Spring Reading Thing Recap

The Spring Reading Thing is about to officially end and I only managed to finish 2 out of 4 books, darn it. But, I'll still do a recap, as requested by Katrina.

1. What was the best book you read this spring?

I assume this means the best book from the Spring Reading Thing challenge list? If so, The Sex Lives of People in Love by J. Maarten Troost was probably my favorite, of the two. But, I really enjoyed The Moon on a Stick by Valerie-Anne Baglietto, too. If we're talking generalities, I think there are too many to list but a couple of favorites were The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy, Foreign Fruit by Jojo Moyes, and The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke. I could go on. I've read some fun books, this spring.

2. What book could you have done without?

I liked both of the challenge books I read, so I'll go with . . . In the Cut by Susannah Moore, which was appalling. I wish I'd never picked it up.

3. Did you try out a new author this spring? If so, which one, and will you be reading that author, again?

Most of the books I've read, this year, have been by authors who are new to me. And, I'd read most of them, again - there are too many to list. I tend to thrive on variety, so it's hard to say when I'll get around to reading them; but, I hope to read Getting Stoned With Savages (a second travel memoir by Troost) in the coming months.

4. If there were books you didn't finish, tell us why. Did you run out of time? Realize those books weren't worth it?

I lost track of time. If I'd been paying attention, I would have slotted my other two in; both are books that I've read halfway and wanted to finish. I just read the first two so quickly that I thought, "Oh, I don't want to finish the challenge before the first month is over!" and decided to wait on the other two. Then, I forgot. Oopsy. But, I will definitely read them.

5. Did you come across a book or two on other participants' lists that you're planning on adding to your own to-be-read pile? Which ones?

Well, I can't answer that one! I'm sure I did, but I dash off and add them to my wish list or write them down without making reference to where I've seen the titles crop up.

6. What did you learn -- about anything -- through this challenge? Maybe you learned something about yourself or your reading style, maybe you learned not to pick so many nonfiction books for a challenge, maybe you learned something from a book you read. Whatever it is, share!

I learned not to worry about finishing a challenge too quickly.

7. What was the best part of the Spring Reading Thing?

Truth? I managed to read and get rid of a book that had been on the shelf for at least 2 years. And, I loved the color the button added to my sidebar. Oh, and I won a book in one of the drawings! That was definitely fun!

8. Would you be interested in participating in another reading challenge this fall?

I'm not sure. I'm kind of leaning toward getting away from challenges, at least for a while. Kris at Not Enough Books is having a Cozy Mystery Challenge in the fall and I have a small shelf of cozies I can't seem to talk myself into reading, so I plan to join in on her challenge. Otherwise, I'm in Challenge Avoidance Mode. I might. Maybe.

9. Any other thoughts, impressions, or comments.

I'm glad I participated. Thanks to Katrina for hosting the challenge!

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

Like many air travelers, I am aware that airplanes fly aided by capricious fairies and invisible strings. Typically, this causes me some concern.

Onward to the power station, which was a diesel generator in a small tin warehouse capable of meeting the electricity needs of, optimistically, three average Americans, provided that they didn't use a refrigerator and a hair dryer concurrently. We waited patiently for the clerk, who was lying prone atop the counter, to arise from his slumber. He lay there like an offering until a chorus of throat clearing elicited unembarrassed consciousness.

It was in the Marshall Islands where scientists finally discovered what, in fact, constitutes a coral atoll. . . . [Proving Darwin's theory] was incidental, however, to the purpose of the drilling. Enewetak was being canvassed as a sight for testing the hydrogen bomb and the drilling indicated that the atoll was suitable for obliteration. Shortly after dawn on November 1, 1952, a bomb called Mike was detonated, and an island, a home, an ecosystem was blown up, irradiated, and poisoned, leading many to wonder what is the point of having Nevada.

It often happened that we were asked to sing. The I-Kiribati are unself-conscious about singing. This is because they have the voices of angels. When I sing, however, small children begin to cry, dogs whimper, and rats scurry to the water and drown themselves. Sylvia, who is ravishingly beautiful, possesses a formidable intellect, and whose very existence illuminates my life, sings like a distressed cow. Entire villages scatter into the bush when we sing together. I tried to explain this to Tawita, but she was having none of it. "You must sing. Do not be shy."
And so we did . . . .The theater troupe drowned themselves in the lagoon before we could finish. Actually, they didn't do that. Rather, they drowned in tears of laughter. It began with a snicker that turned into a titter which led to guffaws and soon the group was convulsing in hysterical laughter.
"Stop!" Tawita cried. "That was very bad."
"Yes," I said. "We are aware of that."
"You must never sing again," she said.
"That is how we prefer it."

J. Maarten Troost was a 26-year-old, bored and not particularly thrilled with his working life, when his girlfriend, Sylvia, asked him if he'd like to move to a remote equatorial South Pacific atoll named Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati, also known as the Gilbert Islands. One of 33 small tiny islands spread over an ocean expanse the size of the United States, the entire Kiribati landmass is around the size of Baltimore.

On Tarawa, Sylvia would work for the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific (FSP) and Maarten would basically hang out, maybe help out a little, write a novel and sell some articles or edit to make pocket money. The idea of moving to the other side of the planet and leaving everything behind sounded hopelessly romantic and Maarten agreed, assuming he would be moving to an island paradise. Instead, he found himself in a home with dangerous water and sporadic electricity on an atoll where subsistence living meant frequent deprivation, the diet mostly fish. Islanders battled hunger, intestinal parasites, poor health care, a disinterested government bureaucracy, disease, poverty, and almost constant drought.

A swim to cool off in the Pacific on the first day revealed an even worse problem for Maarten: the natives used the reef behind their house to defecate. At low tide, the stench of the polluted ocean was horrific, the heat constantly stifling. There was nowhere to throw out trash, most of which came from outside the island on unreliable boats, so it was tossed in the ocean or piled around the atoll. Sylvia's predecessor in the FSP said, "I just can't take it, anymore." She was ominously thin and pinched. And, yet, the natives of Tarawa were a surprisingly laid-back and happy people.

Maarten and Sylvia settled in and adjusted to the rhythms of the island, learning the local customs and becoming friends with a unique and often hilarious cast of characters. The Sex Lives of Cannibals is Maarten Troost's memoir of their two years on Tarawa, in addition to descriptions of the much-overlooked history of the island (who has heard of the bloody WWII Battle of Tarawa where over 1000 U.S. Marines died?), and the tangled mess of "aid" and abuse from other countries. The book could easily have been a sad and whiny diatribe about the plight of islanders, but Maarten Troost has a terrific sense of humor and a willingness to explore and adapt. And, the result is a delightful, informative read with laugh-out-loud moments.

I acquired a copy of The Sex Lives of Cannibals because of the many positive reviews I'd read and I was not disappointed. Troost balanced the elements well: the stories describing their experiences, the history, the traditions of the people and the contrast between life on an equatorial atoll, where people sleep during the worst heat of the day, with the constant energy, tension and consumption of life in the U.S. A fascinating, eye-opening read. I'm anxiously awaiting a copy of Troost's second book, Getting Stoned with Savages. The one and only disappointment in The Sex Lives of Cannibals: no photographs. Darn. I couldn't find any on the internet, either, although there are a few scattered photos of Troost at writing events.

5/5

Coming up: Wahoo! Wednesday (Wow, already?)

Is it still raining? Only occasionally. How's your weather?

Funniest thing the eldest kiddo did over Easter weekend: Loaded up on food and necessities at his father's expense and then left the paper towels in Mom's trunk.

Most recent violation for which the youngster got after-school detention: Sleeping in English. Oops. I have to tell you, I really enjoy it when he gets in trouble for reading his novels and forgetting that he's in school. It's better than punishment for an untucked shirt.

Worst moment, this morning: When the alarm clock went off at 5:00 a.m. (youngster had to get to school early to catch a bus for the music festival), the phone rang, and the overhead lightbulb blew as I staggered to the phone with the alarm blaring in hand. But, you have to admit that it sounds pretty funny in the retelling.

Back later!

Things I Forgot, Good Book Karma, Weird Shelf Coincidences, etc.

I completely forgot to mention that The Moon on a Stick (see review, below) was my 12th TBR read, so I'm officially finished with the TBR Challenge (although, I still plan to work harder at reading the books that have been around my house, longer). Yippee! It was also the first book I've completed from my Spring Thing challenge list, so I'm just happy all under about that. It was a pretty fun, light book but not one I'll want to read a second time, so I'm going to offer it up for grabs for Buy a Friend a Book Week, even though I bought it a long time ago. Just leave me a message in the comment section of this post if you're interested and I'll draw a name on Saturday. I'll ship it anywhere in the world because it just wants a good home.

Here's something interesting we noticed at Faulkner's estate. See this nifty bookshelf?

I believe that shelf was in Jill Faulkner's bedroom. My husband had drifted off when I saw it and snapped a photo to record it. Later, we met up and he said, "Hey, did you see that shelf in the bedroom upstairs?" and we laughed about how stunned we both were to see a shelf like the one in our own home. If you enlarge this, please just remember that we have more dust in humid environments. It's not just that I suck at housewifing. Here's ours:

Besides the fact that this little piece of furniture is embarrassing evidence of conspicuous consumption, it also happens to have been built by my grandfather. It was tucked off to the side of my grandmother's staircase in her Nebraska basement and I happened across it after her funeral. The books that were on the shelf were actually what initially caught my eye, but I thought the bookshelf was beautiful. My father, who died unexpectedly the following year, told me Grandpa built it and asked if I'd like to buy it from the estate (because the will was outdated, everything had to be sold - really, quite a mess). I said, "Oh, wow, definitely." The greedy cousins and other relatives who had been ransacking her house had totally overlooked this little shelf and it was because of my love of books that I found it. See the painting of tulips on top, behind a candle on the left? My grandmother painted that. Those are my two treasures from their home. I'm working on trying to update the contents of this shelving unit. The bottom shelf contains a good portion of the Usborne Books I acquired (I sold Usborne Books in order to earn discounts), when I was homeschooling the eldest.


Another thing I didn't entirely forget but was too tired to mention last night . . . Yesterday was the beginning of the 30-Day Organizational Challenge. I'm not going to post a "before" photo because it's embarrassing enough admitting I have that many books crammed on Grandpa's shelf. Geez, you should see our bedroom. No, no, you shouldn't! Anyway, the objective is to choose one room or space (a closet is fine) to transform, organize and make into a useful space in a creative manner. I can always use a good kick in the pants when it comes to cleaning and organizing and I've chosen our bedroom. It is a mess, trust me. Wish me luck, strength, etc. Mostly strength to part with things we no longer need. I'm clingy, unfortunately.

Coming up: A Wahoo! Wednesday post

The Moon on a Stick by Valerie-Anne Baglietto

Being left this way was like being knocked off a known trajectory into an unknown one. But as Amy loaded a few bags and plastic storage crates into her car, recalling thankfully that the Espace, at least, was registered in her name, she realized that no path from cradle to grave could ever be truly prepared for. There was usually something just around the bend, on its way to hit you. As if you were a hedgehog and life was just one long road to cross.

Elspeth stared defiantly into the creamy liquid in her glass, where the ice was already starting to melt. In the depths of her mind, a memory stirred. Something about God not being everywhere at once, which was why he created mothers. Except she had always upheld that God was omnipotent, so this had never made sense. Strangely, however, she was now starting to see a grain of truth in it. Maybe loving, caring mothers were a good reflection of what God was really like.

Amy Croft thinks she's settled down for life. She and her partner, Nick, have three adorable boys under the age of four and have been together for 14 years. They still haven't gotten around to marrying, but Nick is slow to settle on a date and Amy has made plenty of excuses, if only to ease her own mind. She has the engagement ring, the partner and the kids, already. He works for his parents' company and she stays home. All seems in order.

But, then Nick's best friend Paul drops a bombshell. Nick has called from the airport to say he's married someone else and is leaving the country. With Paul as go-between, Amy is forced to leave their lovely apartment and move into her mother and teenage sister's small cottage. Suddenly, Amy realizes what she has been missing all along and must start all over to find the absent ingredients in her life.

This is my second read by Valerie-Anne Baglietto and I only vaguely remember the first enough to know I really enjoyed it. The pages flew; I liked Amy and most of the people in her life. The book probably fits better under the classification "women's fiction" (which I abhor) than "chick lit" or "romance", but it's partly a relationship story, primarily the tale of one woman's discovery that she can stand on her own two feet without a male to prop her up. The fact that Amy eventually finds love doesn't ruin the story; it just makes The Moon on a Stick more of a feel-good novel.

There were a few minor "reality check" moments that made this novel less than superb. The writing is fluid, so it was a quick read for 392 pages. But, now and then, some small incident would interrupt that comfy suspension of disbelief. One such occasion occurred when Amy was searching for a new home for her little family and two-year-old Mikey noted that, "There's no room for daddy to play on his 'puter when he comes back from holiday." Unless she has little baby geniuses--and there's no indication that Mikey is closer to three than two--I find it unlikely that he'd not only speak such a complete sentence but also manage to reason out that a room is small enough to be potentially unable to contain a specific item. Children are ego-centric and tend not to think of others, although some have a greater spacial understanding than others. Similar quotes by her three-year-old made me think that either the author was childless or forgetful.

Still, I enjoyed the book and tried to ignore the moments that my sense of reality was jarred. The Moon on a Stick was definitely a nice break from some heavier reads. I have no idea what the title relates to.

3.5/5

Also finished: In the Cut by Susannah Moore (I could find no image online). I picked up In the Cut and began to read it, yesterday, because I was in the mood for something short with atmosphere. The movie didn't appeal to me at all; it appeared too violent and frightening. While I had totally misjudged the story based on the movie clips viewed, I was definitely correct about the tension level. In the Cut is the story of a woman who teaches English. She has lived in 14 countries, as the daughter of a diplomat, and is quietly self-confident. When she walks in on a couple and later finds out that the woman was brutally murdered, she keeps the information to herself and gets involved in a dangerous relationship with a cop who might be a murderer. At the same time, she begins to question herself and those around her, finding herself frightened of a student who follows her home to ask for advice and a friend who sometimes watches her from his window.

In the Cut is a book that makes you think and is intelligently written but just flat sordid. The entire novel is heavily, rudely se*ual and offensive. Worst of all was the sense that cops, in general, are bad people. My overwhelming feeling, as I read the book, was: "What a waste of talent and skill." Susannah Moore can write; but, In the Cut would have been a good one to lock up in the file cabinet and label a practice manuscript. It's nasty, sinister, and in the end, horrifying. Not my thing. I can't recommend it at all and am somewhat stunned that I finished the book.

Just started: Of the Farm by John Updike.

Wouldn't be caught dead in:

These shoes. They are popular amongst the swim-club parenting crowd and I've heard they're extremely comfortable (as well as waterproof). I'd rather wear flip-flops and get blisters between my toes.

Just getting ready to: Take the sweet little fur beast for a recheck. She was due last week, but I didn't want to take the chance that she might end up stuck in a cage all weekend.

Off to search for the cat carrier. Happy Tuesday!

Spring Reading Thing Challenge

Katrina at Callapidder Days is hosting a spring reading challenge called the Spring Reading Thing. It runs from March 21 - June 21, so I'm a bit late posting; it took me a few days to decide what I wanted to read. Isn't her button unbearably cute? I love the flexibility of this challenge and have chosen four books, each for different reasons.

1. The Moon on a Stick by Valerie-Anne Baglietto - A book that has been tucked away in a cabinet for at least a year.
2. The 10-Minute Life Coach by Fiona Harrold - Read halfway, last year, and abandoned it (not deliberately; I just became preoccupied).
3. Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov - Read 64 pages, put it down somewhere and it disappeared for months.
4. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost - to see what all the fuss is about.

This may be the only new challenge I join; I haven't decided quite yet. Several other challenges appeal to me, but I think limiting the number of challenges I participate in works a little better for me.