September 2015 Reading List

For the first time this month I'm mentioning books I started to read and for one reason or another could not finish*  Here's my list for September:

1. Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain by A Lee Martinez*
2. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
3. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
4. Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
5. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWhorter
6. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
7. Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo
8. Die Empty by Todd Henry*

 First up in my list is a book I only got about 5 or 6 chapters in.  I thought it was going to be funny sci-fi like Hitchhikers, for example, or maybe Vonnegut.  But to me it was just silly.  The plot was silly, the made-up words were silly and the characters just so vapid.  I read a few other reviews to see if I was off base.  Most say this isn't Martinez's best work but I think you really have to be a fan of his style and imagination to enjoy a work like this -- I wasn't.

I'd already bought Steelheart before I realized it was technically YA scifi fiction and the first in a series of at least two books.  However, while it is possible to determine that the narrative is in a straightforward tone the subjects dealt with in Steelheart are of that coming-of-age type -- on the cusp of adulthood.  The book also turns the superhero genre on its head where almost all the superhero types are evil and only want to use their super powers to dominate the rest of humanity.  There are enough loose ends in the story that make the reader want to continue.  I don't think I will but the tension is there nonetheless.

My wife and I recently watched the movie Wild.  We enjoyed it but felt that there was a lot more that wasn't there.  So we decided to listen to the audiobook version of the novel.  So much better.  Aside from the expected rearrangement of events for dramatic effect there was so much more richness of experience that came through Strayed's thoughts as she made her way over the PCT.  Not unexpected really given how much time such an adventure would give one to think about everything in one's life.  What was most striking however to come from the book that was missing from the movie was the resolution Strayed achieved of her past to the future.

Ever since the movie Midnight in Paris I've been intrigued about the events where Hemingway and Fitzgerald and others 'misspent' so much time with each other.  I thought this book might fill in some of the blanks.  That was a little misguided since there are so many other books that would probably do a better job.  But I'm glad I read this book.  Robuck carefully weaves her fictional story around actual historical events.  Well the story made me read more about Zelda's actual life anyway and I realized how tricky it must've been to create a story like this without altering the historical record.  It wasn't explosively riveting prose but it was a good yarn.

I really have to say that I loved McWhorter's book.  I had no idea just how much was behind the evolution of the English language.  McWhorter goes back through historical events like a grammatical detective unearthing clues that very much supports his hypotheses regarding the peculiarities of English.  Not really having ever learned a 'foreign' language to a proficient degree I only have an English frame of reference.  But when looking at the grammatical similarities between all the other proto-germanic languages it is very odd how English is different.  A quick and entertaining read.

I didn't know what to expect from The Awakening.  Depending on who you follow it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect some form of early feminist literature.  Perhaps so given the protagonist's refusal to accept the societal norm for women in that era.  But my interpretation was more along the lines of the consequences of despair or depression with her situation.  Perhaps it is a combination of both.  Certainly the writing was deeply personal and heartfelt.

 I enjoyed Breakfast immensely.  Mostly because of my own leanings towards Buddhism as a philosophy for living one's life meaningfully.  But I could not tell if this book was autobiographical or fictional -- so that was a good thing.  I didn't look into it any more until after I had finished when I learned that it was in fact, fictional.  And there were two sequels.  I don't think I'll be reading those as I have enough from this story. For me however this book did rekindle something in me to be more mindful and to meditate more often.  So bravo Mr Merullo.

As with the first, so with the last -- another book I did not finish.  I am usually wary of self-proclaimed self-help books or courses.  I thought this one might be different.  Yes I admit the title got to me.  But I can't stand someone breaking down common sense into a set of rules or attributes or maxims or whatever.  I put it down.  It won't be picked up again.  I'll find my own way of getting the most out of my life.

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