Becoming

Becoming by Michelle Obama  426 pp.

This will be brief since it was already blogged by Christa, Patrick, & Kara and they said everything I was going to just read theirs. I enjoyed it thoroughly and was occasionally brought to a tear or two. (The story of the burned serviceman trying to stand up and salute really got to me.) I especially enjoyed the audiobook read by Michelle Obama. If possible, I have gained even more respect for the Obamas after reading this.

The Undoing Project

The Undoing Project: a Friendship That Changed Our Minds / Michael Lewis, read by Daniel Boutsikaris, 362 p.

The story of the Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, whose research into decision-making theory led to the rise of behavioral economics.  Lewis weaves the key ideas of their research into the stories of their lives both as individuals and in relationship to one another.  Theirs was clearly a unique partnership, but I would have preferred more emphasis on the research and less on the biography.

Milkman

Milkman: a Novel / Anna Burns, 352 p.

Middle sister, 18 years old,  lives in an unnamed country.  She reads 19th century literature while walking around her unnamed town, using a flashlight if necessary.  She is stalked by a 41 year old man, a high-ranking renouncer of the state; that is to say, a violent paramilitary.  This stalking causes problems in her relationship with maybe-boyfriend, whose life may now be in danger as a result.

What a book.  So very, very brilliant.  But so very, very difficult, perhaps unnecessarily.  And there's the rub.  The anonymity - no names, no place-names, no specific designators of any kind - is terrific.  Of course, this is the Troubles, Belfast in the 1970s.  Middle sister and her family, and the stalker Milkman, too, are obviously the Catholics, though that's never stated.  And it's wonderful because it works.  The Troubles could be lots of places where violence simmers and occasionally breaks out, where an entire group is scapegoated, where no one can trust anyone, and where the wrong word to the wrong person can have dire consequences.  But reading a narrative scrubbed of specificity in this way is awkward and laborious.  The reader is taxed from the outset; add in middle sister's inside-out syntax, manic digressions, chronological lurches, and the (necessary) local colloquialisms, and it's a relief to be finished. 

Yes, I'm relieved.  But perhaps because of the effort involved, I also won't forget Milkman anytime soon.

Sparks!

Sparks! by Ian Boothby, art by Nina Matsumoto, 190 pgs.

Princess is trying to take over the world.  She is an alien that has manifested as an adorable baby.  She is ruthless and is making animals do her bidding.  Charlie and August are cats who have invented a two-cat suit in the shape of a dog.  They do basic super hero tasks, saving babies from wells, a school bus from a tornado, etc.  We learn a bit of their back story, they escaped from a lab.  BUT, can they foil Princess' plot to take over the world?  The art by Nina Matsumoto is fantastic.

The Emissary

The Emissary by Yoko Tawada, 138 pages

In Tokyo in the future, adults of a certain vintage are seemingly immortal, yet the toxic environment has rendered their great-grandchildren fragile, weak, and sick beings. It is against this backdrop that we find the energetic centenarian Yoshiro caring for his weak but wise great-grandson Mumei, worrying about Mumei's safety and diet, doing everything he can to create a comfortable and caring cocoon for the child, who seems destined to die well before his time. It may seem a depressing tale from this description, but somehow Tawada's quirky sense of humor brings a lightness to this dystopian tale. It's an odd little book, but I very much enjoyed it.

The Kimchi Chronicles

The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for American Kitchens by Marja Vangerichten  248 pp.

I don't normally read cookbooks cover to cover but this was an exception. My interest in Korean food is recent and due to getting to know one of my son's housemates who, like the author, is the child of an American serviceman and Korean mother. Granted, I don't know that I will ever fix any of these recipes but even with my limited experience with Korean food, many sound very tasty. This is the companion book to The Kimchi Chronicles television series which I watched a few years ago. The author and her husband, three star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vangerichten make these recipes occasionally with their neighbors, the actors Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. That series is available through Hoopla. Even if you don't read the whole thing, it's worth a browse.

Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller  393 pp.

As she did with Song of Achilles, Miller takes tales from Greek mythology and brings them to life in this intriguing novel. Circe, the daughter of the sun god Helios, is banished to for changing Scylla into a sailor devouring monster. Alone on the island of Aiaia, she tames lions and wolves, develops her witchcraft abilities, weaves on the loom made for her by Daedalus, and entertains the messenger god, Hermes. When intruding ships arrive on her island she uses a magical potion to change them into pigs. Only Odysseus and his crew are spared and he stays on the island for many seasons. After he returns to Ithaca to his wife and son, Circe births the second of Odysseus' sons. The birth begins a feud between Circe and the goddess, Athena. Eventually Circe is freed from her imprisonment and leaves the island in the care of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. While I enjoyed this novel, I think Song of Achilles is the better of the two. I listened to the audiobook which is well narrated by Welsh actress Perdita Weeks. This book was previously reviewed by Patrick.

In an absent dream

In an absent dream / Seanan McGuire, read by Cynthia Hopkins, 204 pgs.

Katherine is the principal's daughter, she is a good student, a reader and a future librarian.  One day on the way home from school, she encounters a magical tree with a doorway into an alternate world. Lundy in the alternate world, makes friends and learns the rules.  She associates with others and creates a family for herself.  The goblin market, the economics are fairly clear, everyone bargains for goods and services.  Other rules are not so clear.  She has the ability to go back between her "earth" family and this world until she is 18, then she must decide where she will stay.  Even though some rules are easy, others are a little vague and mysterious.  Lundy makes some choices that she doesn't fully understand.  An interesting book well narrated by Cynthia Hopkins.

Simply clean

Simply clean: the proven method for keeping your home organized, clean and beautiful in just 10 minutes a day / Becky Rapinchuck, 250 pgs.

I like the summary of this book that shows up in the library catalog..."No matter how big your home or busy your schedule, Rapinchuk believes that in just ten minutes a day your can keep your house clean and decluttered."  All I can say after reading this book is that she must get a LOT more done in 10 minutes than I ever could.  Helpful for lists and suggestions about HOW to clean certain things, this also includes recipes for natural cleaning supplies that you can make yourself.

Ghost Wall

Ghost Wall / Sarah Moss, read by Christine Hewitt, 132 pgs.

Sylvie, a teenage girl who spends two weeks in the north of England, reenacting ancient British civilization in the Iron Age. Sylvie is joined by her father, a bus driver who is obsessed with ancient history, and whose abuse and aggression run throughout his every word. Also on the trip is a college professor, his students, and Sylvie's hapless, rabbity mother. An unsettling story about how far a reenactment can go and how little her father values her, as if they are actual Iron Age dwellers.  Perfectly narrated by Christine Hewitt who captures all of Sylvie's moods and charms.