My First Book Report of 2013

Reading: Why, yes, I have been reading this year.  No, I have not told you about anything I have read yet.  Here is my first book report this year.

When someone asks me what my favorite book is, or what the best book that we have read in book club, I instantly answer, "Life of Pi, by Yann Martel".  I have done this ever since we read it 8 years ago, or whenever it was.  Funny thing, though.  I had not re-read this book, not even re-opened it, until this year.  I am not sure what took me so long.  I even started to wonder if it really was as great as I told myself and everyone else.  I started to feel guilty that I was recommending this book to dozens of people and maybe it was really crap.  So I re-read it and fell in love all over again.  There is so much in this book, and not just because it is rather thick.  There is an action-adventure/survival story.  There is a terrific wealth of discussion on animal nature and the best-written defense of zoos that I have ever heard.  There is a hearty embrace of religions of all types.  There is a likable hero, tragedy and loss, a realistically told struggle to survive, and a bit of a fable and fairy tale.  One friend to whom I had recommended the book sometime last fall was reading it recently and had only read about a quarter of it but already wanted to buy her own copy (she is borrowing the book from another friend of ours) so that she could highlight and underline.  As I discussed the book with her, I was tempted to go back and read it yet again.  She is seeing another whole layer to it that I did not - that all the author's observations on animal nature could be read as a commentary on human nature, a reminder that we, too, are animals, though we tend to put ourselves on a higher plain.  I may never be done reading this book.  And I recommend it to you as well. If you read it, or have already read it, I would love to discuss with you anytime.  I realize I have not given an actual plot summary.  This is from the back of the book: "Pi Patel, a God-loving boy and the son of a zookeeper, has a fervent love of stories and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam.  When Pi is sixteen, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship.  Alas, the ship sinks - and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.  Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi.  Can Pi and the tiger find their way to land?  Can Pi's fear, knowledge and cunning keep him alive until they do?"

February book club we discussed Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer.  You may have seen the movie.  I had not, so I read the book.  I am glad I did.  This was another journey and adventure story, non-fiction this time.  At the outbreak of World War II, the author (an Austrian) is in a British internment camp in India.  He escapes and the book details his trek across the Himalayas to Tibet, where he spends - you guessed it - seven years.  Obviously he survives the ordeal in the remote parts of the mountains (he wrote the book, right?), though he and his fellow escapee find danger, hunger and hindrances of all kinds around every corner.  They have no real map and are some of the first foreigners to the little secluded land of Tibet.  I enjoyed the journey, though found it a bit too detailed at times and was anxious for them to finally get to Tibet.  I loved learning about Tibet, the Dalai Lama (and trying to remember what I had learned about the Dalai Lama in college) as well as the people and traditions.  The book ended as the Chinese invaded, so I would like to continue learning more about what it has been like in Tibet since that time. 

The next 3 books I read went pretty quickly.  If you recall, one of my "predictions" for 2013 was that I would be reading some of the Newbery Medal winners.  I decided to start with 1971, the year I was born, and read the winners from within my lifetime. 
1971 - Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars - I read this in just over a day.  Simple story of Sarah, a 14-year-old girl (I think that is how old she was), with the usual complaints of a 14-year-old.  Then one day her mentally-challenged non-verbal younger brother, Charlie, (the book uses the term "mentally retarded" - it was the term we used then) is missing.  As Sarah searches for Charlie, joined by her sworn enemy Joe, she learns something about herself, her family and what is really important.  Apparently this book was also made into an ABC Afterschool Special called "Sarah's Summer of the Swans."  I don't remember watching this particular special, but there are others I recall well.  Also, I remember reading another book by this same author when I was in sixth grade.  It was called Pinballs or The Pinballs and was about a group of kids who all had special needs of some sort.  I don't remember much more about that book but found it interesting that when I saw the author's name, I thought, "Oh.  I think that is who wrote Pinballs."  And sixth grade was a long time ago...
1972 - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien - this one took me a bit longer to read.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it, considering it was about a "widowed" mouse, her children and a group of very special rats.  I ended up loving it and by the end was cheering for the mice and rats, wishing for their survival.  And that is very weird for me.  If there are 2 things I cannot stand, it is rats and mice.  Give me snakes, bugs, spiders, lizards, or anything else (except bats which are really just flying mice), but keep mice and rats (and their cousins gerbils and hamsters) away from me.  I watch a certain scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies with my hands over my ears and my eyes closed tight until I am told by someone trustworthy that the scene is over.  Anyway, the book is about this mouse family and a group of super-intelligent rats who help her when her youngest son is ill and her home is in danger of being destroyed by a plow.  You will need to read the story to find out how the rats got so smart and why they help a lowly field mouse. 
1973 - Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George - I finished this one up right before leaving on vacation.  It is the story of a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl in Alaska. She has run away from her husband in Barrow, Alaska (at the very tippy top of Alaska) and is heading for San Francisco where her penpal lives.  She has to use what she has learned about the "old ways" of her people and about the unforgiving landscape of the tundra in order to survive.  She is adopted by a pack of wolves, but autumn is coming so she must continue on.  Very interesting story for many reasons.  The conflicts of "wild" vs. "civilization", the old ways vs. the ways of the whites, and of nature vs. Man (or in this case, girl).  The natural history lessons of the dynamics of a wolf pack and of life on the tundra.  The social commentary about how the native peoples were "civilized" by sending them to school.  Another good book and excellent survival story.

Well, E just saw this post and commented "Holy words, Batman!" so I guess that is enough for this blog post.  Stay tuned for another book report and a recap of our cruise to the Bahamas.  Ahh.... sunshine!

Until we read again,
Hallie

Reading: Yesterday I finished The Handmaid's Tale. Can I just say again what a terrific, interesting book that is?

I have now started the selection for next book club, Undaunted Courage. I look forward to reading this rather daunting tome because I like Lewis and Clark, probably partly because my grandparents live in "Lewis and Clark country" in western Montana. So far, I find the reading easy and interesting.

Life of Pi was enjoyed by everyone who attended bookclub this past Sunday. Here is an interview with the author. I may re-read this book. There is a lot in there.

This weekend I started and finished the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. I picked it up for cheap, just curious what the appeal is. Very clever, very fun. I can see how it appeals to the 10-14 age range. The description of the author cracked me up. I will copy it in here later. I look forward to reading more of these silly, terrible books.

Eating: We are somehow out of ground beef. We have worked our way through 70 pounds in about 2 years. Now we have to buy it at the store!! Yuck!
Anyway, no new recipes or tips here today.

Reading: I finished Life of Pi earlier this week. I liked it a lot and am glad we read it for bookclub. I think there will be some interesting discussion. I laughed and laughed, I was grossed out, I was awed at how he was surviving on this lifeboat with the 450 pound Bengal tiger, I was inspired by his perseverance and continued faith.

One particular funny moment had more to do with my memory skills than with the actual book. The reader is introduced early on in the book to the tiger, Richard Parker. Then the book goes on and we learn about how he became a Hindu with Christian and Islamic beliefs, and in general more about his life. Then, he is on the boat, crossing the ocean to get to Canada, when it sinks (I am not giving anything away--this you can learn from the blurb on the book). He is in the lifeboat and encouraging Richard Parker, who is in the water swimming, to get in the lifeboat too. Cheering Richard Parker on, throwing the lifebuoy to him, etc. and all of a sudden he realizes what he is doing and tries to whack Richard Parker on the head with an oar and then, when Richard Parker finally climbs aboard, Pi jumps off into the water. The reason this was so funny to me is that I forgot who Richard Parker was and mistakenly though him to be a classmate of Pi's, which made it very confusing when he started trying to hit him and yelling at him to stay away.

And yes, the tiger is ALWAYS referred to by his whole name, Richard Parker

Eating: This has not been a very exciting eating week. Nothing new.

Reading: I am in the middle of at least 3 books right now, all very different. On the bus I am reading The Power of a Praying Wife. It was a wedding shower gift over 3 years ago now but I just picked it up. I've never felt I was very good at praying and it is really challenging to pray for someone else. It has some really interesting ideas to think about and even if the power of prayer isn't enough, the thinking that I am doing about my husband, our relationship and myself is helpful in itself. The book is not for everyone (I wasn't sure it was for me which is why I have just now picked it up) but if you are in a relationship, even if you think it is the best relationship in the world, I think there is always at least one aspect of life your husband would appreciate a prayer for.

At lunch time, I am reading Life of Pi--very interesting so far. I enjoyed the argument in favor of zoos (not a commonly heard viewpoint) and in learning how he became a Hindu that also practices Christianity and Islam. I really wish I could remember more of what I learned about Hinduism and Islam in college. I don't have the books anymore either because I had borrowed them and had to return them after the class. I remember we read the Bhagavad-Gita and parts of the Koran and that I decided that of all the "world religions" that we learned about, I most wanted to be a Hindu. I don't now remember why.

At bedtime, I am reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (no relation to Wild Oscar, my cat). This is another bookclub book that I did not finish.

I also have in my stack of books I have started but not finished: Pride and Prejudice, Galileo's Daughter and Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.

Eating: Dinner last night was a repeat recipe but one I have not yet written about: Ham and Cheese Mashed Potatoes. It was a perfect after-Easter recipe and used up the leftover ham. This time, I had some diced ham in the freezer and that made the preparation quite easy. Would be even easier if I had leftover mashed potatoes... Mix together 2 C. mashed potatoes and 1 tsp garlic salt and spread in the bottom of 1.5 quart casserole. Sprinkle 1 C. diced ham over the potatoes. Whip 1/2 C. whipping cream, fold in 1 C. shredded cheddar and spoon the mixture over ham. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Very tasty, easy and filling. My opinions on mashed potatoes--Yukon Gold make the tastiest mashed potatoes and a ricer is the preferred method of mashing (results in fluffier, non-lumpy, non-starchy potatoes). I don't care for potatoes whipped with an electric mixer because it releases too much starch and makes the potatoes less flavorful. With a traditional masher, there are too many lumps left and you might as well just serve boiled potatoes and let everyone smush his own. It seems like a stupid thing to have such strong opinions on but I do. And it is my blog. So there.