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!😉

2020 - Third Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (5 thumbs up - Highly Recommend, 4 thumbs up - Enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - Good, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped, 2 thumbs up - Meh, and 1 thumb down - Regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the third quarter of 2020 (for my full review, click on title):

Walking Home: A Poet's Journey by Simon Armitage - A British poet hikes 256 miles of the Pennine Way, offering nightly poetry readings. Not enough take-away. - 304 pages, 👍👍-1/2

The Wicked Boy: An Infamous Murder in Victorian London by Kate Summerscale - A tale of true crime and redemption torn from the pages of Victorian British history. - 400 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Prodigals and Those Who Love Them: Words of Encouragement for Those Who Wait by Ruth Bell Graham - After outlining five biographies of famous prodigals, Graham offers poems, hymns, and quotations of encouragement. - 156 pages, 👍👍👍👍

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy - Influential individuals and books that shaped the writer. A love song to the power of books. - 352 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson by Martha Ackmann - A biography that focuses on key events that triggered changes and development in the poet Emily Dickinson. - 235 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens - A re-telling of Jesus Christ's birth, ministry, and death, written expressly for his children and never intended for publication. - 65 pages, 👍👍👍

The XX Brain: The Ground-Breaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease by Lisa Mosconi, PhD - I expected more emphasis on methods of avoiding cognitive decline and less feminist ranting about how women have been ignored and misdiagnosed (not that this isn't true, but just that it felt like the primary focus). - 368 pages, 👍👍-1/2

Things Pondered: From the Heart of a Lesser Woman and Further Still: A Collection of Poetry and Vignettes by Beth Moore - Two books of poetry and prose about the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, about motherhood and faith. - 160 pages each , 👍👍👍-1/2

Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do by Jordan Raynor - Don't be a dabbler; master your one thing! Excellent inspirational life stories of coach Tony Dungy, architect Antoni Gaudi, entertainer Mister Rogers, and teacher C.S. Lewis. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk - A twelve-year-old girl, blamed for an accident that left her father in a coma, does everything she can to nurture her gift for healing and bring him back from the brink. - 356 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers - When the lives of two wounded souls intersect, can God redeem their pain and give them something beautiful in His time? - 512 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 15.75 hours), 👍👍👍👍

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir by Jason Rosenthal - A memoir by the husband of a woman who wrote a popular essay touting the reasons other women might wish to marry her husband after her death. - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life: A Memoir by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - A delightful encyclopedic outline of a life, full of nostalgia (since I was born in the same year and experienced many similar situations and perspectives). - 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson - Winston Churchill led his country to fearlessness in the face of tremendous political and emotional upheaval during the Blitz. - 546 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 18 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker - The Galvin family was notable, not only for having a dozen children, but for the rare fact that half of the dozen had schizophrenia or a similar diagnosis. This fascinating book traces their path of development and the chaos they endured. - 400 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Footprints of a Pilgrim: The Life and Loves of Ruth Bell Graham by Ruth Bell Graham - The story of Ruth's life in poetry and prose. - 174 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family by Glenn Plaskin - It is delightful how the love of a dog brings people together in spite of obstacles and life-shattering events. - 272 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 7-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb - "Giving the reader a behind-the-scenes peek from both sides of the couch, it's a witty, relatable, moving homage to therapy--and just being human." (Amazon.com review quote) - 432 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe-it-or-Not!" Ripley by Neal Thompson - An entertaining biography of the life of a truly curious character. - 448 pages (I listened in audio form, 10 CDs, 12 hours), 👍👍👍

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Sideshow and Other Carnival Curiosities compiled by Ripley's Believe It or Not! - A coffee-table compilation of the true stories behind many oddities featured in sideshows and carnivals over the years. - 192 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt - Numerous stories from individuals like Elizabeth Smart, who have forgiven offenders for things like kidnapping, murder, rape, suicide, etc. to release themselves from the bondage of resentment and pain. - 210 pages, 👍👍👍

The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin - An innovative look at what it means to be the new kid and how to determine where you truly fit. So many life lessons gleaned. - 353 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Get a Smile, Give a Smile

Living in the country, we've had our share of mailbox woes. Kids sometimes play mailbox baseball. Most of the time, however, we lose our mailbox to the snow plows. When we first moved here John posed the problem to a handyman who used to tackle odd jobs for us. I don't believe he ran his idea by us first. He simply erected a large pole around the mailbox. It was an embarrassing eye-sore that we removed.

If only we'd hired someone creative. I passed this mailbox man the other day and it brought a huge smile to my face:

What a way to solve the problem! I did some research. Turns out this little invention is the brain child of Floridian Scott Gerber (see this article on a welding magazine site). He calls his tubular creations "tube dudes" and they not only hold mailboxes but also serve other functions (besides simply spreading cheer). If you are interested, you can place an order at tube-dude.com. Products range from my favorite, the mini sitting and reading (for $350), to an elaborate snailfish mailbox ($2,500). If money dropped from the sky, I'd happily spend a thousand dollars or so to bring smiles to my neighbors' faces.

I do have an effortless way you can give a smile today. My son's internship employer, Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center, has been selected for the 2020 Breeders Crown Charity Challenge. You can go to the Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing and Casino page to cast a vote for Julia (her selected charity is Morning Dove). The facility is a peaceful oasis (I get computer work done outdoors next to the horse pastures while Trevor cleans stalls). They provide great therapy riding for individuals with disabilities. If you watch the WTHR 13 morning news someday this week, you might even see Trevor working in the background. They came to the ranch to shoot video footage this past week. Please give a smile by casting your vote today!