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What can I say? I grew tire of blogging, changed computers etc.., But now I'm compelled to share my recent book obsessions. It isn't fall, yet I feel the need to reminisce about Michigan Football. I loved both books. Lots of similar stories, but what an era of coaching. I love how Bo was true to himself and truly cared about the student athlete and the concept of TEAM.

The End of Detroit -Micheline Maynard

Dancer -Colum Mc Cann

I had to read another Colum McCann book so I picked Dancer, a fictional account of the life of Rudolf Nureyev. Wonderful insight into post WWII Russia and it's slide back to a more open society. After defecting, Nureyev is not allowed home for 25 years. He has the world at his fingertips socializes with Andy Warhol and John Lennon; but can't visit with his own mother.

By the time Rudi gets to St. Petersburg for formal dance training he is already 18. He had received some training in his village town of Ufa. He is taken under the wing of Alexsandr Pushkin(Sasha) and trains for 5 years before defecting on tour in London. His life gets a bit wild. His dance partner for many years is Margot Fonteyn who is 19 years older than him. He dies of Aids in 1991, but is able to see his mother in Russia before she dies.

The book really develops the characters surrounding Rudi's whole life as McCann sees it. It is not a biography, but a very interesting look at the life of a dancer.

Let the Great World Spin -Colum McCann To Reach the Clouds -Philippe Petit

Reading these two book together only made sense to me. McCann's book if fiction with the climax of the story ocurring on August 7, 1974 when Petit performs for NY on a wire between the World Trade Center Towers.

From Gloria in McCann's book:

"People are good or half good or a quarter good, and it changes all the time--but even on the best day nobody's perfect."

"Everything falls into the hands of music eventually."

And from her daughter's voice:

"A man high in the air while a plane disappears, it seems, into the edge of the building. One small scrap of history meeting a larger one. As if the walking man were somehow anticipating what would come later. The intrusion of time and history. The collision point of stories. We wait for the explosion but it never occurs. The plane passes, the tightrope walker gets to the end of the wire. Things don't fall apart."

Petit's personal narrative is also fascinating. The amount of preparation is phenomenal. I also found it fascinating that his motives have never been about money. In fact, he is often broke. I loved his design at the end for rebuilt WTC Towers.

A Walk in the Woods -Bill Bryson Sway -Ori & Rom Brafman

Two books local groups have been reading so I thought I'd give them a try. A Walk in the Woods is about the Appalachian Trail. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
is a business book about the psychological forces that shape behavior. Both are interesting and lend themselves to group discussions.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

After seeing this book on several lists as a top book of the past decade, I thought I'd better check it out. It is hard to read a book and be objective with so much prior accolade but I'll try. At the same time I was reading this, I have been re-reading The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene and I found several similarities. Although many hail McCarthy as brilliant, I'm not sure I'm there yet. I think The Power and the Glory is a classic that will stand the tests of time with phenomenal writing. I'm not sure The Road will. The setting is futuristic after a vague world apocalypse. It is a very masculine view of the future with rampant violence, a father protecting his son and a mother who checks herself out because she can't deal. Typical male perspective of the world. I found the book depressing although the ending could be argued is hopeful. It reminds me a bit of Lois Lowry's book The Giver which I have previously blogged about which did leave me feeling hopeful. I did find The Road easy to read and much of the writing does make you stop and think. Overall, though, I really did not care for it. Another book that I would add to my decade top ten over this one would be Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Her character development and story about a high school shooting is awesome.

Heroic Measures -Jill Ciment

Ruth and Alex are aging out of their walk up home in New York City and need to find a place with an elevator. In the middle of preparing for an open house their tiny dachshound dog falls ill and needs surgery. The book involves only a few days worth of calendar time, but you get to know the lifetimes of Ruth and Alex. A fun easy weekend read.

www.jillciment.com

Strength in What Remains -Tracy Kidder

This book is an unbelievable story of survival. Deo arrives in New York City from Burundi's horrible civil war with $200.00. He speaks no English and knows no one. The story is survival in New York and the harrowing stories of war he survived in getting to New York. He attends Columbia University and returns to Africa to build medical facilities. Tracy Kidder does an amazing job of chronicling Deo's life. On a visit to New York tos return to places Deo had lived they visit St John the Devine Church. Deo says, "I can't tell you how many times I came here. It is so peaceful. Your mind is so open. You know, I really have been successful in finding my own peaceful corners. On my own."

It is an amazing story and a book to promote peace. The woman who comes to his aid while escaping to the Rwandan border is a Hutu and Deo is a Tutsi. She helps him anyway. She says,"But I'm a woman and I'm a mother." That, she said, was her ubwoko, her ethnicity. When he returns to Burundi in 2006 to build a medical clinic, he forms a men's committee and a women's committee. The women's committee managed the realtions between the clinic and the village. Deo found that if he didn't have separate committees the women had no voice.

The book ends with Deo saying, "Let's work on the clinic. Let's put this tragedy behind us, because remembering is not going to benefit anyone."

www.tracykidder.com

"The Creative Habit"; "The Collaborative Habit" - Twyla Tharp

Both of these books are great reads! The Creative Habit is alot about Twyla's personal process for creation. The Collaborative Habit is a great read on getting along with people.

"The Christmas List"- Richard Paul Evans & "Christmas Present" -Jacqulyn Mitchard

Both of these books follow the Dickens theme of making the most of your life at Christmas. The Mitchard Book is about a dying woman and the Evans book is about a shrewd business man who tries to repair some broken relationships. Both are quick easy holiday reads.

What Makes a Child Lucky -Gioia Timpanelli

One hundred and twenty seven pages and a gem! I'm still digesting this book, but wanted to get a start on recommending it. The author is a wonderful storyteller. This story involves a boy of 13 thrown into a crowd of criminals and how he survives and still finds good in the world. A wonderful read.

http://www.gioiatimpanelli.net/

A Quilter's Holiday -Jennifer Chiaverini

An Elm Creek Quilts novel is always a delight. Sylvia is looking for long lost family. Diane is dealing with a family who is growing up and Sarah and Anna are just getting started. A well timed release for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Middle Place -Kelly Corrigan

The topic seems melancholy: a father and daughter fighting different cancers. The book is not depressing at all it; was very uplifting. I couldn't put it down. Everyone needs a George in their lives somewhere his optimisim is contagious.

The Unfinished Angel -Sharon Creech

I think I'll have to preface this review by stating that I think I've enjoyed every Sharon Creech book I've ever read. This one is no exception. The book takes place in a village of the Swiss Alps. Zola arrives with her father to start a children's school and finds an angel in the stone tower. Together they find orphaned children and bring them to the school. The language takes some getting used to, but is endearing as the angel has the voice of a young child and often the grammar reflects that. "Now the peoples will do something, because peoples take care of other peoples, especially childrens, right."

The Chapters all have facscinating names. My favorite is Mr. Pomodoro, Zola's father, Creech introduces the concept of why and what people save for emotional support. Zola saves feathers and the angel wonders about that. Mr. Pomodoro saves chocolate and one of the villagers has a seceret stash of blue socks. The book is full of interesting characters and relationships.

Catching Up..Four Reads

These are the books I've read lately and neglected blogging about. I picked up the Meg Wolitzer book at the library as an express seven day checkout and ended up pushing myself to finish it. I really did not care for it. The idea of the book appealed to me as many women take career breaks to raise children, myself included. The book profiles about four different women and the choices they've made which all seem to be heavily influenced by money. They all send their kids to a private NY school and complain all of the time about how money is tight. I found the book to be whinny and annoying and too much of keeping up appearances and not much humanity.

I enjoyed the Peter Mayle book A Good Year it takes place between London and the south of France vineyards. Lots of talk about wine and the French countryside with some romance thrown in. A very light enjoyable read!

Seeking Peace by Mary Pipher was also a great read. Mary talks about how hectic her life became with the success of Revivng Ophelia. I enjoyed reading about her life reprioritizing process.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a true classic with great writing. I read it because my daughter's English class is reading it and I wanted to refresh my memory of the story. Really, really classic writing: "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation." Refreshing to read a classic again!

Girl in a Blue Dress -Gaynor Arnold

Because I thrived on reading Charles Dickens in my younger days, this book was wonderful! It is a perspective of the marriage of Charles Dickens and his first wife Catherine of whom he spent the last ten years of his life estranged from. I couldn't put this book down all weekend and will hate having to return it to the library.

Through Thick and Thin- Alison Pace and Knit Two -Kate Jacobs

Two fun reads for back-to-school week. I think I've now read all of Alison Pace's books. I had read the pre-quel to "Knit Two", but had put off reading this as I didn't really like the way the first one ended. The were both fun reads. From Alison, I learned the concept of doggie-yoga. I don't think I will try it, but it was fun to read about. Kate Jacobs picks up five years after the first book left off. I enjoyed it alot more than I thought I would.

The Fortune Quilt -Lani Diane Rich & If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend -Alison Pace

These two books were my airplane reads for a recent trip. They were both wonderful. I had never read anything by Lani Diane Rich so it was a lucky library pick. I loved the title and the story holds up to it. Brandy builds quilts from inspirations and Carly's quilt was made 12 years before Brandy and Carly meet. Carly is a bit freaked out by the weird way of fortune telling, but comes to live more by intuition than thought.

www.lanidianerich.com

I had read other books by Alison Pace so this one I searched for at the library. Again I loved it! Each chapter starts with a Warhol quote and it's a love story built around the art world.

www.alisonpace.com

Labyrinth -Kate Mosse

Finally, I found a book worth blogging about. I loved this book. I have read quite a few bad ones lately so it was a relief. This book reminds me a little of The Book of Love with the labyrinth taking center stage with much historical insight into France during the early 1200's. The story switches back in forth from modern days to the 1200's between two female characters. The Chartres Labyrinth takes less of a part in this book, but it is also mentioned. Very intriguing historical fiction.

www.labyrinthbook.net

Looking for Alibrandi -Melina Marchetta & The Perks of Being a Wallflower -Stephen Chbosky

I have read eight books this month and am having a hard time keeping up with the blogging. Between torential rains and getting my daughter ready for summer camp, blogging has fallen aside. These two books, however, have brought me back. The Chbosky book was on my daughter's reading list last summer as a comparison to The Catcher in the Rye. I'm not sure where she heard about the Marchetta book, but it too is reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye. Both books were published in the 90's Looking for Alibrandi is already a movie. As a parent, my reading has grown with my children. I believe that The Catcher in the Rye will stand the test of time and deserves to be on every reading list. I am not sure that the Chbosky book deserves this status. Once again as the parent of two daughters, I find the reading lists at the school biased toward male authors. I loved the Marchetta book. True writing, great quotes and a great story. I found very little to like or appreciate about the Chbosky book.