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

 

Video | #FridayReads June 20, 2014

This is what I plan to read this weekend!

http://youtu.be/qas_NpzQuig