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Tag Archives: good reads

Julia Child’s My Life in France

Last week I spent an intense four-and-a-half days in Seattle at a Public Library Association Strategic Planning “Boot Camp.” More on that later–for now I’ll tell about the reading that I took along for my flights there and back, “My Life in France” by Julia Child.

I haven’t seen the movie, “Julie and Julia” yet, but I have read “Julie and Julia,” by Julie Powell which I enjoyed immensely last year. I was primed for reading “My Life in France.”

My plane was late leaving Lincoln by at least three hours, and it helped that “My Life in France” was an excellent companion. I’d describe its style as conversational. Child recalls her impressions of France, of food, and of people, so well. It’s hard to believe that when she moved to France with her husband in 1948, she didn’t speak the language, and she knew almost nothing about cooking. She tells how she came to be in love with France. I’m still impressed with the way that she chose to embrace the culture, to get out there and interact with people even though communication was a struggle. She describes her first meal with her husband in France, and how it opened her eyes to a whole new way of thinking about food.

I became so intrigued with that part of her journey that it seemed almost jarring when they were once again living in the United States in the 1960s and she was becoming famous for her first book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” and her cooking shows on educational television.

This book reads quickly. I was sorry to come to its end.

I would expect that other lovers of memoir would enjoy it, as would various Francophiles, cooks, and world travelers.

A Tale of Two Memoirs

A few weeks ago I actually had some time at home to read! I had picked up two books (from Lincoln City Libraries, of course) to keep me in good reading, “Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World” by Mary Pipher, and “DV” by Diana Vreeland.

I don’t think that I could have chosen two more different memoirs by women.  “DV” in breathless language tells all about the globetrotting, namedropping, stylish life of a fashion maven extraordinaire.  With almost not a single moment of self-reflection, she romps through her life story. I find her life on the cutting edge of twentieth century fashion fascinating, and I think that I’ll look for a well-crafted biography that will provide a little more context, and a lot more evaluation of her impact.

On the other hand, “Seeking Peace” is all self-reflection. Mary is a friend, and I’ve heard her speak about this book, so I knew what I was in for. I found her description of her Great Plains childhood and youth, framed by the meltdown she experienced in 2002, absorbing and familiar in the best way. Although she tells an excellent story, she uses each experience to learn something about herself, to think about why what happened in her life at certain points, came to be so important so many years later.  When I consider the kind of public success that Lincoln’s own Pipher has experienced, I’m delighted that she opened this window into her personal story.

I loved the crazy contrast of reading these two such different books back-to-back. It’s one example of why memoir continues to be my favorite genre.

What a Notable! Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Now THIS was the kind of book I’d been seeking, one that had me scheming about how to get back to it, even when I really should have been doing other stuff.

Unaccustomed Earth” is on this year’s American Library Association Notable Books list. It’s a collection of short stories, set in contemporary America, about young people who are of Bengali descent. Typically, the stories explore issues of having two cultures to bridge, of finding love in those circumstances, of staying true to the best in one’s upbringing.

Apparently, I’m one of the last people to find out about Jhumpa Lahiri; she won the Pulitzer Prize for “The Interpeter of Maladies.” I was amazed by how many people to whom I’ve mentioned this book (and I’ve mentioned it to a LOT of people) have already read it, or have it on their bedside tables.

What makes these stories so good? One, the characters are so well-drawn. Two, the endings are hopeful in sometimes unexpected ways. Three, the language is so good that I didn’t even notice it. Four, she observes people so well. Five, the cultural issues are fascinating.

Thanks to the Notable Books committee for bringing this excellent book to my attention. I’m grateful.  Have you read it already?  What did you think?

Another Notable Book–The Hakawati

I’m continuing with my reading of this year’s Notable Books List from the American Library Association.

This morning, I finished “The Hakawati” by Rabih Alameddine.

It’s fiction, set in contemporary Lebanon as well as the ancient Middle East of storytellers. Alameddine stirs up a stew of story here, moving between two ancient stories and two lines of family history of Osama al-Kharrat. Al-Kharrat has returned to Beirut from LosAngeles. His father is dying. His heart and mind return to the prosperous Beirut of his childhood.

Osama’s maternal grandfather was a hakawati, or storyteller. Osama’s childhood, his grandfather’s life, and classic tales of the Middle East, take turns at our attention.

My issue as a reader of a book like this is that I usually prefer one story over the others, and find myself just enduring the others.  In this case, I loved the grandfather’s story, and was sorry when it came to its end.

Alameddine uses language wonderfully.  I kept a vocabulary list at my side.

Throughout this book, one keeps returning to this question–what does “story” mean? I’m distressed that I didn’t mark my favorite quote from this book. It’s very similar to, “Don’t trust the teller. Trust the tale.” I’ve got a fascination for authors who misguide us about their backgrounds–what does it tell about their tale? I find that topic delicious, every time I return to it.

Amy Tan wrote an extensive essay about this book for Amazon. I’m intrigued by her prediction of geat awards for this one. I’m not surprised that it was chosen for the Notable Books list. It is a classic choice for that list–an international setting, a complicated plot, and an author who’s nimble with language. I’d describe it as a challenging read, but I do believe that people who love storytelling, or are interested in the Middle East, or who love a family saga, will go for it.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Another Notable–Atmospheric Disturbances

Over the weekend, I finished “Atmospheric Disturbances” a first novel by Rivka Galchen, one of the selections on this year’s American Library Association Notable Books List. This one typifies many Notable Books fiction choices. Unusual characters. Fabulous prose. Unlikely plot. Suspension of disbelief. Lack of a tidy ending.

Leo narrates this contemporary story, describing how his work as a psychoanalyst leads to all kinds of confusion, bewilderment, and uncertainy, beginning with an unorthodox treatment of a patient. Leo believes that the woman who says she is his wife is a doppelganger, a fake. He is surprised to hear from the Royal Academy of Meteorology, which was part of his patient’s treatment. He ends up in Argentina with his mother-in-law and runs into his patient there. At every turn, Leo’s confusion leads him to behave dishonestly, and increasingly he seems out of touch with the world, and certainly with the people around him.

This first part of this book drew me in.  Given the nature of the story I wasn’t surprised that the author didn’t tie it up in the end. I feel like I missed something critical in the reading because I wasn’t figuring out was was happening. But I appreciate being challenged to read books that don’t fit a typical mold. I’m pretty sure it’s good for me. And there were times when I re-read sections because the writing was so good.

On a book like this where I feel myself as a reader not up to the author’s challenge, I often take a look at the Amazon.com reviews to see how other readers reacted. In this case, the stars are all over the place–plenty of one or two stars, but also plenty of five stars. I’m trying to think of a better name for the category of Unusual and Challenging Fiction. They often show this range of reaction.

There are probably only a few people to whom I’d recommend this.  They are my reading friends who prefer a plot that sets its own course, with characters who can’t be predicted, and where the progress of the book isn’t necessarily a progress toward resolution, but an exploration of an imaginative situation.