The Toss of a Lemon

The Toss of a Lemon, by Padma Viswanathan, is a fascinating epic about a family in India, and I learned a great deal about Indian cultural and religious history from it. There are many rules about the caste system and the Hindu religion, even rather draconian measures, especially regarding widows, that are illustrated as the story follows several generations in one family. It was a terrific story, with wonderful characters and unexpected plot twists. For some reason I have a fondness for stories about India or Indian immigrant families; I'm not sure why. Maybe Indian writers are just really good at storytelling. Other books of this genre I've enjoyed include The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, which was made into a pretty good movie, and Lahiri's collection of short stories Unaccustomed Earth; Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Baudami, A Proper Education for Girls, by Elaine di Rollo, and A Good Indian Wife, by Anne Cherian.

After the Falls

After the Falls , by Catherine Gildiner, is the sequel for all those readers who wonder what happened to the quirky little girl with the extraordinary upbringing in Too Close to the Falls. As you might expect, Catherine's family life in the 60's was unusual, and when you throw in the chaotic and liberated political and social scene of the time, it makes for another fascinating memoir. There's a bit of a twist at the end which goes a little way to explain some things, but her story is still improbable and entertaining.

The Postmistress

I enjoyed The Postmistress , by Sarah Blake, particularly for its fleshing out of what I know about World War II-era Europe. The story is a sort of a romance, a little twist from the usual, but it gave me a very tangible and real sense of what it was like for the Jews who were being expelled from Europe. Don't be put off by that - it's a warm book. I liked the characters a lot, and if the last concept of the plot was just a little too coincidental, I was willing to forgive it. A nice read.

Reading and Listening

As you've probably noticed, one of my favourite goals when reading is to laugh. In order to complete my Web 2.0 training for work, I needed to listen to a podcst, so I chose an episode of Laugh Out Loud from the CBC website. It was a Mother's Day edition, and included old and new comics, from Bill Cosby to Deb Kimmet, talking about mothers. Quite a few chuckles there, and I felt de-stressed, even while "working". This might be a good thing to include on our KFPL Staffnet website - humourous podcasts to help keep the staff mellow. :)

Vacation Reading

Hello my faithful readers - sorry I've been absent for a while. Life got a little too wild for blogging, and even for reading much. In a couple of days I'm off for a much-needed vacation, and I'm hoping to plow through dozens of books in a week. Well, maybe not dozens, but a whole bunch, anyway. I'm not taking library books for fear of them ending up in the Hudson River, like Captain Sullenberg's. For the plane trip I'm carrying a trilogy of books by David Lodge, highly recommended by my friend Rosalind. In the suitcase are Sex With Kings (Eleanor Herman), Case Histories (Kate Atkinson), Little Bee (Chris Cleave), and more.I promise to let you know what I think about them, and how many I got read.

At the moment I'm enjoying You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn. This is a terrifically funny he said/she said book about their relationship; both are very clever actor/writers and are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Which is an essential life tool, in my book.

The 19th Wife

Hmmm. I'm not entirely sure what I think about this book, which purports to be the story of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young. It was engaging, in the sense that I kept reading until I was finished (except for the two days the book spent on the window sill at KCVI, accidentally left behind), and the story kept me hooked. Maybe it was the leaping around in time, between the early days of the Latter Day Saints and the present, but somehow I just didn't connect with the characters. Perhaps there was an element of frustration with the gullibility of the converts, or maybe it was the fact that 98% of the book was buildup, and then the real action of the story, Ann Eliza's escape from Brigham Young, was sort of rushed in at the end. In any case, it's a good enough read, if you're interested in the phenomenon that is Mormonism, but not one of my faves.

And God Created the Au Pair

And God Created the Au Pair is the funniest book you've never heard of. I found it by chance on the shelf at the Calvin Park Library several years ago, and laughed out loud all the way through. It's composed entirely of emails between two sisters, one in Canada and the other in England. They are comparing notes on their lives as mothers of young children, and using this outlet to keep themselves and each other sane. It is irreverent, wry and hysterically funny. If you're down in the dumps, have a look at this. I've just now discovered that the authors, Benedicte Newland and Pascale Smets, have been writing sort of a sequel, called Sister2Sister, in serial form, in the British paper The Telegraph. I hope it will be published in book form, but if not, you can read it online.

Aack! I just went to the KFPL catalaogue to check something about this book, only to find that it's gone!! I'm going to put in an RFP to replace it. In the meantime, there's a copy for sale on Amazon for 1 cent!

Cleaving

I just finished Julie Powell's book Cleaving. Wow. Quite different from Julie & Julia, but no less entertaining. Although this book contains lots of recipes and discussion of food too, there is also a heaping helping of sex and an astonishingly frank account of a difficult phase of her marriage. Add to the mix the fact that she spent six months learning to be a butcher, and then travelled around the world in search of meat-related experiences, and you have a funny, poignant, engaging and fascinating read. I highly recommend it.

Leaving the Saints

While I'm on a roll with memoir, a totally different kind of upbringing is the subject of Leaving the Saints , by Martha Beck. Some may know her as a columnist in O Magazine, but before that she was the daughter of a very senior member of the Mormon community in Provo, Utah. This book details her coming to terms with that upbringing as an adult, and it is fascinating and unsettling. (She also has another wonderful book, Expecting Adam, about the birth of her son who has Down Syndrome.)She's a brilliant woman and a wonderful writer.

Under the Tuscan Sun, Julie & Julia

More in the category of "Don't Judge a Book by its Movie": Under the Tuscan Sun , by Frances Mayes, was a delightful read about a couple's adventures restoring an ancient house in the Tuscan countryside, aided by quirky local characters and involving various calamities. The movie took the female character and created a bland, Hollywood romantic comedy for the story, missing all the humour. I can't imagine how Frances felt about it when she saw it.

Another book that is quite different from the movie is Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. Julia Child isn't even in the book, although there are a few excerpts from what appears to be her diary from early in her life. But Julie Powell's writing is funny and familiar, irreverent and irresistible. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't wait to get into her new book, Cleaving.

Milk, Eggs, Vodka

This unlikely title led me to one of the funniest books I've ever read. Milk, Eggs, Vodka, by Bill Keaggy, is a collection of found grocery lists accompanied by Bill's acerbic and hilarious commentary on the authors. A great book to give as a gift or keep on the bathroom bookshelf.

As an aside, I emailed Bill Keaggy after I read his book, to tell him my grocery list anecdote: at one time my brother went off to the A&P with his grocery list, and when he got there, he couldn't remember what he had meant when he wrote SBC on the list. He wandered up and down the aisles, scanning the shelves for something that might start with those letters. He asked a store clerk, who looked at him as though he were crazy. When my brother got home he realized that it stood for Spanish Bar Cake, that raisin-y sweet delight mass produced for the Jane Parker bakery at A&P. No wonder the clerk didn't know! At any rate, Bill wrote me back immediately. Very funny guy.

Bill Bryson

Many of my favourite books contain an element of humour, particularly dry humour. When the going gets tough, the tough get a funny book. When I was confined to bed for an extended illness recently I turned to Bill Bryson to keep me entertained. Many of his books are travelogues, technically, but he sees everything through a cynical and hilarious eye, and his style is casual and familiar. Bill and I have travelled together through England (Notes from a Small Island), Europe (Neither Here nor There), Africa (Bill Bryson's African Diary), The U.S.'s Appalachian Trail (A Walk in the Woods)and Australia (In a Sunburned Country). I love his other books too; my kids were highly entertained by his anecdote in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid about peeing on Lincoln Logs to make them turn white. Lots of fun.

Half Broke Horses, Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio

If you've read and enjoyed The Glass Castle you might want to try Half Broke Horses, Jeanette Walls' story of her grandmother's life and her mother's childhood. Again, improbable, entertaining and told with a dry wit. In the same vein, The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio, by Terry Ryan, is the story of one woman's struggle in the fifties to support her family by writing advertising jingles. As my new bookmark says, don't judge a book by its movie; the book was delightful and the movie disappointing.

A Girl Named Zippy, She Got Up off the Couch, Too Close to the Falls, The Glass Castle

Some of my past faves have been memoirs, particularly of women who overcome adversity of one kind or another. The best stories are told with a healthy dose of humour and dry wit. At the top of the list are A Girl Named Zippy and She Got Up Off the Couch, and Other Heroic Tales from Mooreland, Indiana, both by Haven Kimmel. The first is the story of her own childhood, and the second the story of her mother's life when Haven was young. Both are surprising, inspiring and funny. (I enjoyed most of her fiction too, with the exception of her latest, Iodine.) In this same category of memoir fall two books that I would not have believed were true had they not been clearly marked Biography, Catherine Gildiner's Too Close to the Falls, and Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle. Again, these were funny, improbable and without any sense of self-importance. Great reading, particularly for women "of a certain age".

I've posted cover pictures for most of the books I mentioned along the left side of the page. Click on any cover to take you to that record in the Kingston Frontenac Public Library's catalogue.