Librarian reviews of recent and upcoming titles: fiction and non-fiction.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Monday, December 15, 2014
At The Water's Edge By Sara Gruen
Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants. I read that book a loved how the story unfolded the vivid descriptions and the storytelling that revealed the plot in a tantalizing way. The ending was hinted at but not revealed until you read it. It was a great read.
At the Water's Edge is the fourth novel by Sara Gruen and it is a disappointment. My guess is that she had an idea for a Highland romance, and an idea for a WWII story set among the displaced children from London, and a couple of gay bon vivants from the twenties all in unfinished form. So she threw them all together with a dash of good humor into one plot.
You can only assume comedy when three wealthy characters straight out of a Great Gatsby knock off decide to solve all their problems by going to Scotland to search for the Loch Ness Monster. But it's not the roaring twenties! It's 1942. The two men are 4F(maybe faking 4F) and choose to sail the Atlantic towards the battlefront. They brave the German blockade to play tourist in the highlands and to hunt the Loch Ness Monster. Best straight line? The innkeeper meets the travelers. After friction over the blackout rules - he deadpans "Have ye heard there's a war on?"
Gruen is able to write a great description and she is 'spot on' with getting the social attitudes of the two male travelers in the plot. It's the only bit of characterization those two get in this novel.
Shockingly in an otherwise tame and light toned novel, Greun's descriptive power is showcased in a scene where a sympathetic female character is brutalized by her boyfriend. This scene is very raw and violent. The damage she suffered is described in detail - pain, lost teeth, scarred face, blood - irreparable damage.
The attack on the woman is ended when our hero (who does not know he is the Laird?) arrives. He uses even greater violence on the man. Later, he conspires with the local doctor to prevent the beaten man from obtaining medical help. Violence, more violence, then vengeful cruelty -- quick change up there.
Lack of character development was rampant. We get to know the heroine a bit. But she is a pastiche of stereotypes - a woman with an unhappy childhood. Her wealth did not bring her happiness.(big surprise?) It is not until she learns to make herself useful by cooking and cleaning at the Inn that she begins to understand herself and grow into a mature adult.(Really?) Yes readers sweeping the floors everyday -- in an Inn with two guests besides yourself. That arduous task brings her out of her cold and limited wealth induced state. She even went so far as to clean up her room, her husband s room and his pal's room -- on her own -- no maid involved. As she is changing, she hides her new magical housework powers from the men, because thy would not understand the spiritual powers of hanging clothes up and using a broom.
To broaden the men's horizons and to perhaps stir them to maturity, she starts to iron the newspapers in hopes that they can read the death counts of specific battles and begin to understand that they should be concerned about the suffering of others. But they are hardened cases. Even an ironed newspaper goes unread.
The violence is key reason the book is a fail. Shallow characters and farcical situations work in romances and beach reads. The violent beating of a woman was too realistic. It ruined the light romance and made this book a FAIL.
Spoiler Alert: The Bar Keep is Laird! By day he is a mild mannered barkeeper, who is mysteriously not away at war. But in the end,(ok in the first pages most can guess) he is home in Scotland because he is an instructor teaching Special Forces to carry out the most dangerous missions of the war. He has donated his ancestral lands as a training grounds. He is the fiercest of all the men. He also approves of sweeping floors. Or at least he approves of women who sweep floors. Sweeping floors arouses great passion in the Laird.
At the Water's Edge is the fourth novel by Sara Gruen and it is a disappointment. My guess is that she had an idea for a Highland romance, and an idea for a WWII story set among the displaced children from London, and a couple of gay bon vivants from the twenties all in unfinished form. So she threw them all together with a dash of good humor into one plot.
You can only assume comedy when three wealthy characters straight out of a Great Gatsby knock off decide to solve all their problems by going to Scotland to search for the Loch Ness Monster. But it's not the roaring twenties! It's 1942. The two men are 4F(maybe faking 4F) and choose to sail the Atlantic towards the battlefront. They brave the German blockade to play tourist in the highlands and to hunt the Loch Ness Monster. Best straight line? The innkeeper meets the travelers. After friction over the blackout rules - he deadpans "Have ye heard there's a war on?"
Gruen is able to write a great description and she is 'spot on' with getting the social attitudes of the two male travelers in the plot. It's the only bit of characterization those two get in this novel.
Shockingly in an otherwise tame and light toned novel, Greun's descriptive power is showcased in a scene where a sympathetic female character is brutalized by her boyfriend. This scene is very raw and violent. The damage she suffered is described in detail - pain, lost teeth, scarred face, blood - irreparable damage.
The attack on the woman is ended when our hero (who does not know he is the Laird?) arrives. He uses even greater violence on the man. Later, he conspires with the local doctor to prevent the beaten man from obtaining medical help. Violence, more violence, then vengeful cruelty -- quick change up there.
Lack of character development was rampant. We get to know the heroine a bit. But she is a pastiche of stereotypes - a woman with an unhappy childhood. Her wealth did not bring her happiness.(big surprise?) It is not until she learns to make herself useful by cooking and cleaning at the Inn that she begins to understand herself and grow into a mature adult.(Really?) Yes readers sweeping the floors everyday -- in an Inn with two guests besides yourself. That arduous task brings her out of her cold and limited wealth induced state. She even went so far as to clean up her room, her husband s room and his pal's room -- on her own -- no maid involved. As she is changing, she hides her new magical housework powers from the men, because thy would not understand the spiritual powers of hanging clothes up and using a broom.
To broaden the men's horizons and to perhaps stir them to maturity, she starts to iron the newspapers in hopes that they can read the death counts of specific battles and begin to understand that they should be concerned about the suffering of others. But they are hardened cases. Even an ironed newspaper goes unread.
The violence is key reason the book is a fail. Shallow characters and farcical situations work in romances and beach reads. The violent beating of a woman was too realistic. It ruined the light romance and made this book a FAIL.
Spoiler Alert: The Bar Keep is Laird! By day he is a mild mannered barkeeper, who is mysteriously not away at war. But in the end,(ok in the first pages most can guess) he is home in Scotland because he is an instructor teaching Special Forces to carry out the most dangerous missions of the war. He has donated his ancestral lands as a training grounds. He is the fiercest of all the men. He also approves of sweeping floors. Or at least he approves of women who sweep floors. Sweeping floors arouses great passion in the Laird.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Portraits of Women
Recently I have read three novels which are character studes of the main characters.
Nora Webster by Colin Toibin, We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas,and The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
Nora Webster is the story of a woman widowed with young children still at home. As she comes to terms with the death of her husband she finds the strength to create a new life for herself. To Nora, Maurice was the one who saved her from a suffocating small village life. He was her true love and guiding light. After his death, everything is different. She is overwhelmed by her grief andthe need of her children. The answers are not simple, but she renews her interest in life and in music as she guides her family into the future.
The Boston Girl is an historical novel told as the memoir of a grandmother as told to her granddaughter.It is less tightly focused on the main character, than Nora Webster. When the young granddaughter asks 85 year old Addie, "How did you get to be teh woman you are today?" The answer begins in 1915 Boston with the story of Addie a 12 yr old daughter of immigrant Jewish parents. Addie joined the Girls Club at the Settlement House Library. In the girls club she meets three friends that stay with her to adulthood. The Girls club encourages girls to be independent and strong individuals. Through the support of friends and the resources of the club, Addie realizes most of her dreams and ambitions.
We Are Not Ourselves is a story about Eileen Tumulty. The novel opens in 1944. Eileen is just a child in a family impacted by financial strains, alcohol and explosive emotions. Her father is a natural politician, popular with the local men; he is a leader in the Irish immigrant community. His daughter has many of his strong characteristics, but she is not continuing in his path.
The second half of the novel focuses on Eileen as a married woman whose husband has early onset altzheimer's disease. Although she is a nurse with a successful career and credentials. This disease takes her by surprise. Her husband's rapid decline and death are devastating to her relationship with her son and to her understanding of herself. At the close of the novel, Eileen has come to terms with her husband's death and has begun a new relationship with her son.
All three novels portray women at middle age rebuilding their lives. As a society we no longer expect widowhood to be the end of a woman's role in the community and in her family. These three very different takes on midlife all depict woman facing the challenges of starting fresh. All three are hopeful, active characters in their own right. They are able to effect positive change in their relationships and communities. Each woman makes many decisions, some emotionally driven. Just like real women, they do not always do the 'right thing'. But in each case the mistakes are not used as a excuse to fail.
Nora Webster by Colin Toibin, We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas,and The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
Nora Webster is the story of a woman widowed with young children still at home. As she comes to terms with the death of her husband she finds the strength to create a new life for herself. To Nora, Maurice was the one who saved her from a suffocating small village life. He was her true love and guiding light. After his death, everything is different. She is overwhelmed by her grief andthe need of her children. The answers are not simple, but she renews her interest in life and in music as she guides her family into the future.
The Boston Girl is an historical novel told as the memoir of a grandmother as told to her granddaughter.It is less tightly focused on the main character, than Nora Webster. When the young granddaughter asks 85 year old Addie, "How did you get to be teh woman you are today?" The answer begins in 1915 Boston with the story of Addie a 12 yr old daughter of immigrant Jewish parents. Addie joined the Girls Club at the Settlement House Library. In the girls club she meets three friends that stay with her to adulthood. The Girls club encourages girls to be independent and strong individuals. Through the support of friends and the resources of the club, Addie realizes most of her dreams and ambitions.
We Are Not Ourselves is a story about Eileen Tumulty. The novel opens in 1944. Eileen is just a child in a family impacted by financial strains, alcohol and explosive emotions. Her father is a natural politician, popular with the local men; he is a leader in the Irish immigrant community. His daughter has many of his strong characteristics, but she is not continuing in his path.
The second half of the novel focuses on Eileen as a married woman whose husband has early onset altzheimer's disease. Although she is a nurse with a successful career and credentials. This disease takes her by surprise. Her husband's rapid decline and death are devastating to her relationship with her son and to her understanding of herself. At the close of the novel, Eileen has come to terms with her husband's death and has begun a new relationship with her son.
All three novels portray women at middle age rebuilding their lives. As a society we no longer expect widowhood to be the end of a woman's role in the community and in her family. These three very different takes on midlife all depict woman facing the challenges of starting fresh. All three are hopeful, active characters in their own right. They are able to effect positive change in their relationships and communities. Each woman makes many decisions, some emotionally driven. Just like real women, they do not always do the 'right thing'. But in each case the mistakes are not used as a excuse to fail.
Learning about Cookbooks
I have begun to read cookbooks. Not t learn how to cook, but because I am selecting cookbooks for a large urban library collection.
Egg - an entire book devoted to eggs. And the recipes were not exotic - trying to impress a foodie. These were very good easy to do recipes, including advice on hard boiling eggs.
Momofuku - this was a more complicated book. I preferred the Anthony Bourdain series Mind of a chef which showcased the chef creator of the Momofuku restaurant chain, David Chang.
NomNom Paleo Cookbook - Paleo sounds like a very weird way to eat. The paleolitic era was not a cool time for humans. I loved teh recipies in teh book even though I think the whole philosophy is not for me. NomNom recipies are interesting, easy, and great for families with gluten intolerance or milk/dairy allergy.
The text conveys the author's enthusiasm. This book is related to the blog of the same name.
Egg - an entire book devoted to eggs. And the recipes were not exotic - trying to impress a foodie. These were very good easy to do recipes, including advice on hard boiling eggs.
Momofuku - this was a more complicated book. I preferred the Anthony Bourdain series Mind of a chef which showcased the chef creator of the Momofuku restaurant chain, David Chang.
NomNom Paleo Cookbook - Paleo sounds like a very weird way to eat. The paleolitic era was not a cool time for humans. I loved teh recipies in teh book even though I think the whole philosophy is not for me. NomNom recipies are interesting, easy, and great for families with gluten intolerance or milk/dairy allergy.
The text conveys the author's enthusiasm. This book is related to the blog of the same name.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Dystopian Kitchens
It started ( for me) with Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. The private college grad decides cooking is for him, so he goes to NYC to work in the kitchens and learn the trade.
Of course he also has a degree and he is talented enough to turn this all into a very engaging book. Bourdain describes the hard work that kitchen staffs do. He describes the worksites hot, cramped, and dominated by dictatorial chefs. the chefs are under pressure to control every detail and produce top quality consistent meals as quickly as possible. Needless to say, the priority is not on comfort for the staff.
Frequently kitchen staff are drawn from new immigrants. They are paid minimally. Working exploitive schedules allows restaurants to continue to offer affordable meals to appreciative customers. Bourdain did not reveal a pretty picture of the kitchen work staff.
And since then more writers are taking up the setting in Fiction and non fiction. The theme is that the kitchen is a nasty place to work - but that it part of restaurant culture and restaurant life. Working while everyone else is 'playing' bonds the kitchen staff into a select group. They get off work 2-4 AM. They start either 6AM or maybe - with luck 4PM. They work closely with a small group of people who share the praise when all goes well, pulls together to save each other from disasters and feel the pain jointly when things go colossally wrong.
Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line by Michael Gibney is continues the dystopian kitchen story. Written in the second person this book pulls the reader into the rhythm of the long long day. Starting with supervising prep work in the morning 'we' work through to 2am. Moring shift starts 8am. It hardly seems worth going home.
Chop Chop: A Novel by Simon Wroe is a new novel set in a London restaurant. Aside form some of the slang and places names- this novel could be set anywhere. It plays the themes of eccentric chefs, outrageous co workers and the bonding into a team that happens in kitchens across the globe.
What I see in this genre of books is that the authors never complain about conditions - they never plot lawsuits or strike against unfair conditions. The staff seems to develop pride of having survived in tough conditions. they are challenged by the work -- not overwhelmed by it. Staff members are free to be as much themselves as the chef is -- as long as the job gets done on time and with quality. If things are not working out, kitchen staff move along to other restaurants. The turn over is high and the ambitious staff move up from station to station in kitchen. Hard work is appreciated and rewarded.
In sum, the kitchen staff is very similar to 19th C sailors. Crews work hard, play hard and bond together as a unit. I expect this genre will continue as it appeals to a wide band of readers.
Of course he also has a degree and he is talented enough to turn this all into a very engaging book. Bourdain describes the hard work that kitchen staffs do. He describes the worksites hot, cramped, and dominated by dictatorial chefs. the chefs are under pressure to control every detail and produce top quality consistent meals as quickly as possible. Needless to say, the priority is not on comfort for the staff.
Frequently kitchen staff are drawn from new immigrants. They are paid minimally. Working exploitive schedules allows restaurants to continue to offer affordable meals to appreciative customers. Bourdain did not reveal a pretty picture of the kitchen work staff.
And since then more writers are taking up the setting in Fiction and non fiction. The theme is that the kitchen is a nasty place to work - but that it part of restaurant culture and restaurant life. Working while everyone else is 'playing' bonds the kitchen staff into a select group. They get off work 2-4 AM. They start either 6AM or maybe - with luck 4PM. They work closely with a small group of people who share the praise when all goes well, pulls together to save each other from disasters and feel the pain jointly when things go colossally wrong.
Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line by Michael Gibney is continues the dystopian kitchen story. Written in the second person this book pulls the reader into the rhythm of the long long day. Starting with supervising prep work in the morning 'we' work through to 2am. Moring shift starts 8am. It hardly seems worth going home.
Chop Chop: A Novel by Simon Wroe is a new novel set in a London restaurant. Aside form some of the slang and places names- this novel could be set anywhere. It plays the themes of eccentric chefs, outrageous co workers and the bonding into a team that happens in kitchens across the globe.
What I see in this genre of books is that the authors never complain about conditions - they never plot lawsuits or strike against unfair conditions. The staff seems to develop pride of having survived in tough conditions. they are challenged by the work -- not overwhelmed by it. Staff members are free to be as much themselves as the chef is -- as long as the job gets done on time and with quality. If things are not working out, kitchen staff move along to other restaurants. The turn over is high and the ambitious staff move up from station to station in kitchen. Hard work is appreciated and rewarded.
In sum, the kitchen staff is very similar to 19th C sailors. Crews work hard, play hard and bond together as a unit. I expect this genre will continue as it appeals to a wide band of readers.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
3 Books that Influence Amazon
The 3 Books Amazon's Jeff Bezos Asks His Senior Managers To Read
Sep. 25, 2013, 5:02 PM 56,621 5
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos holds up the new Kindle Fire at a news conference during the launch of Amazon's new tablets in New York, Sept. 28, 2011.
Jeff Bezos is one of the most successful entrepreneurs out there, able to build a company deeply integrated into people's lives, all but ignoring Wall Street, and constantly looking toward the future.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't value other people's advice. In a post on LinkedIn, CNBC tech correspondent Jon Fortt said the Amazon CEO had three all-day book clubs for his senior managers over the summer.
It's not a surprising management technique from a man who revers the written word. He typically starts meetings of his "S-team" of senior executives with 30 minutes of silence while they read through dense, six-page printed memos, so they're all starting with the same ideas and framework in mind.
In the recent book clubs, Bezos had those top executives read classics that helped him sketch out the future of his company. They are:
"The Effective Executive" by Peter Drucker
Drucker is one of the principal founders of modern management theory, helping create and broadly popularize ideas that seem commonplace now, like the fact that companies should be decentralized rather than run via command and control, and "management by objectives," where both leaders and employees work toward a set of goals they understand and agree on.
This particular book focuses on how to develop the personal habits of time management and effective decision-making that allow an executive to stay productive and contribute their best to an organization.
"The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen
This book, first published in 1997, can safely be called one of the most influential business books of all time. Even if the term "disruption" has since been co-opted by the startup world and dramatically overused, his core theory of how businesses get disrupted is just as relevant today. New technology allows smaller companies to make cheaper products, which at first appeal only to customers at the margins. But before the largest businesses realize it, they take over entire markets.
"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
The last book is very different from the two previous ones. It's not a classical business book based on a series of studies of a real-world company, but is instead a novel about a manager tasked with turning around a failing manufacturing plant. It sounds strange, but it was a best-seller and has helped spawn business theories in its own right.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
The 3 Books Amazon's Jeff Bezos Asks His Senior Managers To Read
Sep. 25, 2013, 5:02 PM 56,621 5
Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos holds up the new Kindle Fire at a news conference during the launch of Amazon's new tablets in New York, Sept. 28, 2011.
Jeff Bezos is one of the most successful entrepreneurs out there, able to build a company deeply integrated into people's lives, all but ignoring Wall Street, and constantly looking toward the future.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't value other people's advice. In a post on LinkedIn, CNBC tech correspondent Jon Fortt said the Amazon CEO had three all-day book clubs for his senior managers over the summer.
It's not a surprising management technique from a man who revers the written word. He typically starts meetings of his "S-team" of senior executives with 30 minutes of silence while they read through dense, six-page printed memos, so they're all starting with the same ideas and framework in mind.
In the recent book clubs, Bezos had those top executives read classics that helped him sketch out the future of his company. They are:
"The Effective Executive" by Peter Drucker
Drucker is one of the principal founders of modern management theory, helping create and broadly popularize ideas that seem commonplace now, like the fact that companies should be decentralized rather than run via command and control, and "management by objectives," where both leaders and employees work toward a set of goals they understand and agree on.
This particular book focuses on how to develop the personal habits of time management and effective decision-making that allow an executive to stay productive and contribute their best to an organization.
"The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen
This book, first published in 1997, can safely be called one of the most influential business books of all time. Even if the term "disruption" has since been co-opted by the startup world and dramatically overused, his core theory of how businesses get disrupted is just as relevant today. New technology allows smaller companies to make cheaper products, which at first appeal only to customers at the margins. But before the largest businesses realize it, they take over entire markets.
"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
The last book is very different from the two previous ones. It's not a classical business book based on a series of studies of a real-world company, but is instead a novel about a manager tasked with turning around a failing manufacturing plant. It sounds strange, but it was a best-seller and has helped spawn business theories in its own right.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
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