Month: May 2017

The book people amongst us will be happy to know that I arrived safely in San Francisco and less than two hours later I was already looking around City Lights Book Store in downtown San Francisco. I really do love that store. You will also be surprised that I did not buy any books. I keep thinking of the couple of thousand books I still have at home, many of them still TBR.

I need to get into some of my Penguin classics and boxed sets that I have collected over the past years. I may have sold off the main series collection but there are many other series I still have. I would also like to visit the Puffin books once in awhile.

The flight from Hobart to Sydney then Sydney to San Francisco was without incident. I am currently sitting by a window flying on United from San Francisco to Chicago then will head up to Traverse City in northern Michigan. I did think about making a big stink while on United. They could drag me screaming from the plane, punch me in those nose. I know the nose would heal and I could get a multi million dollar settlement and have yet more money for travel and books.

On the flight to America from Australia I finally read the book The Dinner by Herman Koch. I know, I know, probably all of you have read it but it takes me awhile to get around to new books at times. Many people reading this will already know what this is about but the gist of the story is:
A politician running for Prime Minister in the Netherland (Serge) and his wife (Babbette) have dinner in an exclusive restaurant with Serge’s brother (Paul) and his wife (Claire.) In the beginning of the book Paul and Claire seem to be the good guys. Serge is impossibly arrogant and on show all of the time to his prospective voters. The novel is divided into various part of the dinner from Drinks to Entree to Main Course to Dessert. As we hear about this excruciating dinner there are flashbacks to the activities of the teenage children of both couples who are involved in some very unsavoury activities. I don’t want to say more because if you haven’t read this story it will spoil it. It pretty much boils down to how far would you go to save the bright future that you think your children deserve?

I would go from really disliking these people to trying to understand the decisions they make. I really could see both side of the coin but I don’t know how I would handle this situation not having children of my own.
The book held my attention over the Pacific Ocean. I enjoyed the writing.

The down side of the story: I thought there were a couple of threads that were left unfinished. I didn’t think they were needed but they were small and soon forgotten. I also thought the editing could have been a bit tighter and although I could not help keep turning the pages I breathed a large sigh of relief once I was finished. As all the reviewers have said before me, these people are not to be liked at all. Neither are their children.
I think I enjoyed that part of the book. This is not really a ‘happily ever after’ book.

Now, I know those of you who read this have an opinion. As a young woman on the

Qantas flight sitting beside me said, “Oh, I read this book. It is a great book for book club discussions.”

I agree.

Now, I must apologise for the Penguin. He will be making a appearance soon. He has more jet lag than I do and is soundly sleeping at the bottom of my bag.

Let me know what is happening re: books and travel in your life

As an extra here, I must show you the beautiful basset hound dog we met walking down the street on the way back to the car. Isn’t he gorgeous and he was absolutely huge. Had feet like dinner plates. 

I thought I was going to stay in one place for awhile but it turns out I am flying to the state of Michigan on Friday. My mother is 91 years of age and quite frail and I decided we needed to visit again before it is too late. I will be in northern Michigan for one week. My old school friends from the Class of 68 are going to organise a lunch while I am there too in central Michigan (Grand Ledge) where I grew up. My father is buried there and I will take some flowers to the cemetery for Memorial Day. I have not seen the classmates outside of the Class of 68 Facebook page for 49 years. It should be a lot of fun.

After a week in Michigan I will be flying back to San Francisco to visit my sister for two weeks. She lives just north of there. I am also going to have a coffee with blogger, ‘James Reads Books’ as he lives in the area so that will be fun. We have followed each other for a few years and he is now collecting vintage Penguin science fiction books.

I am taking Penguin with me as Mr. Penguin will be taking care of our five pets at home for the three weeks I am gone.

I need to be back in Tasmania by the 11th June as I am going to a theatre presentation of Dracula on the 15th. I should be over my jet lag by then.

I am currently reading the book American Housewife by Helen Ellis. There has been a lot going on and it is a book I can actually concentrate on. It is a series of short stories and very light hearted.

Good Reads states:  

A sharp, funny, delightfully unhinged collection of stories set in the dark world of domesticity, American Housewife features murderous ladies who lunch, celebrity treasure hunters, and the best bra fitter south of the Mason Dixon line.

Meet the women of American Housewife: they wear lipstick, pearls, and sunscreen, even when it’s cloudy. They casserole. They pinwheel. They pump the salad spinner like it’s a CPR dummy. And then they kill a party crasher, carefully stepping around the body to pull cookies out of the oven. These twelve irresistible stories take us from a haunted prewar Manhattan apartment building to the set of a rigged reality television show, from the unique initiation ritual of a book club to the getaway car of a pageant princess on the lam, from the gallery opening of a tinfoil artist to the fitting room of a legendary lingerie shop. Vicious, fresh, and nutty as a poisoned Goo Goo Cluster, American Housewife is an uproarious, pointed commentary on womanhood. 

The writing moves along quite quickly, there are some funny lines and it is good to pick up during the day while you are trying to do other things and needn’t worry about losing your place. I am enjoying it. If you want to read something more serious where you think about issues,  then this is not the book for you. However if you are a bit headachey or have something stressful going on, are tired or just tired of deep and meaningful books then this one is a good one.  I wouldn’t say it is uproariously funny. I think Bill Bryson is uproariously funny. Though I laugh in places. It isn’t always too far from the truth of the life of the housewives of the 50’s and into the 60’s. I really don’t think I could have endured that lifestyle and we are so lucky we have so many more choices now.

Tomorrow I will be sorting out the few clothes I need to take and of course my camera gear which takes up more room than clothes, my tablet, laptop etc. Penguin doesn’t travel with much and I am pleased to say this is the 4th continent he is going to visit in his life. Pictures will go up on Instagram (follow Travellin Penguin) and I will keep up reading notes, photography, funny travel tales (if there are any) and any surprises that occur. My sister and I hope to visit a few places around California or might go on a road trip for a few days. I think America is the best place in the world for a road trip.

Hope you’re all doing well and the people in the northern hemisphere are enjoying nicer weather and the southern hemisphere people are staying warm and getting used to shorter days.

Okay, here we go again. I don’t know if it’s just me that I am not in keeping with the rest of the world but that seems to be the way it is with these modern books. I think I am getting old.

This book by Max Porter has caught my eye for months. I have seen it in every book store I go into. I like the idea of the crow. He caught my attention immediately and has stayed with me for months. I did not even open this book to see the style of the writing. I put it on hold at the library and after a couple of months it finally came in.

I couldn’t wait to read it. The other day I had several appointments so I popped it in my bag to travel with me for the day.

I had a doctor’s appointment (just routine) and as she was running late I read most of it in her waiting room.

The story (as probably most of you know as everyone reads these books long before I get around to them) is about the death of a mother. She has left her grieving husband and two sons behind. The crow appears almost as a counsellor for the family.

The book is written similarly to free verse poetry without the rhythm or rhyme. Each page or two is written from the point of view of ‘dad’, ‘sons’ or ‘crow’.

I got irritated with it.  I thought, after all these months, it would be more of a narrative about these people and their relationship with the crow.  Although I found it went along quite well in a logical sequence I thought it was being just that bit too clever. I never held that connection between all the characters in the story. They seemed completely separate to me. Authors trying to be too clever seems to be a criticism I have with many modern books.

I felt manipulated or I didn’t  feel anything at all. This story didn’t make me feel sad. It should have. Usually if I read or hear about a family of young children who have lost their mother I am sad. Fiction or not. It is one of the more miserable things on earth. Truth being in this book I didn’t care for anyone except maybe the crow.

I really liked the premise of this book. To think a crow (or any animal for instance) could infiltrate a family and be a part of its grief is quite interesting.

Maybe I just missed the whole point. It wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe my expectations of what I thought this book was about was too much. Either way, I have finished it, the crow is no longer and the book goes back to the library Tuesday.

At least it is out of my system and I can now move onto the next ‘modern’ book that grabs me by its cover or premise and again talks me into reading it.

Next week there is something fairly big happening. I am starting to prepare. It involves the Penguin, travel and reading. Stay tuned.

If you have read this book what did you think about it? Feel free to completely disagree with me as I notice Good Reads reviews has quite a few four and five star reviews. Maybe a C+? I did like the premise of it.