Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

You know I am not a big fan of short stories… well, I will say this read is VERY descriptive and paints beautiful pictures, heck I feel like I just left the new Walden Pond.  Surely the author, Annie Dillard, was very much affected by Thoreau in her book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.  The book was lauded as a great series of stories, which are connected by the scenery and experiences of the season changes at Tinker Creek, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Roanoke, Virginia.  I really want to visit them, for sure.  While I was lifted to the beauty and serenity of the location, not someone who is “brought” to a place when I am in the mood I was for this book.  Give me a Grisham book anytime over this type of read.   Sorry folks, unless you are at the beach where you are falling asleep all of the time or interrupted incessantly and it doesn’t matter, I’d leave this one for another day and time.

Looking For Alaska

If you haven’t read The Celestine Prophecy, it talks about “coincidences and fate,”  much of what I read last night/this morning (a different book than C.P. – I read that a few years back) falls into my day and the strangeness of my day.  A personal family tragedy occurred which paralleled the reading of today’s book, Looking for Alaska by John Green.  While the subject matter disturbs me, I will not go into detail over the net about the personal issues for the sake of privacy and my inability to have a conversation 1-1 with anyone reading this blog post, I felt the need to share how “fate,” “connections,” and my belief in a higher being was reinforced by the way today went. (Read more behind the jump)

City of Joy

I enjoyed the book I have been reading, City of Joy, a novel written by Dominique Lapierre.  The story centers on the trials and tribulations of a young priest, Stephan Kovalsk.  Kovalsk moves to Calcutta, India and tries desperately to understand the life of the people who occupy the slum area.  Kovalski befriends Hasari Pal, and his family.  Hasari is a rickshaw puller and is forced to make decisions against the establishment, whom he works.


Kovalski and Hasari develop a strong bond, so much so that they face the strong hold owner of the slums.  It is Kovalski, who helps the City of Joy (the rescue hospital/shelter) through his work as a priest and optimistic motivator of the people.  He provides strength and a spirit of hope among the people that they will no longer be exploited to have to face the fate that would have challenged them.  The rest of the “slum dwellers” are equally as ignored and exploited by their society with many in the community with leprosy and other afflictions. The book shares a real view of the despair and degradation of the community.  The end of the story, with some hope for Hasari and his family, leaves the reader feeling some sense of hope for the community as well.   Nice to learn that this is based on a true story!  Yes true.  Strong read, highly encourage and if you feel like donating to the worthy cause of City of Joy, see: http://www.cityofjoyaid.org/donate.html 

All the Pretty Horses

Probably not the best book to read on Halloween… but it was on the shelf and so I picked it up.  Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses.  A semi-romantic story, where two young Texans (John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins) leave for a better life, in Mexico?, hmmm.  They meet up with a young teen that they reluctantly allow to join them on their trip.  After the youth, Blevins, loses his horse and pistol, he decides to break in and steal it back from a Mexican ranch, the whole group is doomed, well sort of…  Cole and Rawlins stay together and find work at a high-end ranch where Cole finds the love of his life, the daughter (Alejandra) of the rancher.  They have a torrid love affair but old aunt finds out and guess what?  She sends niece away at the same time that the Mexican police find Blevins (who stole his horse back and decided to kill the culprit) and then they round up Cole and Rawlins, whom they thought were involved in the shooting/robbery.  Young Blevins is killed by the sheriff but Cole and Rawlins get to visit the penitentiary where they almost die.  Alejandra’s aunt pays off the police to get them out with the one condition that Alejandra causes no more damage to honor by breaking off with her love Cole.  This love affair ends and in the final pages, Cole has his revenge by taking the sheriff hostage as he takes all three horses (his own, Blevins, and Rawlins) back to the states.  A nice, tidy story where all loose ends are tied up.  This western story was fine, but not sure if it deserves best selling status.  Story moves along and after yesterday’s lack of character development, I’ll take it.  Middle of road book for me. 

The Martian Chronicles

Always nice to read a book from an author that I have read more than once, as was the case with this book, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.  I will let you know my own feeling from the start... no, it was not my favorite of his books.  Fahrenheit 451 was much better, even the completely different, Dandelion Wine was a better read for me.  What I disliked about this book was the “episodic” nature of the book.  While the stories all tied to the theme of Earth as we knew it was GOING, and Mars was where one needed to be, I just wasn’t a fan of a disconnected character base that popped in for one part of the book and may or may not be referred to in the future.   The book was much like the “Twilight Zone” television series where each story provided another weird message that led one to believe that the world would end if… or if you do this… something bad could happen… you get the picture.  Bradbury presents a series of stories where space ships leave Earth just in time before it finally blows up based on the build-up of bombs (atomic and other types) and ideologies that are inconsistent and are not compatible when people don’t listen.  He also provides the psychological warfare where one is unsure of “their own being” (who am I?) and whether who we are at the moment isn’t really a reflection of ourselves which masks the Martian or robot hidden behind the mask.  A few of the short stories, as Bradbury describes it, are well written, but I was yearning for those characters to return.  The struggle of Spender and Captain Wilder ranks high on my list within the chapters.  Hmm.. give me Ender’s Game anytime.  I’ll take a pass on this one Ray, sorry.  90 years old!  Amazing.

The Magus

After reading so many of the teen and kid books, this one was a real struggle!  I had read one of this author’s books within the past month, The Collector.  In this book, The Magus by John Fowles, more of the same with the weird psychological thriller.  For this one I would add, somewhat thriller.  First, it was way too long to keep you connected and interested, from my vantage point.  This one is set on a small Greek island, but the protagonist was captured, rather than capturing someone else.  I was less interested in the protagonist Nicholas Urfe, a teacher visiting to help out with local students in the school.  Urfe falls in love and then falls under the “spell” of Maurice Conchis, whom he stumbles upon while swimming in one of the beautiful beaches on the island.  We aren’t sure how Conchis bizarre behavior is framed though it appears that he may have been under the control of Nazis.  Nicholas is unsure of what is real and what is part of his imagination (or part of what Conchis creates).  Reading this late at night doesn’t help!  The novel ends with two lines of Latin poetry which may be interpreted to suggest one possible outcome or another but clarity is missing, which is appropriate and consistent with the rest of this unsatisfying book.  Not my cup of tea.  Too long for this type of read.  Skip it.  His other book is more of the same, shorter and more understandable for the average reader.

Stargirl

I really liked this one, another kid’s book, more teen than young child.  This was Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.  The story of a life in a high school in Arizona when all breaks loose when a new student whom was home schooled arrives one day.  Stargirl is one of those special books that tries to teach our awkward high school kids not to judge a person by what you see on the outside, especially if it is different from everyone else.  Well Stargirl (yes that is her name, well at least for part of the story!) is that special kid who loves life and really gives to others, at the expense of being popular and fitting the mold of what kids are “supposed” to be like, you know completely homogeneous within their group.  Stargirl doesn’t play that game and that makes it bad for the student who falls in love with her, Leo Borlock (the narrator and protagonist).  Leo tells this story of his youth looking back and maybe learning was it more important to conform or to be yourself?  This heart-warming story makes you think about how we live our life and how we GIVE to others.  We should all think about it.  Being different for difference sake is ok I guess, but believing in something and not realizing you are different because of it is something special.  It’s a relatively short read.  (Spoiler Alert) I wasn’t completely hip on the ending, thinking that Stargirl actually died, or better yet was accepted by others.  Sorry, I gave it away.  No, the ending doesn’t fit into the box I guess I was trying to have happen.  Nice lesson with this book.

The View From Saturday

What a great read!  The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg was easy to read and great for young kids who live in a world that is full of jealousy, anger, and hate, and yet we see four kids who are pulled together through karma?  I love when authors are able to bring disparate things together, have a profound meaning, and it just makes sense (and feels good).  Wrap these things all together and what do you have?  You have a story of four kids drawn together by a weird series of coincidences which lead to deep friendship using an elementary school competition, which they win, and teach their teacher something about life and herself.  Throw in the genius dog, the goof superintendent, the class bullies and you have the making of “Everyman’s” school life.  This is a really nice story.  I’d get it on the list.  Especially for those days that are gray and rainy.  Yes an overcast day, that would work for this one.  Sometimes it is through the clouds that clarity of sight is most often seen.  Have fun with this one!

The Godfather

Time for a classic… one of the best books of the 20^th century, even turned into a movie, The Godfather by Mario Puzo.  The book follows the fictional life of one of the top Sicilian families in the greatest city in the world, NYC!  Five Mafia families fight for control of underworld crime (gambling, extortion, and influence of the unions).  Dad Corleone is the first victim in this always revolving world of shoot before you get shot dead.  Puzo’s story is riveting and details a world certainly foreign to me, but seemingly had a pretty good run in the 1940s-50s where the book was set.  Family is everything is one theme in the book, so is revenge.  Getting back at those who have damaged the family name by any means necessary sets the stage for intrigue and betrayal.  The transformation of son Mickey into the worst of all “family czars” is one of the most interesting changes in a character I have read in quite some time.  If you haven’t read this thriller, add to your list.  Loving your family above all and why one should do it are all part of the fascination I have with this one.  Do yourself a favor and add to the list!

Hope for the Flowers

And yet another kid’s book,  Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus, was my latest read.  I really don’t want to come across as anti-kids books at all, so I’ll say ok.  Maybe the meaning was much deeper than what was on the surface.  I keep trying to figure it out.  To be a caterpillar and unhappy crawling around with the one I love, or becoming a butterfly looking beautiful  (and chased all around by a net) and able to fly wherever you want to go.  In many ways the story has a meaning that puts down the ordinary life and suggests there is something always better for you in recreating yourself.  Maybe we should just accept who we are, where we are, and be grateful.  Not sure we give credit to those who persevere as much as we could.  Just because the new creature can fly, oh well.  And then again if I take a different slant at the reading of this, I could say, climbing on top of other caterpillars to see something in the sky that will teach me “the truth” should make me realize there needs to be another way at living.  So heck, I’ll make my cocoon and turn my life into something better.  Every time I read through this and reflect on the story I’m not really sure what it is I am learning… until I realize I need to look at the pictures (much better drawn than the last children’s book I read) and see that butterflies help make beautiful flowers by sharing their touch with each one.  I guess I get it, but I think it gives a bad wrap to those who are satisfied with their lot in life.  Heck, I’m a life coach, I’m not supposed to say that.  Everyone deserves better, right?  With education as the one constant, yes that would be true!  The story reads fast and for kids, may need a lot of analysis for them to get this one.  Probably need at least a fourth grade education.  You can clearly see that my 4^th grade education hasn’t helped me on this one….