by cynicism of the hardest kind. “The Braindead Megaphone” is a collection of essays and reported nonfiction pieces — some of them appeared in Harper’s and GQ — that reveal Saunders at his most empathetic: Going straight to people with whom he disagrees, or suspects of hucksterism, and trying to really understand them. A real pleasure.

Huh. Looks like a nonfiction year for me, doesn't it?

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Posted by El_Borak (Bill Hoyt) on December 3, 2007 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Life in Roman Britain," by Anthony Birley
Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain"
-- Those two are work.

"The Horse and His Boy" and "Prince Caspian," by CS Lewis.
-- Those 2 are play.

"Custer in '76: Notes on the Custer Fight," by Walter Camp
"My Life on the Plains," by George Custer.
-- Those 2 are just because I'm curious and I don't know if they'll turn into work or play.

Posted by OtherJoel (anonymous) on December 3, 2007 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey Nostradomus! was also my introduction to Coupland, and it made me a huge fan. All Families are Psychotic would be a good follow-up if you like that style. But Coupland has some "shallow" books as well. Generation X is an obvious classic, and while it is immature and a bit heavy on the slacker humor and 80s references (obviously), it's still a worthwhile read. I really liked Microserfs/JPod too, but they too a very different style from Hey Nostradomus! -- mostly geek humor and not as deep, but really funny. He has a new one out, but I don't think it's hit paperback or the library yet (I'm cheap).

As for what I'm reading -- I'm taking another stab at The Road (the first time I stopped because I felt I needed something less depressing). Recently read The Children of Men by P.D. James -- much better than the movie (which I liked), as they normally are. I'm also reading I Am America (and So Can You) by Stephen Colbert to deal with my Colbert Report withdrawal.

Posted by grabegrabe (anonymous) on December 3, 2007 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BS is great fun.

Posted by leslie (Leslie vonHolten) on December 3, 2007 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Boy did I hate "Animal Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. After about 100 pages of her humorless, didactic prose about eating locally, I couldn't take it anymore. Hey, Barbara--I know what to eat the day the asparagus and morels pop out of the ground! I could use some help on the days leading up to that, though.

Will search out some George Saunders. Thanks for the recommendation, Joel.

Posted by OnShakedown (Chris Tackett) on December 3, 2007 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

just picked up Ham on Rye by Bukowski. My first experience reading his work, but I think i like it.

Just finished "The God Delusion" by Dawkins. I've never recommended a book more than that one. Religion is unfortunately such a touchy subject that it doesn't get the discussion it deserves, but I think every person owes it to themselves to read that and either come to the conclusion that their faith has been more of a matter of tradition and not true belief or simply realize how the non-believers rationalize their state of non-belief. I've learned a great deal about both groups after reading it.

Picked up a copy of Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here back at the Library book sale last year, but am just getting ready to crack it open.

Posted by frankt (Frank Tankard) on December 3, 2007 at 12:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"Bound For Glory," the autobiography of Woody Guthrie. It's not the most polished writing, but that's half the charm of it. It's like reading a book by a real-life Huck Finn.

Posted by Joel (Joel Mathis) on December 3, 2007 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for the warning on the Kingsolver book, Leslie. I did read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" this year -- and to be fair, I should've put that on my top books list, as well, but I don't think I could possibly add to its hype. I was going to follow up with Kingsolver, but that may now drop off the list.

Posted by lori (anonymous) on December 3, 2007 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Now see, I'm liking Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Though, I'm not that far into it and only reading it in bits and pieces. I think it is not one of those books you read from start to finish in one or two marathon reading episodes--I can see that it would seem preachy and overbearing then.

Posted by lazz (anonymous) on December 3, 2007 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good luck with Bukowski, Chris. He's an original, for sure. There's a new collection of his poetry out; got a rave review by Jim Harrison in the NYT Sunday Book Review a week or two ago.
This is my favorite Bukowski poem, from "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" (a truly great book) ...

to the whore who took my poems

some say we should keep personal remorse from the
poem,
stay abstract, and there is some reason in this,
but jezus;
twelve poems gone and I don't keep carbons and you have
my
paintings too, my best ones; it's stifling:
are you trying to crush me out like the rest of them?
why didn't you take my money? they usually do
from the sleeping drunken pants sick in the corner.
next time take my left arm or a fifty
but not my poems;
I'm not Shakespeare
but sometime simply
there won't be any more, abstract or otherwise;
there'll always be money and whores and drunkards
down to the last bomb,
but as God said,
crossing his legs,
I see where I have made plenty of poets
but not so very much
poetry.

Posted by mitzibel (Misty Nuckolls) on December 3, 2007 at 5 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Creepy, lazz, that's my fave Bukowski, too.

Posted by lazz (anonymous) on December 3, 2007 at 5:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

you certainly have excellent taste, misty ... well, if need be, i can switch my fave to one of his horse-racing-gambling pieces ... but i'd to stick with this one for now, if'n ya don't mind sharing ...

What I've been reading

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