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]

Edible Woman, by Margaret Atwood

Many theories about the mental state of a married woman are tossed up for inspection by the male characters in the book, none of them flattering. Most of the decisions the characters make depend on the opinions of others (whether to marry, to have a child out of wedlock, a salon visit) and then they wonder why those decisions don't play out well. And, of course, this reader had to wonder why Marian is so surprised that her body is rejecting nourishment when she has to get drunk in order to see her life for what it is.

I hope this book is dated (aside from the blue flashbulbs) in terms of societal attitudes. I know that I went through a sort of spiritual life/death struggle while I was married previously. I think that today's women old enough to face this choice have taken back enough strength and identity to get through it in a sane fashion.

[originally posted on BookCrossing 3/11/03]

Lost Souls, by Poppy Z. Brite

Poppy Z Brite's first full novel tells the story of evolved vampires and how they've adapted. Unlike Rice's vampires, they're fully functioning; these breed.

Not a book for the squeamish--reading about the feeding sessions, the rough sex, and the incest disturbed me at times. But I think that discomfort comes from knowing that this subculture (if not the creatures themselves--wink wink) does exist, and it worries me that this sort of pain is manifesting in our world. I'm not so afraid for myself, but for those who "don't belong," or who can't fake it. This subculture is a case in which "if you build it, they will come" is a poor application of an otherwise good idea. I can't quite make this "circle of life" equation match up as it applies to humans (and human-types). Does having predators who cull the weak make our species stronger in Brite's universe? Is that what the vampire genre is all about? Is it also an exercise in fantasy to counteract the imbalances our society had created and nurtured?

Our collective consciousness knows that to experience true life, one has to experience physical and emotional pain. Modern society has created ways to get rid of both kinds of pain without making the sufferer process and grow from its lesson. Society has also created acceptable space for those who thrive on the attention that pain and illness can generate. My theory is that many people have forgotten the way of transition towards healing, growth, and personal evolution. Or, perhaps they believe that their life is only about survival and "getting theirs," ergo no room for and no communication with the divine within.

[originally posted on BookCrossing 3/21/03]

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, by James McBride

For a long time, I've been interested in stories of the immigrant experience, religious conversion, and how people have survived abuse. McBride found all of these elements in his mother's story; I can definitely see how this book was a challenge for him.

Most of the chapters open with transcripts of his mother's recounting of her life. I found it interesting to hear the two voices, not exactly in conversation, but in how the story is maneuvered to best demonstrate the effect on the family members.

I've enjoyed the experience of this book, but McBide leaves at least as many unanswered questions as he unearths skeletons.

I do have to say that I wasn't impressed with the ethics of the extended family of McBride's mother. I don't think that much of their attitude towards the "poor kin" should be excused away even allowing for their times and brand of faith.

[originally posted on BookCrossing 5/8/03]