Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping With His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America, by Barry H. Lopez

Barry H. Lopez collected 68 tales from 42 tribes and adapted them for non-native readers in a way that the original oral stories and culture are respected and honored. Barry Toelken’s foreward reminds the reader that Native storytelling events have "...local taboos concerning when a story may be told, by whom, to whom, and under what circumstances.” Reading these stories makes me wish that I could hear them in person, but I accept that this would be something short of a miracle, mostly for these reasons: "...the storytelling was never simply a way to pass the time. Coyote stories detailed tribal origins, they emphasized a world view thought to be a correct one, and they dramatized the value of proper behavior. To participate in these stories by listening to them was to renew one’s sense of tribal identity.” Asking to participate in an endangered culture not my own would be wrong in many ways; Natives need to hold what little they have left, and I have to respect their wishes.

Lopez manages to give a glimpse of Native mythology without betraying the sacredness of their culture. The Trickster character is in some ways unique to North America, but is also universal enough for us to recognize and appreciate. It’s been quite a while since I practiced Western monotheism, and it was few years into my alternative spiritual path that I learned the concept of “spirituality of place” (helped along by de Lint’s Forests of the Heart, and reminded of it again with my last Lackey read). Since then, I’ve been more respectful of the spiritual energy with which I work.

Lopez’s assertion that Coyote embodies both good and evil is supported over and over again in these stories. This is similar to the way many other dieties operate within their pantheons.

Some of my favorites:
Coyote and Sandhill Crane (the ending made me laugh out loud)
Coyote and Beaver Exchange Wives (yep, you read that right…the hippies did not invent wife swapping)
Coyote Loses Some Blood (nuts beget nuts)
Whirlwind Woman (Coyote gets snubbed)
Coyote Visits the Land of the Dead (Coyote blows it for the rest of us)
Coyote Finishes His Work (not Revelations…)

Read this for the Once Upon a Time Challenge at http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/

My copy of this book is also registered at BookCrossing, so I’m glad to be able to kill 2 goals with one book.

[originally posted to 43Things and crossposted to BookCrossing 4/18/07]

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

I read this via DailyLit for my book group (Questioning the Canon), which will be meeting tomorrow night.

This book was a really tough one for me to get through. I’m glad that I read it 3-4 sections at a time. As I finished each chapter, I found that I had to go consult SparkNotes in order to make sure I’d truly understood the gist; their analysis helped, too.

I’m not sure what it was about the book that made it so…sluggish. It was difficult for me to feel the sense of place and time. The combination of third-person persepective and stream-of-conscious voice messed with my head for the first few parts.

[originally published 4/18/07 at 43Things for the 100 Books in 2007 goal]

The Serpent's Shadow, by Mercedes Lackey

It is rare for me to have synchronicity between my reading and "real" life; the friend who loaned me this book has gone into labor with her little girl the same night I finished reading it. Nothing to do with the story itself, but odd that I'd pick this one up now (instead of waiting until we were recovering from the drive to Oma's on Sunday). I should have finished my audiobook first, so that I could start another for review (I believe that Good Kids, Bad Habits absolutely has to be next). I hate having so many going at once--I feel as though I don't truly make good progress on them if I can only nibble at them.

Anyhow, I must get some sleep before I can give this the writeup it deserves. I will probably add this to the list of titles I'm reading for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

[TBC]

Once Upon a Time Challenge

Between now and June 22, I'll be reading (and reviewing) 5 fantasy books:

God of the Golden Fleece, by Fred Saberhagen
Greenmantle, by Charles deLint
Silver Birch, Blood Moon, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with HIs Daughter: Coyote Builds North America, by Barry Lopez
A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare (on the 22nd itself)

[here's the link, I'll do the coding and hope to add the banner somehow]

http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=642

I did it

I have 10+ pages of handwritten material for my DayDiary submission. I can't publish any of it until after the book comes out, and then only 500 words worth (assuming that any of it makes the cut). I will check in later to write about the writing, the day, and how I'm getting by with no sleep. That kid had better take a nap today so help me...

I told Steve last night that I might could be book-published next year. He was surpised and happy. I haven't slept since 6:57 yesterday morning. I have to walk away from the writing so I can breathe and figure out how to clean it up for submission. I have a lot of chronicle and only a little depth and humor. Did not get to bake bread last night, so must go fix big salad and coffee for husband, hope it gets him through the day.

Links, explanations later, when I can see straight again.

Babyproofing Your Marriage, by Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O'Neill, and Julia Stone

I made the mistake of reading a few other reviews (and the resulting "I agree with you" commentary) before I cracked the spine on this book. Even though I had the negative impressions of the reviewers hoping to influence my own, I managed to find Babyproofing only marginally helpful for my own reasons.

Cockrell, O'Neill, and Stone come from and speak to a limited audience, which makes sense for book sales, but not as much for giving the self-help genre timeless and universal material. I realize that I'm crafting a fairly tall order for a book that isn't required to be more than the flavor of the month. Their suggestions may work just fine for those who are otherwise psychologically healthy; in my opinion, the healthy ones don't need this book, and parents who are dealing with some dysfunction will be frustrated with the authors' attitudes.

The authors state that "the sex issue" was the main prompt for their efforts to write this book. Amongst other suggestions, they propose using "the 5-minute fix" to satisfy one's husband's needs for the oh-so-small sacrifice of "mild feelings of compromising yourself." And that is where they lost me. I personally find that particular act to be demeaning on a high order. I don't like the idea of being a step up from what my husband can do for himself. I get no pleasure in pretending to be a porn actress. The times I have complied, I have never reaped any of the benefits the authors claim to exist on their little chart. While this "fix" may work for people who have come through life without having suffered/survived abuse via sex, it is at worst a reliving of a painful past and at best an insult to those of us who didn't escape what can be rightly called an epidemic.

As I was reading Babyproofing Your Marriage, I'd mention certain ideas to my husband. He scorned most of them, and after several attempts to communicate, I had to give up in order to keep the peace. Would this book have been more helpful if read before our son had been born? I find it hard to believe so.

The authors did have some good things to say about relationships with the new grandparents (although, thank goodness, very little of it has applied to our situation), having another child, and hope for the future. I especially appreciated that the authors (finally) included the best news I've heard in a long time: two-thirds of unhappy marriages right themselves within 5 years. If we (myself and my husband) can analogize this early childhood experience with a particularly challenging degree program, I think it will help us get through our rough patch.

Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road

I don't remember when I signed up to receive this book, but I'm sure I thought I would receive a simple novelty/cutesy/feel-good read. I definitely didn't expect to find inspiration in Selis's introduction: "...thank you for helping me find my ball," (the ball representing happiness, of course). This wasn't simply a photoshoot of the country's canines, Selis touched on the many areas in which dogs have become part of our culture: the Iditarod, church blessings of animals, police and service dogs, fox hunting, dog beaches and parks, and monuments.

Having the roaming urge myself, Selis's inclusion of his route made me consider which way I would traverse the country should I ever get the opportuity: West, then North, East, and South (does keeping things clockwise make it go smoother?)? Or would I have more fun with a wave pattern, say TX ->NM ->CO ->UT ->AZ, etc.? I don't know the nation's highway routes well, but I'm sure the latter would eat up many more miles/much more time. I'd have to save that trip for retirement.

This book also brought up memories of traveling with Persephone when we moved out here from California. The benefits at the time were obvious; no one was going to mess with me and risk tangling with her, and I would have that same security right away in whatever new dwelling I could find. The drawback didn't manifest until we arrived at our destination, and it was completely my fault. Persephone hadn't been eating during our trip out, and at our last overnight before Austin, I made the executive decision to give her some canned food (which she still can't resist). After we landed in Austin, I went into Kmart to stock up on supplies I thought I'd need if we had to camp while I looked for a place to live, Persephone went--messily--all over the front seat she'd been on the entire way. Lesson learned--don't try to outthink your dog's bodily functions--you will lose.

I had to laugh a little when I read about Pahu (the Hawaiian drum dog)--Persephone has loved drum circles from the first time I was able to bring her to one. Drumming is something that I've had to let go of for now; I miss it, and I'll bet she does too.

Selis's end to the book (technically the back cover) was definitely a fitting one; filking "America the Beautiful" was just too darn cute, which is, of course, exactly what I was expecting. I hope this book has kept Otis in dog biscuits for a while.



Pictured here is our 2-year-old Great Pyrenees/Anatolean Shepherd mix Boudreaux. Yes, we're aware of what his name means in "Cajun," and we stand by our decision. Trust me.

[originally published on BookCrossing, March 22, 2007]

Pay it Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I’d seen the movie a few years ago, and then was gifted with this book via BookCrossing. I was expecting differences between the two, but it is really obvious that whatever studio accepted the screenplay really wanted a “dry white toast” version of the story. Needless to say, I liked the book better, and now wish I hadn’t spent time on the movie at all.

I think that the saddest aspect of the book is that “pay it forward” has not spread far into real life, and I’m too cynical (at least at the moment) to believe that it can.

As far as the story itself, I had some difficulty believing in the character of Trevor. I mean, seriously; how many children of alcoholic mothers and absent fathers turn out so well and navigate in such manner through junior high?

That said, it was a sweet story, and I’m glad I was able to spend some time being inspired by the characters that were left out of the movie.

[originally posted to BookCrossing, 2/26/07]

A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute

Basics of the story: Jean inherits a large sum of money from an uncle she barely remembers as a child. The bulk, however, is to be held in trust until her 35th birthday. In collecting the yearly capital, she gains the chance to prove her maturity to her trustee, Noel. She recounts to him her war story--how she was trapped in Malay when the Japanese invaded, how she survived being shuttled from base to village to port, never finding haven in a prison camp, and having to bury nearly half the women and children in their company. At one point in their journey, an Australian POW befriended them and paid harshly for it. Jean receives closure on this chapter in her life when she uses the money from her legacy to build a well in the village that finally took the female prisoners in. In speaking to the villagers, she finds her next mission [to tell any more would be a thorough spoiler].

What I thought: For a novel written in 1950, about an unfamiliar part of WWII, it kept my interest quite well. It isn't deep in character development, but the author does enough to move the plot along. Shute also does well in describing the countryside, be it jungle or outback.

I found it refreshing to read a romance that didn't read like a porn script or an unrealistic, generalized fantasy. This novel is a rarity--clearly set in the past, but with elements that engage the reader throughout the book.

[originally posted to BookCrossing 6/9/03]

One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich

I'd handled books in this series via my (former) library job since I'd begun working there in 1996. I knew they were very popular, but then so is Danielle Steel [disclaimer: no judgement is meant upon her as a person nor upon her fans, she simply isn't my cup o'tea]. I finally decided to start reading the series after I'd leafed through a discard of High Five and liked what I read.

Evanovich decided to start her character out as a neophyte in the crime-solving business and to pair her up romantically with a vice cop. I acknowledge that this is good for character and plot development in general for the mystery genre, but I hope that the mentor-student aspect doesn't continue for the rest of the series. I realize that I'm being picky, but if the mystery-solving in books to come involves as much direct danger as Stephanie got herself into with this book, I want her to become more independent and less of a chick-tied-to-the-tracks. Evanovich may be an entertaining author, but Stephanie is NO Kinsey.

For a first novel, Evanovich has created a likeable heroine, a plot that moves along easily (even for a 1-3:30 AM read), good twists, and colorful secondary characters.

[originally posted on BookCrossing 4/15/03]