Book Review: Anxious People

Fredrik Backman is an outstanding writer. His story of the crusty, old curmudgeon in A Man Called Ove stole my heart. Sadly, I didn't enjoy Anxious People as much, although at the beginning I adored the voice of the story. Listen to his first seven sentences - pure gold:

"A bank robbery. A hostage drama. A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment. It was easy to get to this point, much easier than you might think. All it took was one single really bad idea.// This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it's always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is."

To be fair, much of it is hilarious and insightful. Many sentences hit me square between the eyes (especially as he described the chasm between old people and young people when it comes to technology - ha). In the end, I would even say it is a touching tale. It is just that the whole convoluted thing took on epic proportions that stretched credulity and strained my interest in the story.

A bank robber is having a dreadful day. The cashless bank, carelessly selected, cannot grant even the small requested amount. When the teller alerts the police, the bank robber flees to a building across the street that only has a stairwell leading up to two apartments. Since one apartment door is open, the criminal flees into it and finds an apartment showing in progress. The story unfolds, petal by petal, revealing the anxieties of the bank robber and every individual in the hostage situation (including a nearly naked man wearing a giant rabbit head - ludicrous).

Thus, what began as funny and unexpected, ended as preposterous. It brought to mind the story about the 100-year-old man who climbs out of his nursing home window and into a gigantic adventure he never anticipated. So, while I didn't dislike the book, it didn't live up to my expectations after Ove. If you're going to delve into a Fredrik Backman tale, I would recommend that one over this one. Then again, perhaps you enjoy tales of absurdity with hidden gems of insight. The book was a funny frolic.

Book Review: The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan

Since I loved Dr. David Perlmutter's book, Brain Maker, I checked out a neighboring library's copy of the audiobook, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan. A year ago, I was doing well. I followed the ketogenic diet paired with intermittent fasting as suggested in The End of Alzheimer's book. Dropping eighteen pounds is no small feat. Yet I persisted with the diet and schedule until I reached my goal weight. Sadly, as I approached the winter holidays, I eased up on my fierce adherence. By the time the lockdown occurred in March, I had given it up entirely and it didn't take long to replace the lost pounds (after all, I was baking bread with the masses).

I doubt I will follow Dr. Perlmutter's protocol from this book. Even still, listening to his advice was beneficial. It put me in the mood to take control once again and avoid carbs. I'm finding the scheduling aspect more difficult this time around. Many nights, I cannot eat early enough because Sean is out with after-school activities and our dinner gets pushed later. While I don't mind eating by myself and finishing by 4:30, it alienates my family when I'm eating separately. So, this is a wrinkle I still need to iron.

Instead of listening to the last chapter (the recipes), I returned the audio book and checked out the physical book. It felt like a wasted effort. None of the recipes looked appealing, and I already know what works for me with meals and snacks. I prefer simple and easy as opposed to elaborate and exotic meal plans. Still, I'm glad I checked out the book so I could copy down several of the listed meaningful quotations (he presents a list of thirty in the support strategies section).

My next goal, when all of this hullabaloo blows over and going to the doctor doesn't seem like a life-threatening option, will be to request a sleep study. I'm certain I have sleep apnea. My husband says my snoring is very loud. I wake often during the night to use the restroom. Dr. Perlmutter recommends many helpful things to focus on, and sleep and stress are as important as diet and exercise. Even if you don't plan to follow this book's diet protocol, the encouragements for a better lifestyle can only be beneficial.

Book Review: Craigslist Confessional

Secrets are hard things to carry. I assume most people have some secret they feel they would never deign to share with another individual. Secrets are beguiling. We read books full of secrets because they suck us in with intrigue and mystery. But, I don't know if I would ever divulge my secrets to a stranger, even if the opportunity arose.

I think more than anything this book, Craigslist Confessional, made me sad. Of course, it makes sense that it might because people seldom withhold information that is light-hearted or uplifting. Such stories can be shared in the open. The stories in this book present details of life that are shameful, tragic, depressing, or scandalous.

The author, Helena dea Bala, pursued an interesting idea. After her own unburdening to a stranger lightened her spirits, she reasoned others might welcome a listening ear. She placed an ad and people willingly came out of hiding to share deeply personal stories.

As a writer, I enjoy eavesdropping. It is a skill that leads to great character development and realistic dialogue. Curiosity pulls me in when I overhear a heated discussion. But the book still left a foul taste. While the concept was intriguing, I'm wishing I had averted my eyes. I would have been better served by inspirational testimonies. Clearly, I'm not cut out to be a priest or therapist. Confession may benefit the soul, but woe to the listening ear.

Recent Sightings

I relish the opportunity to drive my son to his ranch job at Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center four mornings a week. His father drives the morning I have Bible study. It gives us a chance to talk (or equally, silence as he listens to music or texts on his phone). Often, when the weather is decent, the sights are lovely. For now, the leaves render the trees a kaleidoscope and the sun gives my morning a feel of promise.

One day on our drive, we came upon this lovely skeleton pounding out a tune on a makeshift piano:

Usually, I bring my laptop and get in an hour's work while set up at a small table on the office building's porch. The view is stunning, looking out on the horse pastures.

After that, I often retreat to the car to read for an hour. One day, I glanced up to see deer casually grazing nearby.

For now, this job is a tremendous blessing both to Trevor and to myself. A peaceful positive in a worrisome world.

P.S. If you haven't yet voted for Morning Dove in the Harrah's Hoosier Park Breeder's Crown Charity Challenge, please do so today.

Book Review: A Moveable Feast

Back in 2017, I took a solo trip to London, Paris, and Rome. One of my favorite experiences in Paris was a literary walking tour I booked through Localers.com. It could have been a disaster. After all, the walking tour started only minutes after my arrival in Paris, rain drizzled down, and I had to drag all of my belongings in my backpack beneath my umbrella. But despite those obstacles, it provided a genuine thrill. Our guide was an American Parisian, easily understood, and she led us through the literary landscape of Hemingway's time. If I had to do it over, I would have read Hemingway's memoir first.

In A Moveable Feast, we find his famous quote: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." Hemingway shares details about life on the cheap in Paris, about his writing pursuits, and about his famous writing companions. It was interesting to listen to his reactions to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby because I had just re-read the novel. Trevor was reading it for his English class, and I thought we could solidify details for him if we discussed the reading. By far the most emotionally stirring bit was his wife's tragic loss of several of his manuscripts when she intended to bring them to him on the train. Oh, the anguish!

Although billed with fuzzy descriptors as factual fiction, it is very well written and provides an intimate glimpse into the writer's interior landscape. I now want to revisit Hemingway's books. How long since I've read one! He was a brilliant writer, well aware of his talent and his responsibility to that talent. I enjoyed this romp through Paris with an articulate guide.

Book Review: We Interrupt This Broadcast

 

After another disappointing audio venture, where I listened to half of the book before realizing the rest would be sin-absorbed, I desperately sought cleaner fare. We Interrupt This Broadcast provided a diversion without compromise. Most of the chapters covered historic moments before my time, but the second CD delivered recognizable content. Since television had already taken hold when I was born, I cannot remember ever listening to the radio. Still, the broadcasts covered many interesting events like space missions, bombings, and deaths. The book was easy to digest, even if it could not duplicate the intensity of the original news flash. An even greater plus, it held none of the smut or moral decrepitude that seems to run rampant in our modern literature. I may have to stick with older works or well-screened non-fiction.

Book Review: The Temptation of Adam

Given the changes in the YA book climate, I've been avoiding most new YA books. I don't wish to go down avenues publishers seem to believe everyone wants to explore. Finding a clean, uplifting YA book seems as unlikely as opening my son's door to see a pristine room. Maybe I should open my son's door and give a look. This realistic YA novel offers hard-hitting truth about life, faces down the intense challenges of addiction, and yet remains wholesome. I hear angels singing at the rarity of it all.

The Temptation of Adam (clever title!) presents a story that is certainly surging through our youth population at the moment. Adam Hawthorne is reeling from his expulsion from school. The author does an excellent job of holding reader attention because we don't discover the cause of his expulsion until mid-way through the novel. The implosion of his family might explain any kind of errant behavior. His mother left and his adored older sister felt she should go with her. Adam struggles to get along with his distant father. It seems all the man cares about is an unsuccessful attempt to get his wife back. Thus, are we really surprised that Adam has been swept into the maelstrom of porn addiction? People aren't safe. Porn seems safe. Alas, it comes with a price tag.

This novel offers so much: intense conflict, desperation, romance, insecurity, and - best of all - hope. I believe this is a very important book for young men to read. Porn is so readily available to our sons. We can take steps to prepare them for the temptation (see my book review of an outstanding tool, Good Pictures, Bad Pictures), but it is up to them to resist the lure of relationship-damaging lies. They are being fed images that leave them craving more, while it sucks their soul into the downward spiral. The author handled this difficult topic well and reminded teen readers that they are not only "not alone" but also not defined by their addiction. Well done, Dave Connis! Well done! 

Book Review: The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

Lately, I've had rotten luck with audio selections, even getting a far way in and chucking them. Louisa May Alcott's Jo's Boys (something I read in high school and thought I'd revisit) was slow-paced and not enticing enough to take my mind off the treadmill trek. I tried one called Entwined. Again, I just couldn't connect with it. I figured a book about the psalms would do. Even though I had my name on the hold list for the book copy of Open and Unafraid, I attempted the audio. Alas, in that format it was difficult to digest. It is a book you need to read with the opportunity to dwell and contemplate. Finally, I gave The Thirteenth Tale a whirl. After all, it has received tremendous accolades. Yikes - 3 discs in and I came upon an uncomfortable stretch that made me google the book to check for sexual content - sadly, there were even more scenes ahead, so I trashed that effort, as well.

I may have ditched The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, too, if I hadn't been experiencing such a poor track record. Thus, I gave it more leeway. The premise and story structure was enticing. You knew you were going to get through twelve tales of bullet wounds on Samuel Hawley's body. Plus, I appreciated the role of the daughter in the tale.

Loo Hawley is used to packing up and moving at a moment's notice. She and her father do it repeatedly. Now, for the first time in her life, her father is ready to put down roots in her deceased mother's hometown. However, when he approaches Loo's grandmother, she wants nothing to do with them. She holds Samuel responsible for her daughter's death. As Loo uncovers more of the story, and the reasons her father has so many guns and uproots so often, she grows up and comes into her own tale.

The book held my attention. Though the father was unsavory, the daughter was delightful even when conflicted. It won't be a favorite read this year, but I finished it and for now, given my audio book track record, that is saying something. Ha!

Book Review: For the Love of Europe

What a lucky life Rick Steves lives! He pursues his life's passion and brings in an ample income at the same time. There he goes, traveling the world, sharing his tips and tales, and enjoying the riches of experience and wealth. I couldn't wait to read his new travel book, For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories. After opening the cover, I discovered a sad omission - not a word about Barcelona. How distressing! I had hoped to find some coverage of the architectural wonder, the church of the Sagrada Familia. Alas, no mention. Still, this was an enjoyable romp through pages of someone else's travel journal.

Laced with interesting (and sometimes off-color) tales of his travels in Europe, this book is an intimate look at individuals and stories along the way. In the section on England, I discovered an unknown tid-bit. I knew of the chalk horse etchings on the hillsides in England. Yet I had never heard of the Cerne Abbas Giant, an anatomically correct warrior. How hilarious to read that women still leap over the giant's parts in superstitious hopes of encouraging fertility. Then, I came to a story about the bathroom walls in the beer halls of Bavaria. Apparently, they have decorated the long line of public urinals in the men's facility with life-size Fatheads of women pointing and laughing. That, too, gave me a chuckle.

The book is rich with vivid photography. My favorite story of all included a photo of the tree house Rick Steves built as a kid. Since his father imported pianos, he had access to large pine boards. His tree house was the envy of other boys, but it crushed him when neighbors moved into the vacant lot next door and forced him to tear down his castle. The happy end to the story? This disappointment propelled Steves to travel away from home without his parents and explore the world. Sometimes our greatest disappointments are closed doors that lead us to open more significant ones.

This was a delightful travel book to skim. I didn't read every word, but got the thrust of his message: travel enriches life through the people you meet along the way. Too true. And it even applies if you never leave home (thanks, pandemic isolation!). The people are the most important aspect of our life's journey.

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Speaking of tree houses - I found another location I hope to explore one day (although the cost is prohibitive - if you commit to the two-night minimum it will set you back at least $1300). The brand new tree house resort, Treehouse Grove - a mountain getaway in the trees of Gatlinburg, Tennessee - looks AMAZING! Isolation, beauty, hiking, interesting and unique housing layouts, flush accommodations - I think even my boys would think it is COOL! Sadly, I doubt we'll be going soon... unless someone wants to drop an unexpected 2 grand in our laps. Thank you in advance!😉