What I Read -- Born Lucky

I don't believe that I can fairly review this book.  It was written by an old friend of mine, so of course I love it and am incredibly proud of him for telling his story.  I never doubted that he would do great things despite the way he was treated, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next for him. 

A Simple Act of Violence -- Take 2

Of the mysteries I've read lately looking for a keeper, this one was the most ambitious.

I like the use of multiple perspectives. The two stories start out disparate, and come together as the story moves along.  That was a nice feature.  Not quite an unreliable narrator, but the multiple voices remind you that things aren't always what they seem. 

I did have a few specific complaints during my reading experience. My biggest beef with the craft of his writing is the use of sentence fragments. One here or there is okay, but there were too many, especially closer to the beginning of the book. Maybe they were intended to push the plot along, because once it got going in its own right, there were fewer fragments. But mostly I just found it to be irritating.

There was also missing punctuation, and occasionally a missing word, typically at the end of paragraphs or chapters. This may have been a formatting issue in the publication of the ebook, but it's nevertheless distracting to read.

My biggest frustration, which is entirely my own fault for going into this reading experience blind, was how political this book was.  The backstory is historically political, with the implications running through to the present day.  I'm just not into politics right now, so I wasn't really there for that part of it which, unfortunately was the whole motivation for the "simple act of violence."  Something was lost on me there, but at least it was an engrossing race to the end of the story. 

What I'm Reading Now -- Tangerine

Back in 2021, S and I had planned a trip to Morocco for my birthday.  Unfortunately, about three weeks before we were supposed to leave, there was a big COVID resurgence in Morocco and they closed their borders to foreigners; they even arranged special flights for foreigners who were already there to get out of the country.

So we hurried up and made some other plans.  We found ourselves in Camden, Maine, for my birthday instead.  It's a small town, and in the week-plus that we were there, we did just about everything we could find to do.  One of the things we did -- and this is actually pretty typical of us -- was went shopping for used books.  Normally we do this at used book stores, but at the time we were there, the local public library was having a big used book sale, so we availed ourselves of their overstock.

One of the books I found was Tangerine, which is set in - you guessed it - Morocco.  It was obvious that I had to buy it, right?

I'm still working my way through my 2024 Reading Challenge, and I had selected Tangerine as my September choice: a book set in an intriguing city.  Specifically it's set in the city of Tangier.  So, here we go, finally trying to catch up on what is now more than a year overdue!

Three Day Road -- Take 2

I've had Three Day Road for a long time, probably 15 years.  I only finally read it because I had put it on my 2024 (yes, 2024!) Reading Challenge; it was my December selection: a book with a number in the title. I am sorry it took me so long to get to. 

Let me be clear, it's a dark read.  It's about war and addiction and trauma and loss and aloneness.  It doesn't, or perhaps really can't, do much to rehabilitate what occurred during World War I, but it does make a run at friendship and recovery and healing.

My reading experience has been pretty lacking in the Native American and First Peoples department.  I read Killers of the Flower Moon a few years ago, The Painted Drum, and The Light in the Forest way back in the early grades.  (I don't think The Indian in the Cupboard counts.)  I have a few others on my list: Braiding Sweetgrass and some more Louise Erdrich are high up there.

This all is a way of saying that I don't have much experience with writing about native peoples of the Americas, so I didn't quite know what to expect from Three Day Road.  And even now that I've read it, I'm certainly not qualified to judge the cultural aspects.  I can say, though, that the story is told from two points of view - there's "Nephew" Xavier, who goes off to fight in WWI with his best friend Elijah, and there's "Auntie" Niska, who stays back in the Canadian woods, living in the old way.  The difference in their two outlooks, experiences, and voices is appreciated as a novice to the subject.  More perspectives equal more information, and they both feel genuine and true to their respective characters.

The book opens with Auntie retrieving Xavier at the train station when he returns from war.  Elijah is not with him, and Xavier, who has lost a leg and been shot in the arm, is badly addicted to morphine. Auntie has no idea what has happened to him during the years he was away.  She doesn't know where Elijah is, and Xavier can't bear to think about it.  As the two of them leave the train station and she paddles them back towards home in her canoe, Xavier relives his wartime experiences in flashbacks.  To bring him back to her, Auntie tries to counter his dark daydreams and nightmares with stories from her childhood and his.  But the question remains: what happened to Elijah?  The answer comes out, but I don't want to spoil it for you. 

It took me a little while to get into this one, probably 50 pages, but once I got there, I was hooked. 

Misadventures in Nature's Paradise -- Take 2. And a Question.

Many moons ago, I began reading Misadventures in Nature's Paradise: Australia's Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island During the Dutch Era. I was hopeful prior to beginning it that it wouldn't be the PhD dissertation it sounded like it might be, but what has kept me from writing about it here (and frankly even from finishing it) is that it was pretty dry. 

I don't often give up on books (more below) but I gave up on this one and even skipped some portions before I got to the "I give up" stage.  This is not to say that it was either entirely uninformative or entirely dull.  To the contrary, in the former case, it was quite the opposite - perhaps overly informative at least for the casual historian.  I don't need to know every version of every map which was ever made (including where and by whom) which may or may not have had an island on it that may or may not have been one of the islands in the subtitle.  That's too much! But there were some interesting tidbits buried throughout, especially about the discovery of Christmas Island and the accidental ownership of the Cocos Islands.

So, if archaic maps and misdirected European explorers really float your boat (so to speak), you might consider giving it a try.  But for most folks, its a pass. 

A Question: 

It is difficult for me to quit reading a book once I have begun it.  However, with the number of books in my library and the number of years I have left, I believe I ought to develop this skill.  What are your thoughts on this issue?  

Happy Thanksgiving!

What I Watched -- Game Night

Have I mentioned recently that I love Jason Bateman?  (I feel like I have.)  I lucked out recently with his films on back-to-back flights.  This time, it was Game Night.  And I have to say, the plot sounded not too promising, but I didn't want to doubt JB, so I have it a go. 

It turned out to have that sweet, goofy comedy quality that Jason Bateman is so great for, and he is ably supported by Rachel McAdams. They play a married couple who, along with some friends, get accidentally wrapped up in a crime ring that they have no business being involved in. They dope their way through it, and of course it has a terribly predictable ending...

...or so I think. I didn't actually see the ending because the airplane's computer system restarted. I could have very slowly fast-forwarded to the end of the movie, but instead, S (who by total chance happened to have picked the same movie) and I discussed the probable ending and decided to leave it at that. I think our suspicions are correct, but if you watch it, let me know how it actually ends so I can confirm!

What I Watched -- The Life of Chuck. Plus: Stephen King

The Life of Chuck was another airplane watch. The plane's system only had short blurbs, and the blurb for this one said something like, "Chuck examines love and death." Together with the pensive-looking guy in the photo, it seemed like it might be something I could come across at a film festival. 

"Not so," I thought as it began. It's told in reverse (a neat trick), and it begins as an apocalypse film. I did not care for that portion. 

But as it goes on, it gets better. The beginning of the movie (actually the end of the story), though I never came to like it, at least finally starts to fit with the the rest of the plot as it goes on. I really liked the middle and end of the movie (really the middle and beginning of the story), and that's when it all comes together. I don't want to say too much about it because it was an interesting journey which I enjoyed taking.  I'd hate to ruin it for you!  (And it does become sort of a film festival movie by the conclusion.)

The film is based on a short story by Stephen King.  Not long ago, I listened to a podcast that in which each of the hosts set forth their argument for a writer for the reason of the day. One of them made such a strong argument for Stephen King - whom I've never read a word of, though I have seen several movies, including this one - that it made me want to read some of his stuff. Any recommendations on where to begin, besides this very short story?

What I Watched -- Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

The Sherlock Holmes franchise of visual entertainment is vast. It includes a streaming series starring one of my faves, Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, which of course I have watched. (This doesn't even get into the original books or any fan fiction that has come along since.  Like I said, it's a vast world.)

Two of the movies star another fave, Robert Downey, Jr., in the lead role. I knew I had seen one of them, but I couldn't remember which. (Fortunately or unfortunately, Holmes suffers from the same fate as action and other extensive film franchises; unless you're a real fan, eventually the casual viewer can't remember which ones they've seen and which they haven't. The basic plot of good versus evil with a heap of mad genius and a dash of dutiful sidekick are just too similar.) So, I selected the second, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, for my airplane viewing pleasure, hoping that I would have started with the first one.

Game of Shadows boasts a basic plot of good versus evil with a heap of mad genius and a dash of dutiful sidekick. Have I said that before? But it satisfies.

Here's the funny thing (you may have seen this coming) -- now that I've seen the second one, I'm still not sure which one I had seen previously! I'm not sure what that's a sign of (besides the aforementioned plot similarities), but there you have it.

And that's just the visual world of which I am aware. Let's not forget it all started with the written genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though to be honest my literary experience with Holmes is not nearly as extensive as it should be. Though I feel I should get some credit for having spent some time on Baker Street!

What I Watched -- This Is Where I Leave You

I found myself on an airplane recently with limited options as far as in-flight movies went, and This Is Where I Leave You stood out as one of the better possibilities. I love Jason Bateman and his incredibly expressive face, and the rest of the cast (including, but not limited to, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, and more) is pretty impressive as well.

I also thought that it was one that had been on my list of movies I wanted to see (though, being airborne, I couldn't access that).  I checked later and it turned out that I was right!  So satisfying to be able to mark anything off any kind of list, even a movie!

The four siblings all come home after their father's death.  As if just his death weren't enough stress, they all begin to push each other's buttons in ways both good and bad.  They are also in their hometown again, which brings up all kinds of memories and the presence of old friends.  

It was everything I expected and hoped. It's about how family, though messy and complicated, is still family for good or ill -- even through all the secrets and deep ways of knowing each other. It's a sweet dramedy with a few genuine laughs.  

And, aside from a couple of quick scenes, it's a great airplane watch. (I always feel self-conscious about about airplane movie choices. Am I the only one? One of my favorite pop culture podcasts did an episode on good airplane movie choices, which highlights a lot of good things to think about in making an airplane movie choice. Check out their suggestions here.)