Off the Bookshelf: Thailand, Letters, Eating Disorders & Magic

Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap

Another selection from my book club which I enjoyed but would not have read on my own. This collection of short stories is slightly depressing but not horrific.  Intense and immersive, I had to pause and reflect on each story as I read. Allan Gurganus' blurb described the collection best: "a deadpan heartfelt voice, true comic scope, a whole new use for rage."  My thoughts on each story:

"Farangs": The mother's description of tourists made me laugh and made me wonder what I'd like to see.  This also probably the most-often quoted passage of the book: "Pussy and elephants. That's all these people want..[even though y]ou give them history, temples, pagodas, traditional dance, floating markets, seafood curry, tapioca desserts, silk-weaving cooperatives.” I also liked the pet pig named Clint Eastwood.

"At the Cafe Lovely": This has one of my favorite passages about how children become adults when they acknowledge other people’s grief; poignant. The episode with McDonald's reminds me of how it's a symbol of luxury in many countries. Our book discussion brought up the issue about whether drug use is implicitly immoral or culturally immoral. Do our cultural beliefs affect how we view the older brother?

"Draft Day": My favorite story in this collection. I was struck by how loving the poor son's mother is and how she feeds the rich son even though they're the poor family. Great story about inequality. I was surprised that some did not think this happens in the US. Throughout history, wars are always built on the blood of poor people. Rich people become generals or are not involved at all.  I did not know that Thailand had a military draft before I read this story.

"Sightseeing": The first story in which the people aren't poor. My assumption is based on the description of the mother wearing suits to her meetings. I thought this eponymous story was ok.  My book club thought it was very poetic, a factor that is always lost on me.

"Priscilla the Cambodian": Racism is the same everywhere, no matter who the hater or the hated are. It made me think of Mexicans immigrants in the US.

"Don't Let Me Die in this Place": The only story told from an American and an older person’s point of view. I liked the change in perspective from the other stories. Another fact I learned: the use of "mongrel" for the mixed race kids (also seen in the first tale). Apparently, I grew up more sheltered than I thought.

"Cockfighter": This can be a very depressing novella. I was able to read this story because I knew its summary: a "valiant but foolhardy battle." The first story of Little Jui reveals his character so well that it’s scary; the image seared into my mind. I liked that although valiant, the father’s motives are not clear either. Does he do it for what happened in the past or to stand up to Little Jui now? I found the ending to be more happy than sad. Don't think too hard because I found it ambiguous on further analysis.

For those who like the extra DVD commentaries, here is a good interview with the author.


Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President by Eli Saslow

I picked this one randomly, liked the writing, and checked it out of the library. The introduction is informative. I never thought about how presidents are very out of touch with people due to security reasons. The letters make me very grateful to have a job and no kids. The author is a journalist, so each chapter is a profile of the letter writer and its relation to Obama’s presidency and policies. This book shows Obama in a positive light and focuses on his accomplishments. So, probably not the book to read if you’re a birther. Read it for a glimpse into the average American’s life and the presidential office.

Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Gain and Loss by Portia de Rossi

I scanned rather than read this book and mainly the ending. The book summary states "From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love and marrying Ellen DeGeneres and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues." I was mostly curious about how Ellen affect her recovery and Ellen doesn't play a large part until the very end. I dislike book summaries that summarize the ending so you read the book expecting one story arc but reading another.

I liked her thoughts near the end. Being sickly thin was her unconscious way of compelling people to accept other aspects of her. She also realized that despite being a feminist, she was starving herself to follow society’s dictates, and during recovery, her excessive weight gain was the opposite but same reaction. The book made me think about my relation with food and how hard it is to find a person with a truly healthy relationship with food. Part of her journey to recovery involved living with someone who had a normal relationship with food. Don't read this book if it will be a trigger for you. Maybe read the last chapter(s) to draw inspiration.

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (Read this!)

I loved this book. I stayed up very late to read it in a night. The title caught my eye at the library.  I was going to put the book back on the shelf but the first page drew me in. You don't know what the Tufa are and by the time you do, you accept it. The book is funny with memorable characters. Some characters are despicable, some are sweet, some are despicable but pitiable. I love how you see a different side of the mother near the end. I love the idea that music holds magic. I loved everything about this book. The plot of how loose women can hold a lot of magic reminds me of another book, Trash Sex Magic.  Keep in mind, I read that a long time ago. Read this book if you’re into magic, mysterious people, and strong female characters.

Would you ride an elephant if you went to Thailand? What else would you do?

Off the Bookshelf: SciFi, Zombies, Animals & Alice

In the week break between my summer class and my fall class, I read as many books as possible. With the start of class, I will probably only have time for textbooks. In the order I read them:  

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

I read this book twice but not because I loved it. I read it a year ago for a scifi/fantasy book club that I did not attend.  I only remember that I did not like it.  This year, a different book club that I really like chose this book so I read it again. There are some great passages: 

“Time is a machine: it will convert your pain into experience. Raw data will be compiled, will be translated into a more comprehensible language.”

I loved many passages so I could not understand why I didn’t like the book overall. The book discussion clarified why: the first half is a zany, off-beat, funny, light-hearted science fictional caper. Then, there's an event and the book becomes a deep, depressing, examination of father-son relationships (which contains a well-written passage about the father-son relationship). The general consensus is this tone shift is starling and off-putting. I love book clubs because people can share their perspectives on the book. I suggest reading this book with a different perspective: this book is Buddhist mediation. Don’t read this book for the overall plot or the zany science fiction action (this does not happen), read it for the emotional passages. Take it bit by bit.

Feed by Mira Grant (Read this one!)

Another book I read for a different book club, the book can be summed up by two words: bloggers, presidential election. Oh, I guess I should mention the zombies. As the narrator points out, “The zombies are here, and they’re not going away, but they’re not the story[…] They did their part: They changed everything. Absolutely everything.” I liked how the story was written. Details about how the zombies affected everyday life were gradually revealed: people’s attitudes towards pets, eating meat, and the death penalty; the younger generation’s fear of crowds; eating outdoors in a restaurant is newsworthy; blood tests to prove you’re human are required to enter your own home; how and why bloggers became reporters.  I also loved the details behind the outbreak. 

Living in the Bay Area (California), I laughed at the following passage about Berkeley: “It was a city primed to believe any weird thing that came across the wire, and when all those arguably crazy people started hearing rumors about the dead rising from their graves, they didn’t dismiss them. They began gathering weapons, watching the streets for strange behavior and signs for sickness, and general behaving like folks who’d actually seen George Romero movie.” 

Read this if you’re into zombies or bloggers.  Read it this year while there is a presidential election.

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog

I try my best to read an occasional “smartish” book between my fantasy and my detective novels. I read this book because I have seen it cited in other works, and I ran out of library books to read for the week and was able to focus on it.  This is pop science, so it’s accessible to a general audience.   It has not changed my mind on anything but it is a smartish read. A week after completing this book, I remember two facts. First, there is such a thing as dolphin therapy and it’s bunk (i.e. does not work).  Second, the much touted positive benefits of having pets can be obtained by reading a book quietly. In other words, pet a cat or read a book in lieu of petting a cat. Reading the summary remains me that he shows that cockfights can be more humane than factory farming in overall quality of life.  Read this if you’re into animals, psychology, and/or sociology.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

I remember finding the Disney movie very strange and somewhat frightening as a child. Thus, I never felt an inclination to read it. Then in college, every one of my linguistic textbooks quoted passages from Alice in Wonderland.  Although it made me curiouser and curiouser about the book, I did not read it. I finally read it after asking friends to be virtual reading partners. My feelings after reading it: I am definitely not ready to have kids as I find Alice annoying in first chapters (the crying, the interruptions), I think someone slipped me some psychedelic mushrooms, the wordplay isn’t as fun as when it is taken out of context and stands alone, I may have read it too fast to appreciate the fun, why do people like it so much?, I wonder if I’d like it better read out loud or if I had read it as a kid, I want to watch the Disney and Burton movies.

I did like "Through the Looking Glass" more than I liked “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.  I don’t know whether I like the sequel better or I got used to the writing style. “The Walrus and the Carpenter” poem made me laugh. I also really enjoyed the illustrations by John Tenniel. I am currently reading the The Annotated Alice and am learning rather disturbing facts about Lewis Carroll. I will only say that you should not read Alan Moore’s graphic (oh my, how very graphic) novel “The Lost Girls” before reading Alice in Wonderland. It definitely affected my reading of Alice and especially after reading the introduction to the Annotated Alice. Read this book if you're curious about it. Read it before reading "The Lost Girls".


What children's book did you first read as an adult, and what did you think of it?

Dislikes and Broccoli Salad

As a kid, I was always bewildered that broccoli was touted as a common scourge of children.  I despised most vegetables but loved broccoli.  I ate chicken with broccoli and rice for dinner for months. Not baked or broiled or fried chicken with a side of limp, overboiled broccoli, but the Chinese version with brown sauce: parboiled, oiled, glistening, crunchy broccoli with velvety, cornstarch-tenderized chicken. Ok, I don’t think of food in those terms then or now but I liked it. I thought it was the only way to eat broccoli. I was confused when I first encountered boiled broccoli and cheese sauce at a buffet: “Yay, broccoli! Cheese? But the nachos are at the other bar. Why is the cheese so far apart?” Worse was my first encounter with raw broccoli:

“Yeuch! It tastes like green!”

I love vegetables now but I still think broccoli is gross when raw. It tastes like green and overwhelms your taste receptors. Ironically, I was intrigued when I saw Oh She Glow’s Detox Salad involving raw broccoli: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/27/detox-salad/ (I do cook from many sources but she’s my current favorite).   I love chopping vegetables and this recipe involves a lot of chopping. I also figured the intense greenness, which I suppose some would call bitterness, of the raw broccoli would be ameliorated by its reduced size.

I chopped the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and then used the food processor. It’s a labor –intensive recipe but less so if you use a food processor.  I had no currants and only a scant cup of raisins.  Make sure to purchase enough raisins as the sugar in the raisins balances the cruciferous vegetables. This salad turned out fairly dry so I wished for extra lemons. However, the dryness likely prevents sogginess over the days it will take to eat this. The recipe claims to and does make about 10 cups.

I skipped the optional kelp, the salt (never use), the pepper (maybe later), and the maple syrup (I am trying to reduce my current astronomically high sugar intake). I may add in herbs de Provence, the spice blend I’m currently putting on everything, or paprika as the salad is missing something. 

This is not of my favorite things I've made, but it is probably the healthiest salad (no oils, no added sugars) and the healthiest vegan dish I’ve ever made. My forays into vegan cooking usually involve desserts (lots of oils and sugar/syrups) or creamy mains (lots of fatty nuts and oils). I like how this recipe makes raw broccoli palatable. I also like how this recipe reinforces my philosophy that everyone can eat anything; you just need to find the (healthy) way to prepare it for your taste buds.

What recipe changed your mind about something you used to dislike eating?

Keep on experimenting,

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