Everything I Read in July, 2024

July:

78. Brat: An 80s Story by Andrew McCarthy - I talked my husband into buying me a copy of this when it went on sale and then when I began reading realized . . . oops, it's Walking with Sam that I don't have. I've read Brat, before. Oh, well. I was enjoying it so I went ahead and finished. Brat tells Andrew McCarthy's story about how he was directionless until he missed his bus home, wandered into a rehearsal by his school's drama club, and ended up with a role. After realizing he wanted to become an actor, he got to work on his goal and quickly landed a role in a movie with one of the hottest actresses of the time, Jacqueline Bisset, Class.  When I closed the book I watched Class and thought about what McCarthy had said about how it was meant to partly emulate The Graduate (mixed with something else that I can't recall). Honestly, I was quite impressed; he carried the movie. This book is not about the Brat Pack, although he does go into how upsetting it was to be labeled a "brat", why it happened, and how it caused many of the actors so labeled to avoid each other. I'm pretty sure his new documentary about the Brat Pack is the reason I convinced myself I hadn't read the book. Anyway, I did enjoy it a second time and noticed some new details so I have no regrets. I also enjoyed the documentary, which I watched after I finished the book. 

79. Where the Sky Lives by Margaret Dilloway - Author Margaret Dilloway was an Artist in Residence at Zion National Park and Where the Sky Lives is the middle grade book that resulted from that month-long stay in the park. 12-year-old Tuesday is an amateur astronomer who learned from her Uncle Ezra. But, Ezra has recently died, leaving a poem that Tuesday thinks is a riddle. Meanwhile, a privately-owned area that borders the park has been sold to developers whose plans will cause light pollution and ruin pristine land. Tuesday's archeologist mother is grieving and unwilling to even think about the poem's meaning. So, with the help of her friend Carter and an old-fashioned camera that the current Artist in Residence has thrown away, Tuesday begins seeking clues to the meaning of her uncle's poem while looking for ways to save the bordering land from development. A good story but I often found it a bit confusing where Tuesday and Carter were located and sometimes Tuesday would climb a mesa or go hiking only to reveal that she'd been carrying that bulky camera all along. A map would have been helpful but I also thought there were a lot of passages that needed some clarification so I gave this title an average rating. 

80. The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe - A translation from Japanese, The Woman in the Dunes is about a man who collects insects as a hobby and disappears while on an insect-hunting trip. He is particularly interested in finding new insects that live in the sand. After he makes it out of the city, he passes through a village in which the houses are surrounded by sand. It's getting late and some of the villagers suggest that he should spend the night in one of their homes. That home is down in a pit surrounded by sand walls. He climbs down a rope ladder and slowly realizes that he has become trapped with the woman, who spends all night digging and sending up buckets of sand then sleeping during the daylight in a crumbling house. Like a cross between Kafka and Sisyphus, the book is basically a claustrophobic nightmare. I found myself trying to think of ways the man could escape and wondering if he would manage to figure out a solution. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's definitely thought-provoking but maybe a little too intense and heavy on symbolism (which I confess to not understanding) for me. I don't, however, regret reading it. 

81. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - Long ago, a man jumped off a bridge and his death caused reverberations throughout a small town. Now, a bank robber has made a big mistake. After failing to get a loan to cover the rent, the robber has gone with a (possible toy) gun to a cashless bank. The robber is terrified that the police are coming and runs across the road, where an apartment opening is being held on the day before New Year's. So, a failed robbery has become a hostage situation of sorts, although the robber's heart isn't in it. While the robber tries to figure out how to get out of this mess, the reader gets to know the people in the apartment: an old woman, a young couple that's expecting and who spend a lot of time arguing, an older couple who renovate apartments, and a rabbit. Through after-the-incident interviews, we also learn about the police officers, a father and son, and how they are trying to unravel what's become of the missing bank robber, who disappears when the hostages come out of the building. A cheerful, almost slapstick story "about idiots" but really a story of how we handle catastrophe and how we can help each other. Loved it but I thought it was a little bit too long. I still gave this book 5 stars. 

82. McSweeney's Anthology of Contemporary Literature (74th Edition) Edited by Claire Boyle - Definitely my favorite McSweeney's issue for the way it was packaged (in a lunchbox with pencils and author cards) —except maybe for the horror issue because opening it made me laugh — this issue of McSweeney's is a good one. The first four stories really sucked me in, although the one I recall best is the first, a story about a place where girls are stripped of clothing (their "father cloth") once they reach a certain age and forced to walk around entirely naked until they marry and are clothed by their husbands. Those who never marry are stuck walking around totally bare because clothing yourself without being married is illegal. But, what will happen if one wealthy woman decides to break the law and help others break it, as well? Wow, what a great story about misogyny, undeserved shame, going against the flow, and the power of wealth. There are many other stories I loved, including the tale of a man who makes a big mistake by not following the strict instructions on a love potion, and only a couple stories I disliked. Overall, a really good issue. 

83. The Measure by Nikki Erlick - Everything changes on the night that the boxes appear. Around the world, everyone aged 22 and over receives a box and inside that box is a string. Each string tells its recipient how long they will live, although it takes some time and study for an accurate understanding of how the measurement of strings works. Ben, Maura, Javier, and Hank are "short stringers". But, does having a shorter life span mean a person's life is of lesser value? When short stringers begin to face discrimination and a politician stokes fear that short stringers will resort to violence, it's time for a reckoning. Whew! So much to talk about! I read The Measure for group discussion but the discussion won't be held till mid-August. Still, I can predict that it's going to be a pretty good one because The Measure is definitely a thought-provoking story. Keep tissues handy. 

84. The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - Antoine Laurain has charmed me again with this story about a hat that may have magical powers. Daniel is treating himself to a fancy restaurant meal while his family is away when French President François Mitterrand and two well-known companions are seated in Daniel's booth. When the president leaves his hat behind, Daniel pilfers it and finds that after wearing it his life changes. But, then he loses the hat and it keeps going from person to person, each time causing a big change in the wearer's life. Meanwhile, Daniel is determined to track down the hat. Who will end up keeping the precious hat with Mitterrand's initials embossed in gold? This book oddly reminded me of Sarah Addison Allen because of its magical touch. Each person who comes across the hat has something holding them back — fear, hope, depression. When they wear the hat, they suddenly find the confidence that was lacking. Loved it. I don't think Antoine Laurain can write a bad book. 

85. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf - When I got my copy of The Watch That Ends the Night, my friend Tammy told me it was her favorite Titanic book. Tammy had what I consider an encyclopedic knowledge of the Titanic but it took me at least 8 years to get around to reading the book. The Watch That Ends the Night is told entirely in verse and from many viewpoints. You get to know immigrants, posh people in 1st class, officers (including the Captain), a baker, a stoker, a gambler, postal workers, and the men who worked in the telegraph room. Even a rat and the iceberg tell their stories. Almost every page switches from one point of view to another, so I really appreciated the fact that the author continued to label each person with their title or a short description throughout. When I started reading, I was a little skeptical that it would turn out to be one of the best books I've ever read about the Titanic but I should have known Tammy was right. By the time the ship hits the iceberg, you've gotten to know the characters so well that their experiences as the ship founders are visceral. During the last 100 pages, at least, my heart was racing. Really, an amazing Young Adult book and definitely one of the best I've read on the Titanic if not the best as it gives you a full picture of the variety of human lives lost in this tragic shipwreck and also the horror those who retrieved their bodies experienced. 

86. Earthlings by Richard Kalvar - Earthlings is a photography collection, coffee table sized. There's only a little bit of text in this book of photography (the introduction) and it's every bit as strange as the photos themselves. But, what I gathered is that the point of this collection is to catch people at their oddest or even in their most embarrassing/uncomfortable moments. For example, there's a photo of the back of a man in a trench coat behind a park bench. It looks as if he has dropped something and is on the ground searching for it. But, there are no descriptions, only an index of photos that tells the date and location taken in the back of the book. The twins wearing flower headdresses on the cover is a perfect example of the oddity of the photos. They aren't always in focus so you can't necessarily zone in on details as they aren't crisp and clear enough. I think the idea is to make you question what's happening and come up with a theory of your own. At any rate, I enjoyed Earthlings for how offbeat the photos are. 

87. Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami (ebook, not pictured)- A cute children's book about a young girl in India who is trying to read a book a day with the help of a man who has a personal lending library. Every day Yasmin rushes to Book Uncle's library and he chooses a book for her. She doesn't always understand why he's chosen a particular book, at first. But, she always looks forward to reading her next book. Then, one day Book Uncle packs up his books. He has been told he must get a permit or leave. At the same time, a mayoral election is happening. Yasmin and her best friend Reeni encourage people to write to the candidates about the injustice of Book Uncle having to get a permit he can't afford when he is lending books, not selling them. Why should he need a commercial permit? Will the new mayor allow Book Uncle to return to lending books? Loved it; a good one for book lovers. Recommended to me by my friend Brittanie and read via Hoopla.

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