Lonely Graves by Britta Bolt

Lonely Graves is the first book in a crime fiction series written by Britta Bohler and Rodney Bolt under the pen name of Britta Bolt. Both authors draw on their professional and life experiences to write what I think will be a fantastic series.

The Lonely Funerals series features Pieter Posthumus (Pieter is relieved when others do not comment on his last name at first meeting), a team member of the council department known as the Lonely Funerals team. The Lonely Funerals team is responsible for visiting the homes of those who die without family or friends willing to wrap up the deceased's affairs and take care of funeral arrangements. Pieter cares deeply for those deceased persons whose files appear on his desk, and he goes about making final arrangements for them with the utmost respect. Pieter is not a detective but, of course, there is going to be something suspicious and complex with each death that draws him into investigating. If the first in the series is a good measure, the investigations will lead into crimes surrounding very current issues (immigration and terrorism in this case).

The Lonely Funerals series is off to a good start for me. I like the character of Pieter Posthumus and look forward to seeing him develop further as the series continues. I was a bit scattered as I tried to keep track of character names, and was stretched a bit by some regional descriptions because I have no familiarity with Amsterdam, but I found myself easing into it as the story and characters developed - this was aided by a list of Dramatis Personae in the front of the book (thank you Authors!). The pacing of the book was good, especially since the authors needed to spend time developing new characters and settings. The pace picked up toward the end of the book as the pieces of the crime(s) started coming together. I stayed up way too late reading in order to see what would happen!

Books two and three in the series are already on my reading stack and I look forward to jumping into book two right away. I really want to spend more time with Pieter and (hopefully) some recurring characters that are a part of his life - this is an excellent sign of my enjoyment.

I highly recommend this if you like crime fiction, a flawed and compassionate main character, and a plot that draws you into the story.

Books Read 2016

Note from Terri: My apologies to those who have viewed this more than once. I was delayed in completing the list and forgot I had scheduled it to post automatically - twice. The following list is finally the finished version. Thank you for sticking with me, Friends!

January

The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - MONTHLY FAVORITE
My Brilliant Friend (The Neapolitan Novels, #1) by Elena Ferrante
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Martian by Andy Weir

February

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) by Becky Chambers
Jubilee by Margaret Walker - MONTHLY FAVORITE
The Garden Intrigue Lauren Willig
Singing to a Bulldog by Anson Williams

March

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
Turbulence by Samit Basu
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
True Grit by Charles Portis - MONTHLY FAVORITE
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki
Rock with Wings: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel by Anne Hillerman
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - FAVORITE RE-READ

April

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Orlando by Virginia Woolf - MONTHLY FAVORITE
The Dark Gnu and Other Poems by Wendy Videlock
Foreigner (Foreigner, #1) by C.J. Cherryh
Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner
Slade House by David Mitchell
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore

May

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Slingshots and Love Plums by Wendy Videlock
The Hours by Michael Cunningham - MONTHLY FAVORITE
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor
Labyrinth (Languedoc Trilogy, #1) by Kate Mosse
The Future is Japanese by Nick Mamatas

June

Light Years by James Salter - MONTHLY FAVORITE
Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente
Dream London by Tony Ballantyne
Dream Paris by Tony Ballantyne
Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend

July

Hild by Nicola Griffith
The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke - MONTHLY FAVORITE

August

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
Before the Feast by Sasa Stanisic
The Healing by Jonathan Odell - MONTHLY FAVORITE
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham | Review
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
In the Cafe of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano | Review
The Decision by Britta Bohler
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

September

The Dogs of Riga (Wallander #2) by Henning Mankell - MONTHLY FAVORITE
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt
Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

October

The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov - MONTHLY FAVORITE (Re-read)
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson
The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia by Michael Booth
I Remember You: A Ghost Story by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Girl Jacked by Christopher Greyson

November

Jack Knifed by Christopher Greyson
Jacks Are Wild by Christopher Greyson
The Cozy Life by Pia Edberg
Jack and the Giant Killer by Christopher Greyson
The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes - MONTHLY FAVORITE
Data Jack by Christopher Greyson
Thanksgiving by Melanie Kirkpatrick
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

December

Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny - MONTHLY FAVORITE
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

The Decision by Britta Bohler

Title: The Decision
Author: Britta Bohler
Publisher: Haus Publishing
Year: First published 2013; this edition 2015
Pages: 169
Translator: Translated from the Dutch by Jeannette K. Ringold

The German author, Thomas Mann, lived for three years in self-imposed exile from his German homeland as the Nazi regime grew more powerful and influential. Mann never spoke publicly against the Nazi regime during this time, but during a three day period in early 1936 circumstances forced him to decide whether he would speak out or remain silent. Britta Bohler dramatizes Mann's possible thoughts as he wrestles with this historic decision in her short novel, The Decision.

Mann struggled with a complex array of doubts and fears. He was a German who wrote in German for a German readership, upon which he was financially dependent. He had a Jewish wife and a Jewish publisher. He did not arrive at his decision to speak out in an orderly fashion, but in a messy human way, with fear often driving his thoughts.

Through the intimate narrative of the novel, the reader gets a glimpse of Mann and the things that interested and drove him. For instance, thoughts about music and writing ...

"[H]e always remained a musician in his writing. Music is the prototype of all art. The form of the novel is nothing but a composition in words, a symphony of ideas. A work of counterpoint, an ensemble of contrasts and harmony."

... thoughts on exile and asking what it means to be German ...

"What does it mean, a home? A country, a city, a memory?"

... and thoughts about slow travel ...

"... train travel. The slow passing of the world, the gradual changes in the landscape that prepare the traveler for his arrival in new surroundings."

In one scene, Mann is looking out at the night sky and thinking about the speed of light and how the stars shining there may no longer exist. He is doing this instead of attending to work related tasks. I could relate. It is so much more fun to think and wonder than to work.

It was details such as these that gripped me while reading The Decision and the only real complaint about the book that I can make is that I wanted more. I wanted more about "the gap between being an artist and bourgeois life," and "the artist as a pure spirit" with a mystical "cast of mind."

Britta Bohler is no stranger to the struggle between individuals and governments. She is an international human rights lawyer who has defended individuals against the abuse of governmental power and, as such, brings a unique outlook to this three day period in the life of Thomas Mann. I don't know a lot about Mann, but the book has a ring of authenticity and is a psychologically convincing look at a man agonizing over a decision that would cut him off from his homeland and put him at odds with an abusive regime.

"There is so much in a life that is not lived."

- from The Decision

Returning to BookTube!

Watch this video http://youtu.be/lVCWc9jI78o

I've decided to try and revive my YouTube channel after a two year "break." I really did not plan to be gone that long, but you know how these things go once you get out of practice. Come by and say hello and look for more videos in the very near future. I'm not sure what kind of schedule to follow yet, but if you are subscribed to the channel you should see videos when they appear. Hope to see you!

In the Cafe of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano

Title: In the Cafe of Lost Youth
Author: Patrick Modiano
Translator: Translated from the French by Chris Clarke
Publisher: New York Review Books
Year: First published in 2007; this edition published 2016.
Pages: 118

In the Cafe of Lost Youth takes place in the Paris of the 1950s. Paris is known as the "city of light," but this short novel looks into the shadows of that city and the bohemians that wandered it and frequented its cafes.

The focus of the story is a twenty-two year old woman, named Jacqueline Delanque, who quietly arrives one day at the Cafe Conde -- no one is quite sure when she first began frequenting the cafe -- and sticks to the shadows. Who is Jacqueline Delanque? What is her past? Why does she haunt the Cafe Conde? No one knows. She is eventually given the nickname Louki by the other habitues of the cafe and enfolded into that small group; she is, in a sense, baptized or given a "second birth" whereby her past becomes unimportant.

The story is told by four narrators -- the mysterious Louki and three others who are themselves only partially revealed. I believe it is the author's intent to keep his characters shrouded in order to create an atmosphere that is reflective of the Paris he is trying to portray; this may be somewhat disconcerting to readers who are looking for character development and a reason to care about those characters. This tactic does create modest suspense though.

Major themes of In the Cafe of Lost Youth are identity, memory, time, and escape. The theme that stood out to me is that of escape. Louki is clearly trying to escape, but from what or from whom? A sense of discontent, always seeking, never finding -- this is Louki. She is self aware enough to reveal, "I was never really myself when I wasn't running away."

Generally, where there is a desire to escape there is also a search. Again, a search for what? Perhaps we are provided a clue in a small detail. Louki is given a copy of Lost Horizon to read, which she carries about with her and conspicuously displays. This is a book about a search for paradise. Maybe this is what Louki and the other wanderers seek -- an undefined paradise.

In the Cafe of Lost Youth is a melancholy little piece that leaves the characters and the reader without any true resolution, yet I am strangely drawn to it. Perhaps it speaks to my own "lost youth" and the restless need to escape and seek out that indefinable paradise.

"At the halfway point of the journey making up real life, we were surrounded by a gloomy melancholy, one expressed by so very many derisive and sorrowful words in the cafe of the lost youth." -- Guy Debord

____________________________________

Read this book if you are looking for a quiet and moody story that will make you think. Do not expect a tidy plot with resolution or full character development. This is a reflective piece.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

I recently read The Day of the Triffids and wanted to follow up with another John Wyndham, The Chrysalids. Both books are post-apocalyptic novels of the time in which they were written and represent many of the fears and thinking of the mid-twentieth century (at least as I know them from a North American perspective, which apparently aligned at least somewhat with those in Great Britain). Mid-century issues of cultural confrontation, the generation gap, and a geographical shift of power and progress from current locations are well represented in The Chrysalids. One could spend a fair bit of time discussing the use of metaphor as well - deviance and telepathy as metaphors for greater issues - and whether these are still effective means for communicating current concerns.

I would describe the tone of the book as somewhat secularly preachy (is this a thing?), but the book is overall a good post-apocalyptic story that will give the reader something to think about.

On Writing and Not Writing

Moon set and sunrise from my porch this morning

I've been lamenting the fact that I don't seem to get around to personal writing anymore. I used to write personal essays and book reviews at Tip of the Iceberg (it's all still there) and then, more recently, book reviews and thoughts here at Terri Talks Books. Lately I can't even seem to write a brief book review. I hang on to this bookish community and participate mainly by tracking my reading on Goodreads, posting photos on my Instagram account, and chatting everyone up on Twitter. Why? I don't really know why. Life. Work related writing. Vague and unexplainable REASONS.

My current read is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and I am loving it. It seems to speak to my soul in some way. It is about life in all of its joy and lonliness and is supported in this by the setting ... by turns harsh and bleak, and short and fecund. This book reminds me of one I read in January four years ago, Touch by Alexi Zentner, so I went back to see what I had written. I found a thoughtful piece of writing that took me by surprise. I wrote that? Why am I not still writing? Again. You can go back and read the entire "review" if you'd like, but here is how I wrapped it up:

We have our own harsh yet beautiful forests that we walk through; forests that are sometimes tinged with a touch of the magical. Those places that hold memories and perhaps the lingering presence of those we have loved and lost. This is how they live on ... we remember them and we tell their stories; we pass them to the next generation. We walk again in those places where those stories have their beginnings and middles and ends. We can almost see them, feel their presence as though they have left something of themselves behind ... which, of course, they have ...

Well.

This little bit of my own writing has at least partially inspired me to "take up the pen" and write something today. I should write more often. I hope I do.

Books Read 2015

January

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (mini review)
2. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata (mini review)
3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (mini review)
4. Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton (mini review)
5. Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson (mini review)
6. As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (mini review)
7. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson (mini review)
8. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (mini review)

February

9. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (review) (mini review)
10. The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (mini review)
11. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (mini review)
12. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (mini review)
13. Family by J. California Cooper (mini review)
14. Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction (mini review)
15. Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction (mini review)
16. Hawkeye, Vol. 3: L.A. Woman by Matt Fraction (mini review)
17. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (mini review)

March

18. Life Is Short But Wide by J. California Cooper
19. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
20. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
21. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
22. The Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding
23. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
24. The Female Factory by Lisa L. Hannett
25. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

April

26. Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima
27. Ammonite by Nicola Griffith
28. Tokyo: A Certain Style by Kyoichi Tsuzuki
29. Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
30. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

May

31. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
32. Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
33. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
34. Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe

June

35. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
36. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
37. The Buried Pyramid by Jane Lindskold
38. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
39. And the Good News Is ... by Dana Perino

July

40. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
41. Strangers by Taichi Yamada
42. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
43. Wool by Hugh Howey

August

44. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
45. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagehara
46. Chasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez
47. Harmony by Project Itoh
48. The Hunters by James Salter
49. The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe

September

50. The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
51. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
52. The Burning Dark by Adam Christopher
53. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

October

54. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
55. Fledgling by Octavia Butler
56. Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon
57. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
58. It's a Big World, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz
59. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
60. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
61. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

November

62. The Chamber by John Grisham
63. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
64. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley
65. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
66. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
67. Brightness Falls From the Air by James Tiptree Jr.
68. The Curse of the Pharoahs by Elizabeth Peters

December

69. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
70. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
71. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
72. A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer
73. The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
74. My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff
75. Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman
76. The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Monthly Reading Wrap-up: February 2015

I read nine (9) books in February, but before you start getting really impressed by my reading speed I will admit up front that:

• none of these books was very long ...
• they were all fast, easy reads ...
• one was a children's chapter book ...
• and three of them were comics.

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
Sputnik Sweetheart is a melancholy love story, a detective story, and a surreal mystery all wrapped up into a meditation on the human condition of longing and loneliness.

I read this book as a buddy read with Sabrina at Unmanaged Mischief. She has a fantastic channel on YouTube that you should check out. I also read this as part of my own reading goals for 2015 to read at least one piece of Japanese Literature per month.

I've written a full review of Sputnik Sweetheart that you can find here.

Recommended: Recommended for those who like to read Japanese literature or who have read other works by Murakami. If you don't like magical realism or can't stand ambiguous endings, then you might want to give this one a pass.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

“You don’t have a home until you leave it and then, when you have left it, you never can go back."

Giovanni's Room is set in 1950s Paris. It is about an American and other expatriates living lives of sexual liaisons outside of the conventional morality of the time - most especially outside of the conventional morality of America. The main character is torn between his desire to live a life of passion with those of his same sex and an equally strong desire to follow a conventional pathway of marriage, home, and children. Through the main character we find the above quote about home to be applicable to both country and relationships - sometimes you can never go back. I found the writing to be beautiful, the story depressing, and the characters overly self involved. Even so, I liked the book immensely!

I read this book as part of my personal reading goals for Black History Month.

Many reading and other events took place online during the month of February for Black History Month. One of these events was #ReadSoulLit, a photo challenge, hosted by Didi via both Twitter and Instagram. She also hosted various reader videos on her YouTube channel, frenchiedee. You can find out more about #ReadSoulLit on her blog, Brown Girl Reading. I highly recommend both her blog and her YouTube channel!

Recommended: Recommended if you like beautiful writing, stories of sexual exploration, or stories of ex-pats living in Paris during mid-twentieth century.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Family by J. California Cooper
Family is one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. It is set in the Civil War era and is the history of four generations of a slave family. It is a novel filled with some of the greatest ugliness that humankind can inflict on each other as well as a testament to love, hope, persistence, and family.

I read this book as part of my personal reading goals for Black History Month.

Watch this lovely video of J. California Cooper reading her "Wild Stars Seeking Midnight" in 2007 or this interview with the author in 2013.

Recommended: Everyone should read this!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Odd and the Frost Giants is a short novel inspired by Norse Mythology. It is full of gods and giants and is simply magical. A little boy named Odd comes across a fox, a bear, and an eagle while out in the forests of Norway. They tell a strange story and then embark with Odd on a journey to save Asgard from the Frost Giants and bring Winter to an end.

Gaiman's stories are hit and miss for me, but this one is absolutely delightful.

Gaiman shines when reading his own work and I had the good fortune to hear him read a part of this story a few years back at UCLA. Here is a video snippet of Gaiman reading from this book (from an appearance at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA).

Recommended: Fans of Gaiman must read this. I would also recommend it to those interested in mythology or to those simply looking for a delightful and magical read.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Iron Jackal (Ketty Jay) by Chris Wooding
I'm tempted to say, "Just read it! It's FUN!" The Iron Jackal is non-stop action packed adventure with a bunch of wisecracking characters aboard the Ketty Jay (spacecraft) that reminds me of the crew of Joss Whedon's Firefly. The crew of the Ketty Jay are a bunch of misfits who learn to pull together and become the family that none of them has outside of the crew.

The Iron Jackal is the third of four books about the crew of the Ketty Jay.

Recommended: Recommended for those who like action-adventure, wise-cracking characters that you can come to love, and just all around fun reading. Those who liked the Firefly series by Joss Whedon will probably LOVE this series.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad) by David Eddings
A fantasy book full of adventure, magic, and mystery. It is a story of war between gods and the men who follow those gods. Sorcerers, prophecies, objects of immense power, and quests fill this fantasy. What I like best about this first book in a series of five, is the storytelling. I feel that Eddings is telling me an ancient story and I really want to know what happens next. Good thing I've got the next book in the series!

Recommended: Recommended for those who like classic fantasy and a good story.
Rating: not yet rated (I will rate this when I've finished the series)




Hawkeye: My Life As a Weapon by Matt Fraction
Hawkeye: Little Hits by Matt Fraction
Hawkeye: L.A. Woman by Matt Fraction
Comic series about Marvel character Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, as he fights for justice with Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye and ex-Young Avenger, by his side. These comics are fast paced and tell the story of what Clint Barton does when he's not being an Avenger. Because of this, familiarity with the Avengers story lines are not necessary to enjoy these Hawkeye comics. The third in the series, L.A. Woman, features Kate Bishop, a real kick-ass lady!

For a much better look at these comics, you really should go visit Memory Scarlett at her blog, In the Forest of Stories. She is much more expert with comics in general and Hawkeye comics (and Kate Bishop!) in particular:

• My Year With Marvel: Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye
• My Year With Marvel: Kate Bishop

Recommended: For fans of the Avengers, Marvel comics, kick-ass action, and style.
Rating: 3 and 4 stars out of 5
(5 stars for the stylish artwork that made me want to rip my copies apart to frame the individual issue cover art)

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

“Why do people have to be this lonely? What’s the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?”

One of my reading goals for 2015 is to read a piece of Japanese literature per month and I chose Sputnik Sweetheart as my choice for February. I'm not the only one reading Japanese Literature this year. Sabrina at Unmanaged Mischief has a reading project called Year of Murakami and plans to read twelve books by Murakami this year. While my reading project is not focused exclusively on this one author, I am reading several Murakami novels. Sabrina was reading Sputnik Sweetheart in February so I thought I'd join her.

Synopsis
Sputnik Sweetheart is narrated by K, a teacher in love with an aspiring novelist named Sumire. Sumire views K as her best friend but is, herself, smitten with a sophisticated businesswoman named Miu. Sumire spends many hours talking with K about the big questions of life before accompanying Miu to Europe and then on to a tiny Greek island. It is on this Greek island that Sumire reveals to Miu that she is in love with her, but this love is not reciprocated. Soon after this revelation, Sumire disappears "like smoke." Miu makes a desperate call for help to K who hurries off to the Greek island in search of his friend. K discovers that something very strange has happened to Sumire even as he has his own haunting visions and uncovers the strange history of Miu.

Sputnik Sweetheart is a melancholy love story, a detective story, and a surreal mystery all wrapped up into a meditation on the human condition of longing and loneliness.

Themes, Writing, Thoughts
The usual Murakami themes of isolation, loneliness, and alienation are present in Sputnik Sweetheart. The title refers, in part, to Sputnik 2. Sputnik 2 was the first spaceship to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika, into space. It was rumored that Laika lived for a while, circling alone above the Earth. This was likely not true, but the image of a dog looking longingly out the window at the Earth persists. This image is used by Murakami in Sputnik Sweetheart to represent the human condition of longing and loneliness. We streak soundlessly, alone, across life. We are all truly alone when it comes down to it. We are like Sputniks orbiting around each other in isolation, unable to connect.

In Sputnik Sweetheart the characters are not only alienated from each other, but are also alienated from themselves and experience a type of self obliteration. Sumire tells K that she has "this strange feeling I'm not myself anymore" and appears to melt away "like a chunk of ice left out in the sun." She mysteriously flees the real world. This is where the story becomes Murakami-esque. Has Sumire truly vanished or has she simply had a mental break? Is Murakami using her physical disappearance as a psychological metaphor? We are left to ask ourselves what is real and what is unreal. Perhaps the more accurate question should be, "What is true?" A fictional account can represent the truth of something while still being fiction. I'm reminded of a quote from another novel by Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: "More often than not I've observed that convenient approximations bring you closest to comprehending the true nature of things." Perhaps the physical disappearance of Sumire in the story is a convenient approximation of the true nature of Sumire's psychological condition. Murakami does not always make it clear when he is using a "sign or a symbol" and often requires us to put our own interpretation on things, and this can be uncomfortable. In Sputnik Sweetheart, Murakami draws us into what appears to be a straightforward storyline and mystery, but then he releases us into a place that does not have clear lines.

I anticipated the themes presented in Sputnik Sweetheart since they are common to all of Murakami's works that I have read thus far. He handles these themes in an unusual way. I hesitate to call what Murakami does Magical Realism, since I think it goes beyond that, but I'm not sure what else to call it. I generally find meaning in Murakami's works in a less cognitive way. I have written a bit about this in the essay and book reviews that are linked below.

The shift from straightforward storyline into that fuzzy weird place was a bit disconcerting in Sputnik Sweetheart because it took place quite late in the story. I'm not sure what to make of that yet. As is usual with my reading of Murakami, I will have to let this book and story settle into a less cognitive area of my brain and see what comes of it in future. I anticipate that I will make some odd connections much later when I least expect it!

Recommendation
I recommend Sputnik Sweetheart for those who like to read Japanese literature and/or those specifically interested in the works of Haruki Murakami. I also recommend it for those interested in the themes of loneliness, longing, and alienation and/or those with an interest in psychological metaphor. Those who can not abide story lines with ambiguous or blurry lines of reality might want to take a pass on this.

More of my writing about Murakami is available on my personal essay blog, Tip of the Iceberg. You can find those pieces here if you are interested:

• Understanding Haruki Murakami (essay)
• Kafka on the Shore (review)
• After Dark (review)

Monthly Reading Wrap-up: January 2015

I read eight (8) books in the month of January. I'm not sure how that happened. I wasn't trying to read so many books in one month! I generally read four (4) or five (5) books most months. I am actually trying to read a little LESS in 2015. I want to focus on other areas of my life as well as allow time to read more deeply and THINK about what I've read. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a race. I also want time to write reviews and otherwise blog about my reading. This all plays into my focus word for 2015, BALANCE.

Here is what I read:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Note: My copy includes both Little Women and Good Wives

I started reading Little Women in December, but with all of the busyness of the Christmas and New Year holidays I didn't finish it until well into January. This book was a re-read for me. I read this as a child and that was so many years ago that it was almost like reading it for the first time. It was interesting for me to read this as an adult and compare my childhood memory of it to my adult impressions. It is a very sweet book and I accepted that sweetness at face value when I was a child, but as an adult I did find myself trying not to roll my eyes at the same sweetness that seems somewhat manipulative now. I was able to get past this though by reminding myself that it was published in 1868 (Little Women) and 1869 (Good Wives) and has elements of both Romantic and Sentimental novels. It would make a fascinating study as a piece of Feminist Literature. This book helps to fulfill my Classics Club reading goal.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Anyone looking for a good old fashioned read or interested in Feminist Literature.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata

This book was such a quiet read. The writing was beautiful, which was expected from this author. Last year I read Snow Country by Kawabata, and it too was a quiet and rather melancholy novel; I'm guessing that this may be a pattern with Kawabata. The Sound of the Mountain is a novel about a family and told from the perspective of the aging patriarch. It is full of the types of questions one might ask when facing one's mortality. This is a very thoughtful piece that I plan to review more fully, so watch for that review to come.

I read this book as one of my personal reading goals for 2015. I'm hoping to read at least one piece of Japanese Literature per month.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Those interested in Japanese Literature and/or stories that involve mature reflections on life.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I do love a good post-apocalyptic novel once in a while. This one sure filled the bill for me. Mandel is a relatively new author and she is definitely new to me. Station Eleven held my attention and I wanted to read it in one sitting. I do recommend that you read this book in as few sittings as possible since the shift in both point of view and time can leave you confused if you don't stay with the story. I am not a big fan of novels that jump around in time too much, but this author uses the device cleverly to slowly reveal the story. I think this slow reveal brings a richness and greater impact to the book. One of the things I liked most about Station Eleven is the motto that there is more to life than just survival. Unlike some post-apocalyptic novels that leave the reader with no sense of hope, I found this one refreshingly hopeful.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Those who like post-apocalyptic stories and want to see some hope amidst the trials.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton

I like to pick up a cozy mystery every once in a while, so I thought I'd give M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth mysteries a chance. I was really looking forward to this read. Guess what? I didn't care for it much. I expect a formulaic and somewhat ridiculous plot from this type of book. I don't need to like or connect to the characters (I didn't like any of them). So these were not the reasons for my ambivalence. I'm still not quite sure what it was that turned me off. It just seemed flat. At least it is short (a little over 100 pages). I tend to give authors more than one chance though, so I will probably read another in this series. Death of a Gossip is the first in the series so perhaps the later books are better. The British TV series has been recommended to me, so I might try that out someday too.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Fans of cozy mysteries might want to read it and see if they like it.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars



Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson (5 stars)
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (4 stars)
A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson (4 stars)
The Walt Longmire Series

I did a little series reading in January, as you can see. Two additional Walt Longmire books are coming out in May that I am very interested in, so I needed to catch up. Besides, I REALLY LIKE THIS SERIES. I'm a fan. Can you tell? If you're not familiar with the Walt Longmire series, it is a western/mystery/crime/hard-boiled kind of thing. There is a lot of action and tension, witty dialogue and hard-boiled humor, and thoughtful philosophical passages that address many of the feelings and big questions that we all have. As Craig Johnson says, he tries to "deal with the universal imperative of the human condition." Native American culture features predominantly and Johnson does a fantastic job exploring the intersection of Native American (mostly Crow and Cheyenne) culture with predominant U.S. culture.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Highly recommended for anyone who likes good writing, stories, and is interested in the human condition.
Rating: I generally give books in this series 4 or 5 out of 5 stars.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

This was such a lovely debut novel. The story is set in a small village in the English countryside. Major Pettigrew is a widowed and retired proper Englishman who believes in honor, duty, and decorum. He is drawn to Mrs. Jasmina Ali, a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper, by their mutual fondness for literature. As their friendship blossoms into something more, societal and family pressures threaten to separate them. Can their relationship withstand these pressures as they flaunt culture and tradition?

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is full of gentle humor with more than a bit of the pride & prejudice theme running through it. There was a quiet depth that ran through this novel that speaks to the clash of cultures and religion, and the tension between generations. Beautifully written. Reminded me a bit of  the movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

More about this author here.

Recommendation: Those interested in a story that involves issues surrounding cultural, religious, and generational differences, gently and beautifully told.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Books Read 2014

I've noted FAVORITES, FIND MYSELF THINKING ABOUT THE MOST, and MOST FUN at the end of the list. If I've reviewed a book, you will find a link labeled "thoughts" next to the book title and author.

January

1. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2. Maman's Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
3. "A Question of Riches" in A Glove Shop in Vienna and Other Stories by Eva Ibbotson
4. Beauty and the Werewolf (series) by Mercedes Lackey
5. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata (thoughts)
6. Second Watch (series) by J.A. Jance
7. Ethan Frome (novella) by Edith Wharton
8. Maisie Dobbs (series) by Jacqueline Winspear

February

8.  Notorious Nineteen (series) by Janet Evanovich
9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (thoughts)
10. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand (series) by Carrie Vaughn
11. Kitty Raises Hell (series) by Carrie Vaughn
12. Light Boxes by Shane Jones (thoughts)
13. Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
14. Kitty's House of Horrors (series) by Carrie Vaughn

March

15. Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
16. Heartless (series) by Gail Carriger
17. Timeless (series) by Gail Carriger
18. Just Kids by Patti Smith

April

19. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
20. Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
21. Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
22. Kitty Goes to War (series) by Carrie Vaughn
23. Kitty's Big Trouble (series) by Carrie Vaughn
24. "Are Women Human" (essay) by Dorothy Sayers (thoughts)
25. Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut (thoughts)
26. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge (thoughts)
27. Fables, Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
28. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
29. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (thoughts)

May
 
30. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
31. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut (thoughts - video, thoughts - written)
32. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
33. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (thoughts)

June

34. The House on Paradise Street by Sofka Zinovieff (thoughts)
35. Hyperion by Dan Simmons (thoughts)
36. Aya by Marguerite Abouet
37. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
38. This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

July

39. Matilda by Roald Dahl
40. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons (thoughts)
41. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
42. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
43. Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet
44. Enchanted Night (novella) by Steven Millhauser
45. 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr
46. Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez

August

47. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
48. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
49. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
50. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

September

51. Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie
52. Children of the Night by Dan Simmons
53. Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
54. Twelve (Danilov Quintet) by Jasper Kent

October

55. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
56. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
57. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
58. Thirteen Years Later (Danilov Quintet) by Jasper Kent
59. Takedown Twenty (series) by Janet Evanovich
60. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill
61. Kitty Steals the Show (series) by Carrie Vaughn

November

62. Kitty Rocks the House (series) by Carrie Vaughn
63. Kitty in the Underworld (series) by Carrie Vaughn
64. Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
65. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
66. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
67. The Third Section (Danilov Quintet) by Jasper Kent
68. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
69. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston
70. The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell
71. The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding
72. How the Stars Fell Into the Sky by Jerrie Oughton
73. "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" (short story) by Charles Dickens

December

74. Endymion by Dan Simmons
75. The Night Before Christmas (novella) by Nikolai Gogol
76. The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (novella) by Charles Dickens
77. Little Women (with Good Wives) by Louisa May Alcott

FAVORITES (in no particular order):
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut (thoughts)
Hyperion by Dan Simmons (thoughts)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (thoughts)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

FIND MYSELF THINKING ABOUT THE MOST:
Twelve & Thirteen Years Later & The Third Section by Jasper Kent

THE MOST FUN!
Retribution Falls & The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding

A Merry Dickens Reading List

This post is based on a read-a-long hosted on BookTube (YouTube) by Samantha at Novels and Nonsense. Sam is an awesome BookTuber and posts fun book tags, reviews, and other book chat. You should go visit her! 

Image John Leech public domain

A Merry Dickens Reading List

A collection of ghost stories might seem an odd choice for a Christmas reading list, but Christmas has long been associated with ghosts and the Victorians were quite adept at the telling of ghost stories around the hearth on Christmas Eve. During this era, Dickens wrote quite a number of ghostly tales that were published thanks to the rise of the periodical press. His ghost stories are not particularly Christian, but are morality tales that give the reader (or hearer) a chance to reflect on life.

All of the stories on this reading list can be read online for free. They are a combination of short story and novellas that revolve around Christmas. They have in common a strong moral message and are by-and-large social commentary.

Image permission
Victorian Web

The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton
Goblins kidnap a surly, misanthropic grave-digger to teach him some valuable lessons. This is a story within a story and is better known as Chapter 29 of The Pickwick Papers. (Short Story)

The Chimes: A Goblin Story
A poor elderly "ticket-porter" learns that mankind is not naturally wicked, but instead strives for noble things unless crushed or repressed beyond bearing. Yep, more goblins. (Novella)

The Cricket on the Hearth

Image public domain

A mysterious elderly stranger, who isn't what he seems, comes to visit a carrier's family. A somewhat sentimental story depicting the happy Victorian home. This one has a guardian angel. (Novella)

Image John Leech public domain

The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
A story about the spirit of the holidays that addresses the themes of memory, forgiveness, and humility. Yes, there is a ghost. (Novella)

A Christmas Carol
Probably the most well-known of Dickens' Christmas stories. Scrooge has a heart as cold as winter but, just as spring follows winter, Scrooge warms to his fellow man - of course, not before some ghosts get a chance to visit. (Novella)

The Classics Club: A Confessional Post

The Classics Club

I was just visiting JoAnn's blog, Lakeside Musing, and was reminded by one of her posts that I had (once upon a time) joined The Classics Club. On March 16, 2012 to be exact. Have I read any books from that list? No. Did I even remember that I had made this commitment? Obviously not or I wouldn't be writing this confessional post. Sooo ...

I have until March 2017 to read through my list. At this point I will be pleased to read at least some of the wonderful classics from this list. I've been terribly neglectful at reading classics lately. I've also been terribly neglectful of my blog and my BookTube (YouTube) channel. While I find it difficult to do all that is required to make videos about my reading and books (prepping, set up, editing, uploading, etc.), there is really no reason for me not to blog. I like writing! I should be writing! Sooo ...

I will try to do two things in the coming year (2015):

1. Read some of the books from my Classics Club list
2. Write and post to my blogs (I still maintain Tip of the Iceberg which is meant to be personal essays)

I could use all of the encouragement y'all can send my way. I am VERY out of practice and disconnected from blogging.

MY LIST:

1. Alcott, Louisa May - Little Women (reread)
2. Arabian Nights, The (trans. Muhsin Mahdi)
3. Ariosto, Ludovico - Orlando Furioso
4. Austen, Jane - Sense and Sensibility
5. Barnes, Julian - Flaubert's Parrott
6. Beowulf (trans. Seamus Heaney)
7. Bradley, Marion Zimmer - The Mists of Avalon (reread)
8. Bronte, Anne - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
9. Bulgakov, Mikhail - The Master and Margarita (reread)
10. Burnett, Frances Hodgson - The Secret Garden
11. Campbell, Joseph - The Hero with a Thousand Faces (reread)
12. de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
13. Cheever, John - Oh What a Paradise It Seems
14. Colette - Cheri
15. Collins, Wilkie - The Haunted Hotel
16. Collins, Wilkie - Miss or Mrs?
17. Dickens, Charles - Great Expectations
18. Dickens, Charles - David Copperfield (reread)
19. Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities
20. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - The Brothers Karamazov (trans. Pevear & Volokhonsky)
21. Durrell, Lawrence - Justine (Alexandria Quartet)
22. Durrell, Lawrence - Balthazar (Alexandria Quartet)
23. Durrell, Lawrence - Mountolive (Alexandria Quartet)
24. Durrell, Lawrence - Clea (Alexandria Quartet)
25. Forster, E.M. - Howard's End
26. Forster, E.M. - The Longest Journey
27. Forster, E.M. - A Passage to India (reread)
28. Forster, E.M. - Where Angels Fear to Tread (reread)
29. Gaskell, Elizabeth - Cranford
30. Gaskell, Elizabeth - North and South
31. Hardy, Thomas - The Mayor of Casterbridge
32. Homer - The Odyssey (reread)
33. Hugo, Victor - Les Miserables
34. Mitchell, Margaret - Gone With the Wind
35. Polidori, John - The Vampyre
36. Radcliffe, Anne - The Mysteries of Udolpho
37. Spenser, Edmund - The Faeire Queene
38. Stendhal - The Red and the Black
39. Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island
40. Thackeray, William Makepeace - Vanity Fair
41. Tolstoy, Leo - Anna Karenina (trans. Pevear & Volokhonsky) (reread)
42. Trollope, Anthony - Barchester Towers
43. Trollope, Anthony - The Warden
44. Twain, Mark - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
45. Verne, Jules - Journey to the Centre of the Earth
46. Virgil - The Aeneid (reread)
47. Wharton, Edith - The Age of Innocence
48. Wharton, Edith - Ethan Frome
49. Woolff, Virginia - Mrs. Dalloway
50. Woolff, Virginia - A Room of One's Own (reread)

TSS | July 2014 Reading Wrap-up

I read quite a few books in July, which surprised me. I don't usually read that many books in one month. It is more typical for me to read four or five books in a month and I read nine! Below is the video reading wrap-up I posted on YouTube (BookTube).

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The Sunday Salon is a weekly virtual get together where readers share thoughts about their reading. We write about books and reading on our own blogs and then visit and chat with other saloners through the comments feature.

Video | The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

My video is a slightly different, and hopefully more coherent, review of The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. You can read my written review here if you are interested.



Watch on YouTube: http://youtu.be/toXsf2f93h0

TSS | June Wrap-up & July TBR

I've been over on YouTube a lot lately posting videos in the community we refer to as "BookTube." I haven't always remembered to cross post my bookish videos here on the blog, but I will try in future to remember to do this! You can find me on YouTube at http://youtube.com/MsTerriB

I managed to actually read some of the books that were on my June TBR stack (I'm notorious for creating lists & stacks and then completely ignoring them) and you will see them here in my June Wrap-up video. Since I didn't think my July TBR warranted its own video, I included the books I'll be reading in the coming month. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/JgKbC0ig_Fs

Bonus stupid picture (screenshot from the video):

What goes on video, stays on video.

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The Sunday Salon is a weekly virtual get together where readers share thoughts about their reading. We write about books and reading on our own blogs and then visit and chat with other saloners through the comments feature.

Video | #FridayReads June 27, 2014

Here's what is on my reading stack for the weekend. One of them I will probably finish over the weekend. The other is a wee bit more long term than that!

http://youtu.be/QWf1tO7P72Q

 

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

The Sirens of Titan is Kurt Vonnegut's second novel, published in 1959. The story is told by a future historian and takes place over a forty-plus year time span, "sometime between the Second World War and the Third Great Depression." It is a romp through time and space and can be, quite honestly, a bit hard to follow. But then, there is a reason why we at least perceive ourselves within a linear and defined time/space continuum. Well, at least most of us do. I don't really know what I'm talking about, but reading Vonnegut has that effect on me.

There are three main characters in The Sirens of Titan: Malachi Constant, Winston Miles Rumfoord, and Rumfoord's wife, Beatrice. Vonnegut builds up all three characters and then uses that build up to tear them down. (Who does he think he is? God? Hey, maybe this plays into the story. Hmmm ....)

Rumfoord is a bit of a prophet figure. Beatrice made me start thinking about Dante's Divine Comedy, but I'm not really sure where my brain was trying to go. Let's just say there might be something to that. Or not. 'The excesses of Beatrice were excesses of reluctance." Maybe that is why I was thinking of Dante. That and the name "Beatrice." And I'm not sure what was up with poor Malachi. I'm sure he is a type ... or ... a type of a type .... (Oh Vonnegut, you REALLY messed with my mind in this book.)

There is also an alien. A machine alien. With inflatable feet. His name is Salo. He's got a missing part that plays a big part in the novel. To tell you more would be spoilerish. So, I won't. "The machine is no longer a machine. The machine's contacts are corroded, the bearings fouled, his circuits shorted, and his gears stripped. His mind buzzes and pops like the mind of an Earthling - fizzes and overheats with thoughts of love, honor, dignity, rights, accomplishments, integrity, independence." Aliens in science fiction are often foils to humanity and help us define our human nature, and so Salo fills this purpose. I think.

The Sirens of Titan is a morality tale. It is satire that is somewhat humorous, but ultimately sad and depressing. The characters are powerless. I think they are powerless. I think I'm supposed to think that. Yeah, kinda bleak.

The central idea of the book is: What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of human existence? I won't tell you how Vonnegut answers these questions, but if you've been paying attention at all here you can probably guess.

Some random thoughts because, honestly, I don't know how to incorporate these into a review:

• Vonnegut smacks down organized religion yet honors personal belief.
• The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent (I'm sure there is a whole theological discussion just in this name.)
• Free will: Yes or no? (Not really answered and kinda argumentative loop-ish, just like in real life.)
• Earth as God's spaceship (I'm telling you, there is some whacked stuff here people!)
• I'm pretty sure Douglas Adams was influenced by this novel.

This novel is about Ideas with a capital "I". If you like Ideas, satire, social commentary, characters representative of types or other literary characters then you will like The Sirens of Titan.If you need a plot that hangs together well, characters that are developed with understandable motives then you might be a bit bewildered as to why some of us actually like this book.

If you find Vonnegut's satire and humor tiresome and/or depressing, you might find that you like (can tolerate?) his writing in short bursts; try his short stories in Welcome to the Monkey House.

Fin.

Edited to include a link to my video review on YouTube > http://youtu.be/toXsf2f93h0

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential was first published in 2000. He wrote it for fellow cooks and those in the restaurant biz. Bourdain wrote it to "sound like [he was] talking, at say ... ten o'clock on a Saturday night, after a busy dinner rush, [him] and a few cooks hanging around the kitchen, knocking back a few beers and talking shit." This is exactly what it sounds like. It was a surprise to Bourdain when the book was more widely read by the general public and then, of course, criticized for being a blustery piece of tell-all expose. It is blustery, and Bourdain freely admits this, but that was not the intent nor the audience. Bourdain tells it like it is. He pulls no punches and you get a good look at what really happens in the cooking world.

Bourdain has a rough and biting sense of humor, but he doesn't use that humor to tear others down and is often self-deprecating. I like it. He reflects on what it takes to be successful in the cooking world. You've got to have a sense of humor about it or you won't survive.

Bourdain talks tough, but he is a hopeless romantic. Just read the "Mission to Tokyo" chapter to see some of this. A lot of Bourdain's bluster is a macho New York cover and partly what has allowed him to survive in a tough world. I do look forward to reading his more recent book, Medium Raw to see if the older Bourdain confronts his younger blustery self.

One of the characteristics which I admire is Bourdain's apparent ability to take people as they are, recognizing that we are all a bit of a mess but still worthy of respect. He is a curious person, interested in the world and people around him, always up for new experiences (sometimes to his detriment), and willing to take responsibility for his thrill seeking behaviors.

I read Kitchen Confidential out loud to my husband. Bourdain's writing style matches his voice (if you watch his TV series, Parts Unknown, you'll know what I mean). Many of the chapters can be read as stand alone articles, yet there is a cohesive story told through the whole.

I would recommend this book to those curious about Bourdain, and to those who have worked in the restaurant business or are interested in it and want an inside look. Those who are considering a career as a chef might want to read it to get a sense of what they are likely to experience; the chapter titled, "A Day in the Life" gives an inside look that will scare your pants off! He also offers a chapter with advice for those who do choose to pursue this career path.

I loved this book. It has been accused of being an expose. It has been described as both memoir and documentary. I think it is a love story. It is a wonderful homage to a business and life that has been both brutal and ultimately fulfilling.

Video version of my review: http://youtu.be/ekMg9hLWbKc