Sisterland

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld 400 pg.

Violet and Daisy are identical twins with the "senses"..they seem to know things in advance, a bit of ESP that isn't always 100% accurate but still pretty good.  Violet embraces this ability while Daisy runs from it by changing her name, never talking about it and doing her best to ignore it.  But then Violet predicts and earthquake is coming.and even gives a date.  This creates some stress between the sisters.  Violet is getting airplay and Kate (nee Daisy) is on the defensive with her friends who are, naturally, earth scientists.  Jeremy is Kate's perfect husband and a professor at Washington University (yes, the book is set in St. Louis).  At the same time she is wishing Violet would stop talking about the earthquake, Kate is getting ready by stocking up on supplies and planning for how she will protect her children.  I don't want to give any spoilers but lets just say the earth does move but not quite as predicted.

As with Sittenfeld's other books (I've read all but one), I loved the writing, I loved the relationships between the characters and I loved the way the story sort of meanders but also provides surprises.  Violet is a wonderful character and I looked forward to reading everything she said.

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Zealot: the Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth / Reza Aslan 296 p.

Aslan asks us to consider the historical human Jesus of Nazareth as distinct from Jesus the Christ,  to the extent that we can see him at all in the historical record.   And in fact, there is little historical information which is specific to Jesus.  Aslan's method is to take the few known facts about Jesus and lay them against the totality of known historical information about his time and place and draw reasoned conclusions that way.  There is a lot to think about here, but Aslan's primary point seems to be that Jesus can be understood in light of the many other apocalyptic messiah wannabes roaming 1st-century Palestine.  They were itinerant preachers who, for the most part, challenged Temple authorities, sought a return to a Judaism uncorrupted by the exploitative practices of the High Priests,  and got in trouble with the law, usually with fatal consequences.

 Zealot was fascinating and completely absorbing and I have only a few criticisms.  I found Aslan's frequent lapses into Marxist language rather silly, but this is harmless enough.  People have been calling Jesus a proto-Marxist since Karl was in diapers.  More troubling were Aslan's occasional statements, presented as factual, which are after all only logical surmises.  

Still, this was a great read, my favorite part being the juicy information about the conflict between Saul/Paul in the diaspora and James, Peter and John in Jerusalem.  Detailed and readable endnotes and a long bibliography.

Totals for September

Totals for September books/pages:

Patrick 3/1469
Karen 5/1556
Kathleen 4/1420
Christa 4/1238
Linda 6/1885
Marilyn 2/623
Kara 13/2741
Donald 1/128
Annie 2/864
TOTAL 40/11,924

Let me know if you see any errors.

The Bitter Kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (Girl of Fire and Thorn book 3); young adult, fantasy; 448

Queen Elisa is facing threats on multiple fronts:  at home a civil war is brewing as rebel nobles dispute her claim to the throne; but to the north and east, the hostile Invierne nation threatens to invade her country, unless she gives herself up as a willing sacrifice.  To make matters worse, Hector, the captain of her royal guard--and her betrothed--has been kidnapped as a hostage to ensure her compliance with the Invierno demands. 

I loved this conclusion to the series every bit as much as the first two.  Recommended for fans of Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley. 

The Lemonade War

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies  175 pp.

Somehow I neglected to blog about this one the first time I read it. Now that I reread it in preparation for this month's 4th-6th grade book club I'll say a little about it. In the last week before school starts Evan is unhappy because his younger sister is skipping third grade and will be in his class when school starts. Jessie, while a whiz at school subjects like math, doesn't understand the feelings of others very well. She doesn't understand why her brother is so mad at her. When Jessie wants to set up a lemonade stand with Evan he refuses. Each makes their own and they have a bet who will make the most money in the last few days before school starts. They try different methods to increase the business at their stands including partnerships with friends, diversifying, and franchising--all terms which are explained in the story. In the end there is a happy ending but not without some sabotage and theft to stir up more problems. This is the first book in The Lemonade War series.

The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer

The only bad thing about this book is the title.  At first I wondered if I really would some to care about the teenagers at the artsy camp called “Spirit-in-the-Woods,” a name as precious and pretentious as the kids who call themselves “The Interestings” are when we first meet them.  Most are privileged, a couple are poor and on scholarship, and all have some degree of artistic giftedness.   But over the intervening years as they age; have great success or tiny failures; and endure the joys and tragedies of adult life, the reader does find them very interesting.  The relationships between the childhood friends become complex and believable.  You will particularly like the homely Ethan Figman – everybody at camp does, and later when his animation series Figland is a success a la The Simpsons, the whole world agrees.  Others find their adult lives a diminished version of what they had envisioned.  They remain connected into late middle age, but loyalties are tested by one big secret.  Recommended.  468 pp.

Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, memoir, 282 pages.

Amhir Thompson has been making music since he was a child. He rode around the country, touring with his mother and father since he can remember, and played drums in their bands almost that long. He co-founded the Roots, with high-school classmate Tariq Trotter, when they both wanted to beat another classmate in their school's talent show. That classmate went on to found Boyz II Men. And Tariq (Black Thought) and Questlove have been together ever since, making music. Quest has produced and played with Jay-Z, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, John Paul Jones, and lots and lots of people whom I am not cool enough to know.Now, of course, he and the rest of the Roots are Jimmy Fallon's Late Night band. An interesting story, well told.-Patrick

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Fables 1-10

Fables vol. 1-10, by Bill Willingham, 1766 pages in all


Fables: Legends in Exile, 118 pages
Fables: Animal Farm, 111 pages
Fables: Storybook Love, 192 pages
Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers, 231 pages
Fables: The Mean Seasons, 166 pages
Fables: Homelands, 190 pages
Fables: Arabian Nights (And Days), 161 pages
Fables: Wolves, 159 pages
Fables: Sons of Empire, 200 pages
Fables: The Good Prince, 228 pages

OK, so I'm a little over half-way through my Fables re-read, and since I hadn't blogged about any of them yet, I figured I'd save everyone some scrolling and throw them all in together. As I mentioned this is a re-read, and I'm quite enjoying revisiting this tale of storybook refugees. I didn't get to read them all in a chunk like this last time around, and I'm quite enjoying the continuity this time. That said, some of the things I found so hilarious last time weren't quite as funny this time, probably because 1. I knew they were coming, and 2. they really weren't as funny as I remembered. However, I'm continually amazed by creator Bill Willingham's ability to weave such a great story. It makes the weak spots in this 'verse (like the spin-off, and, here's hoping, one-off Werewolves of the Heartland) even more disappointing. Anyway, if you haven't read this, give it a whirl. It's worth it.

The Audacity of Hops

The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution by Tom Acitelli, 400 pages

This book is exactly what the subtitle says it is — a history of craft beer in America, from the early 1970s until Acitelli finished writing it in 2012. The author does a great job presenting this history, with short sections on the creation, major developments, and, sadly, sometimes the demise of various craft breweries across the country. He also does a wonderful job bringing the "characters" to life, including beer critic Michael Jackson, Anchor founder Jack McAuliffe, Boston Brewing's Jim Koch, and perhaps the snarkiest of the bunch, Tony Magee, founder of Lagunitas Brewing, who made up obviously fake stories and beer styles to lend "gravitas" to his brews. (I particularly liked his tale about how Octoberfest came from the Irish slaves in Germany, who made such a ruckus with the potato harvest that the Germans all shouted, "Ach! Tuber Fest!" Like I said, obviously fake.)

My one complaint about Acitelli's book is that he largely ignores those states between the coasts. Sure, he talks about some breweries in Colorado and Minnesota, and touches briefly on the first brewery in Kansas in 108 years, but there's something seriously wrong with Boulevard being the only Missouri brewery mentioned. Perhaps I'm a bit biased (OK, forget the "perhaps" part), but the St. Louis Brewery (AKA Schlafly) has a heck of a story, growing up in the shadow of A-B, with founder Tom Schlafly lobbying successfully to legalize small breweries in the state. For crying out loud, just the image of a craft brew keg being delivered by dog-drawn wagon into Busch Stadium should have been enough to include what is now the biggest locally owned brewery in St. Louis. Acitelli spent a LOT of ink on the cold (and sometimes hot) war between Big Beer and craft breweries. Schlafly's St. Louis Brewery would have been perfect for this.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox. Despite that one rather glaring omission, this was a fantastic book. I highly recommend it, particularly with a nice local, hoppy beer. I'll be buying this one for my own shelf, to be placed right next to Schafly's memoir, A New Religion in Mecca.

The Quilt Walk by Sandra Dallas

Ten-year-old Emmy Blue's life on a farm near Quincy, Illinois, is just fine until her father announces that the family is moving to Colorado where gold is being mined. He hopes to build a store and sell supplies to miners. Emmy's mother, Meggie, is not happy about the move and having to say good-bye to family and friends but, like other women of her time, does as her husband wishes. Emmy's Uncle Will and Aunt Catherine travel west with them. The women take pride in their sewing abilities and try to interest Emmy in the handicraft, but she would rather play marbles with a boy in the wagon train. Later, she takes up quilting and is able to stitch and walk the trail at the same time. This novel is based on a true story, and one of the quilts that the family brought to Colorado is in the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden. Snakes, Indians, wild animals and starvation are always potential threats to the group, but Emmy's family is strong and they do not give up and join the "go-backers." This is a great choice for those who enjoy Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, quilting, and strong girl stories