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October 2014 Book Reviews

October: when the trees are still lovely and the weather is not so cold.

Welcome to (almost!) November… the greyest and gloomiest month of Autumn. The month when all the leaves have lost the will to cling those self-same tree branches from which they so recently sprung. The month when the leaves clump in damp drifts beneath the boots of countlessly many pedestrians, no longer crisp and crunching but damp and slick and putrid. The month when— but I digress! It’s time for my monthly round up of October’s reading list!

On the reading front this month I’ve clearly returned to a non-fiction spree after my rather lengthy bout with fiction. The page count for this month comes to 1369. (Yay for multiples of 3?)

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I make a (very) small referral commission from purchases made using my links. This does not affect your price.

Cooked by Michael Pollan

Confession: I’d actually been reading Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation for several months (since July or August!), and while such a long reading time would seem like a bad sign for a book, the real reason it took me so long to finish is that I couldn’t get it from the library on Kindle…. This means I had to read it on my computer and as someone who already feels like most of my life is spent on a computer, it was hard to muster enthusiasm for any prolonged reading (which means I mostly read this book breakfast). So really it’s a sign of merit that I bothered to persevere all the way to the end of this one.

Which is why I’m here to tell you that you need to read Cooked if you have any interest at all in food and cooking. I’m an unabashed fan of Michael Pollan’s work generally, but independent of your feelings on his food politics, this book is a fascinating read. Couched in the guise of the four elemental transformations (fire, water, air, and earth) Pollan explores the natural history of cooking reaching back to the earliest memory of ancient civilization and exploring how and why we cook the foods we do. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it!

 

Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

Up next on my reading list for the month was Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat, which makes an fantastic follow up to Michael Pollan’s Cooked (I was clearly on a roll with the cooking theme…). Whereas Cooked presented a history of cooking from the perspective of the natural sciences and transformations, Consider the Fork takes a look at the history of cooking from the perspective of technological innovation. Both are equally fascinating; however, Bee Wilson’s book is a much lighter and easier read than Pollan’s most recent tome. Covering changes in kitchen technology from the clay pot to the sous vide machine, Consider the Fork is a quick and entertaining read for any culinary enthusiast.

 

Finding Your Way in a Wild New World by Martha Beck

Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want is Martha Beck’s most recent contribution to the sea of self-help and life-coaching books on shelves these days. In it, Beck teaches what she terms the four “technologies of magic”, Wordlessness, Oneness, Imagination, and Forming (and yes, it’s about as out there as it sounds…). But if you’re willing to look a little beyond the surface layer of “this sounds crazy!”, there’s a lot about this book that rings deeply and profoundly true. (My only real quibble is with her mystical appropriation of quantum physics in an attempt to lend credence to her beliefs in magic and miracles… As a scientist trained in these things (at least more-so than Beck) I found my skepticism hard to stomach.)

If you’ve been keeping up with me for the last couple of years you’ll know I’ve been doing some pretty serious soul-searching with regard to what I want to do with my life. And if starting this blog felt like taking the first step in the right direction, then reading Finding Your Way in a Wild New World has undoubtedly been another.

If you’re fed up with feeling trapped in a situation that sucks but don’t quite know if you’re brave enough to break free, if you’ve found yourself feeling a little lost, a little lonely, and not quite sure where you’re supposed to be heading, then I highly recommend you give Finding Your Way in a Wild New World a try!

 

The Unconquered by Scott Wallace

Last on my list for October is just about the nearest one can get to a modern day adventure story. The Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon’s Last Uncontacted Tribes is the story of an expedition of men and indigenous tribesmen led by Brazilian official and activist Sydney Possuelo. The tale is narrated by Scott Wallace, a journalist with National Geographic who accompanied the expedition. The book narrates the trials and tribulations encountered by the explorers as they search for evidence of the well-being of the uncontacted tribe of flecheiros or “Arrow People” with the goal of leaving the tribesmen uncontacted and undisturbed.

One part adventure story, one part political treatise, and one part history of indigenous relations in the Amazon jungle, The Unconquered is a surprisingly compelling read that I’m glad I stumbled upon. My only tentative complaint is with Wallace’s apparent adoration for unnecessarily abstruse verbiage… 😉

 

Now, I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what you’re reading in the comments below.

 

Tired of waiting for my monthly wrap-ups? I talk about what I’m reading each week in my email newsletter.

September 2014 Book Reviews

fall color

Happy October! It’s officially Autumn here in Boston — the leaves on the trees have started to change color and I’ve broken out the lightest of my wool layers already. My early morning walk to the bus stop has become rather brisk.

Spring and fall are by far the more interesting seasons of the year in the Northeast. Summer and winter linger with months of either sweltering and sticky heat (though this past summer was unusually temperate) or freezing cold, but Spring and Fall are anything but predictable. A day with highs in the 60s might be followed by a day with highs in the 80s making a daily weather check imperative when choosing attire for the day ahead.

The transition seasons are unreliable, unexpected, and daily bring novelty to an otherwise mundane routine and I for one enjoy the whimsy of the process.

On the reading front, this past month has been a quiet (and therefore productive) one. The page count for this month comes to 1,859 pages.

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I make a (very) small referral commission from purchases made using my links. This does not affect your price.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

I actually read most of this book in August, but didn’t manage to finish it in time for last month’s book reviews. Honestly, finishing this book was something of an odyssey, and it’s a testament to the quality of Faulkner’s writing that I finished the book at all. Because the book is undeniably well-written; however, The Sound and the Fury is certainly not an easy read and, despite the fact that I am generally opposed to re-reading books, this is a book to read for the pleasure of a second reading. The first reading is necessary because, having waded through the murky narrative once (preferably with the aid of the book’s Wikipedia page…), you’ll actually know what’s happening the second time through. The story is broken up among four narrators and the first two sections are extremely muddled, the third is narrated by a truly detestable character, and the final section marks the only really compelling section of the entire work. Reader beware: The Sound and the Fury is not to be undertaken lightly.

 

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely is a book about some of his research results as a behavioral economist at MIT, and how the results of his experiments demonstrate that humans often behave in ways that defy “common” sense. The book is engagingly written (if perhaps a little too chatty for my admittedly academically-inclined tastes), and the research results are interesting. Some particular highlights: why a 50 cent aspirin is a more effective painkiller than a 1 cent aspirin, the magic of FREE!, and why money-mindedness allows us to justify our greed. The book is a quick read and I recommend it for anyone interested in a bit of lighthearted reading on the subject of human foibles and fallibility. For those less inclined to sit down with the whole book, Dan Ariely writes an advice column that is both insightful and entertaining.

 

Dune by Frank Herbert

So it seems a gross omission that I had not previously read Dune, seeing as it is one of the truly iconic works of the Science Fiction genre. And while I’ll admit that in terms of Sci-Fi/Fantasy I’m usually more of a Fantasy reader than a true Sci-Fi enthusiast, Dune manages to support an elegant blend of both genres. If you’ve been following along with my book reviews, it’s pretty clear that I’ve been on more of a contemporary (non-)fiction tear, so this book made for a welcome change of pace. The book is an interesting and extremely well-executed bit of authorial world-building and I can see why it’s become a classic.

I was reading an interview with David Mitchell (author of such works as Cloud Atlas and most recently The Bone Clocks) and he had this to say about creating believable worlds that are outside of the realm of your own (or anyone’s) experience and I think it’s more than a little profound:

“How to immerse oneself in the moment-to-moment nature of a time and place you’ve never personally experienced—and perhaps cannot?

Well, I would put a question to you. What’s the difference between you and your great great great-grandfather? What makes you different?

I think the answer is this: What you take for granted.

What you take for granted about your life, about your rights, about people around you. About ethnicity, gender, sexuality, work, God. Your relationship with the state. The state’s obligations and duties to you: Health care, education, recreation. What you take for granted about all these things is I think what marks one culture from from another, and one generation from another.” [Source]

It is exactly this that Frank Herbert does so masterfully in Dune.

 

Night by Elie Wiesel

Here’s another entry from my I-can’t-believe-I-haven’t-already-read-this list. Night is a book that needs no introduction. A harrowing tale of the author’s time in Nazi concentration camps, the narrative is at times viscerally cringe-worthy, and yet the prose carries with it a silence, a quietude, that is profound. The prose is stark and the description unflinching in the face of atrocity. It’s no wonder the book has become something akin to required reading.

 

 

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what you’re reading in the comments below.

Tired of waiting for my monthly wrap-ups? I talk about what I’m reading each week in my email newsletter.

August 2014 Book Reviews

Can you believe it’s September already? Granted, I took a week off this month for a trip to Scotland, and it shows in both my monthly page count (1271) and the number of books I’ve finished. But, on the bright side, a month that passes quickly is usually a month well-spent:

Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
Loch Ness
Edinburgh Castle

So instead of fretting, I shall take refuge in what I did manage to accomplish this month, notably the completion of the following books:

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I make a (very) small referral commission from purchases made using my links. This does not affect your price.

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[/one_half] [one_half_last]I finished reading Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert on the plane to Scotland. Climate change is a subject near and dear to my heart, and this book does a great job of being both readable and informative. The book provides a great overview of some of the more concerning recent research, interviews with many prominent climate scientists, and a compelling argument for why action to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions is critically important. If you’re feeling sanguine about Earth’s future then I highly recommend you check your delusions at the door and read this book.[/one_half_last]

 

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[/one_half] [one_half_last]The second book I read this month was The Invention of Wings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd. I had previously read and enjoyed her earlier novel The Secret Life of Bees, but I think The Invention of Wings has the more compelling story. Set toward the beginnings of the American abolition movement in the early 1800’s, The Invention of Wings is based on the real story of two sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, who were revolutionary early advocates of both abolition and women’s rights. Though based on real events, the narrative has been artfully fictionalized by Kidd, most notably in the inclusion of the perspective of a Grimké slave, Handful. Both a compelling story in its own right and a fascinating exploration of the lives of the Grimké sisters, this book would make an excellent addition to anyone’s reading list. [/one_half_last]

 

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[/one_half] [one_half_last]I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Making the Journey from “What Will People Think?” to “I Am Enough” marks the last volume in the trifecta of Brené Brown’s books. I had previously read and loved her most recent book, Daring Greatly, and then was subsequently unimpressed by her second book The Gifts of Imperfection, mostly due to it’s similarity to Daring Greatly (see my earlier review). However, I was pleasantly surprised by I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t).

The first of her published works, this book focuses more intensely on the results of her early research on shame (primarily in women), and I found the more in-depth treatment to be both fresh and insightful. Unlike The Gifts of Imperfection, I thought this was a great book and one that makes an excellent companion to Daring Greatly. FYI: the focus of the book is nearly entirely on shame in women, though brief mention of shame for men is made toward the end.[/one_half_last]

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what you’re reading in the comments below.

Tired of waiting for my monthly wrap-ups? I talk about what I’m reading each week in my email newsletter.

July 2014 Book Reviews

Welcome to the July 2014 edition of my monthly book reviews! It’s been a busy reading month for me; what about for you? I started July on a bit of a non-fiction tear and then finished up the month with a pair of really excellent works of contemporary fiction. I’m really excited to share this month’s list, and I’d love to hear what you’re reading in the comments below!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I make a (very) small referral commission for any purchases made using my links. 

Also, because I can never resist a surplus of metrics: this month’s page count is 2,022.

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[/one_half][one_half_last]My first reading endeavor this month was Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. The authors are academics and the book takes an in-depth look at what makes some ideas effortlessly memorable, while others remain impossible. On the whole it was an interesting read, but I found the last half of the book to be something of a slog. If you’d like to learn more, check out my in-depth post on how to make a story memorable.
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[/one_half][one_half_last] In my copious spare time, I happen to be a bit of a closet nutrition/food policy wonk and Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell presents an interesting indictment of the establishment. When reading a book like this one it’s important to keep in mind the biases of the author and as a controversial proponent of a “whole foods plant based diet” to cure the so-called Western diseases, Campbell is undoubtedly biased. However, the man-against-the-institution atmosphere turns this book into an excellent underdog story and I think the book manages to achieve a reasonably fair assessment of how agriculture, big pharma, media, academic publishing, and research funding conspire to move our healthcare system (in America) in a direction that is great for company purses, but which doesn’t do much to promote the wellness of patients.
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[/one_half][one_half_last]This month’s first foray into fiction was Half of a Yellow Sun by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I picked this up after having read Adichie’s more recent book, Americanah, and I have to say in my opinion Half of a Yellow Sun was by far the more enjoyable book. I really liked this one! Set in the ’60s and ’70s before and during the Nigerian civil war, Half of a Yellow Sun tells the story of the war and of life in the secessionist state of Biafra from a number of interwoven perspectives. The stories of twin sisters, their lovers (a British expat and an Igbo revolutionary), and a young servant boy twine together into a highly compelling narrative chronicling the rise and fall of the Biafran state. Warnings for graphic depictions of human cruelty and suffering and some unusually frank sexual content.

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[/one_half][one_half_last]As much as I enjoyed Half of a Yellow Sun, I think that All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr ranks as my favorite read for this month. All the Light We Cannot See is set before, during, and after WWII and is the joint narrative of a blind girl (Marie-Laure) living in France and a brilliant German boy (Werner), an orphan who becomes a student at the Nazi Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten. Their disparate paths collide during the bombing of the German-occupied city of Saint-Malo, in August 1944. Vividly imagined and utterly compelling, this book swept me up and carried me away. I’m not much of one for re-reading books, but this is one I may have to come back to someday. I highly recommend it!

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That’s it for me for July. Are you off to pick up a copy of any of these? Have a book you read last month that you’re dying to talk about? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Tired of waiting for my monthly wrap-ups? I talk about what I’m reading each week in my email newsletter.

June 2014 Book Reviews

Welcome to the first of my monthly book reviews! For those of you who don’t know me, I read. A. Lot. My natural inclination is aided and abetted by a large number of hours spent commuting on the bus, which means I make it through a substantial number of books each month (I’ve read 30 so far this year). I love to talk about what I’m reading and I’m excited to bring this conversation to my blog so, without further ado, here are this month’s books.

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I make a (very) small referral commission for any purchases made using my links. 

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[/one_half][one_half_last]And the Mountains Echoed is a book that I enjoyed largely for the structure of the narrative. It’s a great example of a book that skillfully explores the ways in which human stories connect, across generations, decades, and continents. Because of its expansive timeline, the book has the opportunity to investigate how our pasts, our histories shape us, measuring the ripple-effect on human lives of choices made generations ago. I really liked this one, folks.
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[/one_half][one_half_last]Far and away the best book I read this month, The Orphan Master’s Son is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about a North Korean man named Pak Jun Do, an orphan who grows up to lead an extremely improbable life. Both stunning and at times viscerally horrifying, the novel is a haunting and artful portrayal of a country and a culture so far removed from my own experience I find it hard to imagine. This was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it.
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[one_half_last]After reading and adoring Brene Brown’s most recent book, Daring Greatly. I was eager to get my hands on her previous book, The Gifts of Imperfection. Unfortunately, I suspect I should have read them in the reverse order, since much of the material is similar between the two books. Of the two, I’d say read Daring Greatly and maybe don’t bother with The Gifts of Imperfection unless you’re really looking for actionable strategies and more concrete direction on how to implement the ideas from Daring Greatly in your own life.[/one_half_last]

 

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[/one_half][one_half_last]I’m definitely more than a little late to the party on this one, but I picked this up from the library last week and wound up devouring it in less than a day. Great literature The Fault in Our Stars is not, but enjoyable YA fiction it most certainly is. With interesting characters and a somewhat more literary bent than most YA fiction, this is a story that I definitely enjoyed. Fair warning though: the end made me cry.[/one_half_last]

 

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[/one_half][one_half_last]This is the one I tried but didn’t finish. I wanted to like it; The Flamethrowers was a National Book Award finalist, and I can’t quibble with the quality of the writing itself, but I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly compelling or relatable, and the story meanders through different places and points in time without any real sense of direction. Whereas And the Mountains Echoed was a brilliant example of how stories can be connected and woven across time and place, The Flamethrowers falls flat. I do, however, have to give a shout out to Rachel Kushner’s prose, because there are moments of brilliance in the book— just not enough to keep my interest.

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Have you read any of these? Got a great book recommendation for my reading list? Let me know in the comments below!

Tired of waiting for my monthly wrap-ups? I talk about what I’m reading each week in my email newsletter.