Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven: A Memoir by Susan Jane Gilman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was surprised how much I liked this book. The cover and title suggest something that’s not really up my alley, but this really is a case where you can’t judge a book by its cover. The protagonist (the author, as this is autobiographical) is a young woman just our of an ivy league college. She and a casual friend decide to backpack around the world before settling down. Their first stop is China shortly after it was opened to Westerners. Before long the author’s companion begins acting strangely, disappearing to do secret work and claiming to be followed by enemy agents.
Having spent some time in Bolivia and Japan when I was the age the author was in the story, I can attest to the fact that a complete change in language, food, sanitary facilities, and company can do strange things to a person’s head. Once you’ve operated that far outside your comfort zone, you will never see your comfort zone quite the same way ever again. The author captures this very unique kind of stress brilliantly. The book is funny, captivating, and quietly insightful.
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The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The beginning of this book was like traveling to Australia and living on a sheep ranch. The descriptions were vivid, and the people lived and breathed. The first generations in this grand saga–Fee and Paddie, Meggie and Father Ralph–were multidimensional and interesting. But the final generation–Justine and Dane–felt flat for me. Dane was too good to be true, and Justine was someone not even her mother could know (much less the reader). Still, I will probably read The Thorn Birds again sometime. It’s the kind of historical that allows you to live in another world for a while, and they are the best kind.
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The Book of Tea by Alain Stella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One species, several different varieties, and hundreds of ways of processing the leaves give us world of tea we now have. I never realized that green, black, white, oolong, and puer tea all come from the same plant. The only difference is in the processing. This book is a great introduction to the world of tea–where and how it is grown, how it is processed, and how it has made its way into various cultures. I have been trying different teas from Seven Cups in Tucson. Now thanks to Stella’s book, I have a little better idea what I’m drinking.
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Rebekah’s Journey: an historical novel by Ann Bell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this book. The main character is an honorable woman, a Quaker in the 18th century, who faces hardship and overcomes. She travels from England to Pennsylvania as a girl then makes a life for herself in the new world. It’s a good story. Somehow, though, the telling fell a bit flat. It was as though the author was merely reporting the events. I didn’t get to live within them, to breathe the air of another time. It’s that ability to transport you to another time and place that sets the best historical novels apart from the rest, and unfortunately Rebekah’s Journey just doesn’t have it. That being said, I’m still glad I spent some time with the book. It was well worth the Kindle purchase price. And Rebekah is good company, inspiring company. That’s almost enough. Almost.
Susan Lynn Peterson
author of Clare, a Novel
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Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Life from Scratch is about cooking, blogging, and failed relationships. The “failed relationships” component takes center stage. The cooking part isn’t so much about love of cooking or food–this is not a foodie book–as it is about an attempt to get over total ineptitude in the kitchen (and perhaps in life). The food is not a character in its own right as it is in some foodie books.
Melissa Ford is probably used to comparisons to “Julie and Julia” by this time, so I will make one. Both have emotionally stunted main characters prone to overreaction. I liked Ford’s Rachel more than I did Julie. But I’m afraid I wasn’t particularly interested in either character’s perpetual relationship drama. Since that was a central part of this novel, I could never get involved in it despite Ford’s obvious skills as a writer.
If you like “Sex in the City,” this book might be up your alley. If you are looking at it for the food or the blogging subplots, you will more than likely be disappointed.
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The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living by David Wann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s one thing to complain about mega-corps and worry about peak oil; it’s another thing to figure out what to do about it. The New Normal looks at what a sustainable life would look like. It looks at (among other things) food, fuel, health, and possessions. It describes why the current way of living isn’t sustainable, then offers suggestions for what might be a viable “new normal.” In sections entitled “the Heavy Lifting,” Wann suggests ways to get a jump on the change right now. If I had to sum up the book in one phrase, I’d say “a practical look at the big picture.” The tone is a pragmatic, “we have a problem, so let’s stop whining and do something about it.” The writing is a serviceable, journalistic style. The layout is no-nonsense, though maybe a bit cramped, consistent with a book that is more about substance than frills.
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Elizabeth Street: A novel based on true events by Laurie Fabiano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love historical novels that allow you to live in another time and place for a little while. Elizabeth Street is just such a novel. You can feel the hundreds, or more likely thousands, of hours that went in to researching the setting. But the novel is more than just a description of a time, it’s also a solidly told story containing strong, likable characters. When I heard that it included a subplot about extortion by the Black Hand, I was wondering whether I would like it. I normally don’t enjoy mob books or movies. But this book is not a glorification of the mob, but rather is the story of a woman who overcame obstacles in a new world, one of those obstacles the criminal element of her time. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys early-twentieth-century historical fiction.
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Simple Chinese Medicine: A Beginner’s Guide to Natural Healing & Well-Being by Aihan Kuhn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this book. There is something about Aihan Kuhn’s writing style that hints that she’s a very likable person. But the books was very simple and not terribly usable. I’ve been working with a practitioner of Chinese medicine for a couple of years now. I’ve done a five week course in Taoist nutrition. I’ve done Tai Chi for several year. I’ve read a quite bit here and there on qigong. Just that little bit of experience has put me way beyond the level of this book. Moreover, the book seems to be not strict TCM or Taoist food theory, but a hybrid of East and West.
If you’re coming at the topic cold, that is to say that you are truly a “beginner,” and if you are mostly curious (i.e. not looking for specific practices), you’re more in line with the intended readership. If you have any experience, you might be disappointed. I was.
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The Losing Role by Steve Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was looking for a historical novel on Smashwords and took a chance on The Losing Role. I didn’t expect much. Many of the self-published novels on Smashwords are barely readable. But after reading the sample of The Losing Role, I was hooked. I found that I really cared what happened to Max, the main character.
Max is German, spent some time in the U.S., returned to Germany just before WWII. He’s an actor, not terribly political. He just wants to act. When the war starts, his roles dry up. He’s drafted and sent to the Russian front. His only way out of miserable (and futile) duty in the infantry is a dangerous mission that involves disguising himself as an American soldier and sneaking behind enemy lines to do intelligence work. He decides to use the opportunity to try try to find his way back to the U.S. Max is a likable “every man.” He uses the one skill he’s confident of, his acting ability, to try to regain control of a life that’s gone way out of control.
The book is not fine literature, but it’s a good read.
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Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A very strange book. It promises more than it delivers. At times it has flashes of brilliance and depth of insight. At other times the pacing is odd and the dialogue and description puerile. At the very least I have to give Maquire credit for a wonderful premise. I suspect I will reread the book at some time. Something about it calls to me. However, I wish it were more than it is.
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