December 2008 - Page 2 of 3

Cat\’s Eye

by Margaret Atwood

This is the second time I\’ve picked up this book, and this time I made it all the way through, but not without a struggle. I don\’t know if it\’s because I had extra distractions this week, and difficulty concentrating. Or because the subject of the book was a little too close to home, which made me want to step away from it and distance myself.

Cat\’s Eye is about woman who is an artist. The book opens with her preparations for a retrospective exhibition of her work in Toronto, Canada, where she grew up. As she revisits the town and notices its changes, Elaine reminisces about her childhood during the 1940\’s. Most of the book is about those memories, described through the opaque perspective of her younger self. Her parents were slightly eccentric, and they moved often when she was young. Elaine spent her early years in her brother\’s company, learning boys\’ games. When she began attending school, she found it hard to relate to the other girls. She longed to fit in, but found their play full of unexplained rules, their friendships conditional. It\’s very sad how she was constantly seeking their acceptance, struggling to understand her failure, internalizing her pain. The petty cruelty of her \”best friends\” haunted Elaine for her whole life, and she finally expressed it all in her paintings, which were then misunderstood and misinterpreted- by other artists, gallery reps and the public.

I suppose it was a buildup of many small things that made Elaine so miserable, but I was unable to feel most of it, even though I could closely relate to some aspects of her story. The quiet, dull mood and constant understatement of this book reminded me of others: Never Let Me Go and one by Chaim Potok called In The Beginning. The conclusion of Cat\’s Eye depressed me. I appreciated reading about her experience as an artist, but I lost respect for Elaine\’s character because of some choices she made.

At first I loved the picture on this book\’s jacket. Originally I found it so captivating I kept pausing to look at it while I read, eager to find out what it signified. When I finally came to the description of Elaine\’s painting which the cover shows, I was disappointed in the illustration. It\’s supposed to be a cat\’s eye marble, but the detail of that inner swirl of spun color is not there. Silly perhaps, but that really bugged me… I know a lot of readers really liked this novel, but I just don\’t at all. I guess because it\’s so realistic. Very effective, but not enjoyable for me to read, just depressing.

Rating: 2/5 462 pages, 1988

More opinions at:
Trish\’s Reading Nook
Logophilia

Tags: 2/5- Just Okay, Current Reads, General Fiction

Meme: Time

booking thursday
Time is of the Essence says Booking Through Thursday, so I answer this question:

Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read? If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

Of course I\’d like to have more time for reading! If I did, I\’d probably read more serious non-fiction. I\’d probably read more classics. too. I used to read classics in high school when I spent my free time just buried in books. Since becoming a mother, I hardly know what free time is. Sadly, I\’ve found it difficult to get through any classical literature in the past few years. Like these failed attempts. I think it\’s just because reading those sorts of books, which are slower paced, have more complex plots and in-depth character studies, take a kind of leisurely concentration I don\’t have anymore. I find myself just getting frustrated, and loosing focus. Hopefully someday when life slows down I\’ll be able to get back into classics. I\’d like to.

And if I had even extra time on top of that, I\’d probably re-read all my favorites again, as well.

Tags: memes

thank you\’s

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I\’ve had two nice surprises this week. First, I received this lovely little handmade book from my Book Blogger Secret Santa. It\’s so pretty. I also got a box of chocolates from a Secret Santa, but I don\’t know if this is from the same person, or someone in my family. I love them both, thank you, whoever you are!
Second, the lovely Chartroose of Bloody Hell, It\’s a Book Barrage! included me in her Blog Nog Awards. Thanks, Chartroose! I love it.

All My Patients Are Under the Bed

Memoirs of a Cat Doctor
by Louis J. Camuti

This book is about a veterinarian, particularly fond of cats, who made house calls to his patients in New York City. There\’s lots of amusing anecdotes, but most were too brief in description or duration to really satisfy me. Camuti describes the inevitable search for cats who hide when he arrives, the quirks of cat lovers and the eccentricities of rich and famous cat owners. He gives some advice on taking care of cats, warning against household hazards and recommending what to feed your cat (baby food!). A holiday risk I had not thought of was Christmas trees- one of Camuti\’s patients died from toxins after eating the needles. Some of the stories I remember were of a siamese cat who liked to get its fur groomed with the vacuumn cleaner, a long-haired cat which was allowed on the dinner table and frequently set its tail on fire from the candles, and a butler who purposefully overfed his employer\’s cat because he wanted it to beat the world record for weight. One of my favorite parts of the book describes when Camuti kept practicing into his eighties, and could no longer climb stairs. A lot of the apartment buildings he visited had no elevators and he would treat patients in the downstairs hallways, running equipment off yards of extension cords strung from the owners\’ rooms and startling casual visitors who found him standing in the hall holding a syringe. All My Patients Are Under the Bed will be of interest to a cat lover, but most of the book really did not stick with me.

Rating: 2/5 222 pages, 1980

More opinions at:
Words by Annie

Tags: 2/5- Just Okay, Animals Nonfiction, Past Reads

The Goats

by Brock Cole

I found this book for a quarter at a garage sale once. I\’d never heard of it before, but the premise sounded interesting: two social outcasts at a summer camp (boy and girl) get stripped of their clothes and stranded on an island for a prank. When the other kids sneak back to spy on, humiliate and finally rescue them, they find that \”the goats\” have inexplicably disappeared from the island. They\’ve gone on the run until the weekend when the girl\’s mother comes to collect her from camp. I got halfway through this book before realizing I didn\’t really care about the characters and there was nothing else to interest me. The prose felt stiff, the dialog awkward and unrealistic, and there\’s a few holes in the story. Apparently The Goats has been on some banned lists because of some nudity and discussions of puberty (there\’s no s-x). But it\’s so poorly written I don\’t even think it deserves that attention.

Abandoned 184 pages, 1987

More opinions at:
Reader\’s Corner

Tags: 0/5- Abandoned, Juvenile Fic

winner!

book giveaway winner announcement

Even though there were only three names to choose from, my daughter insisted on throwing them over the book instead of simply picking one from a hat. It took her about sixteen tosses to get a name to land on a book. And the winner is- Susan B. Evans! She writes Susan\’s Zoo. Send your address to jeanenevarez AT gmail DOT com Susan, and I\’ll mail your book and bookmarks promptly.

The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo

This short but touching story is about a boy overcoming grief. His mother has recently passed away, and he lives with his father in a motel on the edge of town, struggling to make a new start. He\’s also got some kind of rash on his legs which makes the other kids either pick on or avoid him at school. Rob is feeling very wretched and lonely when one day he discovers a tiger locked in a cage in the woods behind the hotel. Unexpectedly, a new girl from school (belligerent and full of contempt) shows up at the hotel and Rob lets her in on his secret. She immediately plans to set the tiger free. Rob wants to, but also knows this might be dangerous. As they try to figure out what to do about the tiger, he begins to gradually build a friendship and let out some of the feelings he\’s bottled up inside. The two children are opposites- the girl flaunts all her feelings while Rob tries to hide his- and they both have a lot to learn from each other. Some aspects of the story made me think of Bridge to Terabithia and Stargirl. And the tiger in a cage reminded me of The Prince of Tides, a book that I haven\’t thought of in years. The Tiger Rising really is a beautiful little story, I just wish it was longer! The ending felt rather abrupt; I wanted to know more about final circumstances surrounding the tiger. The characters\’ various personalities and difficult emotions they wrestled with were so well portrayed, I longed for just a little more depth. But it\’s perfect for children.

Rating: 3/5 116 pages, 2001

More opinions at:
Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Parma Kids

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Current Reads, Juvenile Fic

The Dogs of Babel

by Carolyn Parkhurst

A grief- stricken husband tries to unravel the cause behind his wife\’s death. Did she accidentally fall from their backyard apple tree, or jump on purpose? The only witness was their dog, so he (a linguistics professor) attempts to teach the dog to speak. The story is told through Paul\’s inner thoughts, alternating between memories of his wife Lexy, his puzzled musings over what clues she might have left behind, and his interactions with other people -some sympathetic and tolerant of his odd project, others decidedly strange and threatening- during his search for answers.

I thought this book was going to be mostly about Paul\’s absurd efforts to get the dog to talk, but instead found I was reading a love story that is also a mystery. The Dogs of Babel is a sad, haunting and intriguing novel. The more Paul reveals as he unfolds his wife\’s story, the more it becomes apparent that there were darker aspects of her personality he did not know well or understand at all. Motifs of masks and dreams are woven throughout the story, and I also liked how the tale of Tam Lin was included. Parts of the novel disturbed me, especially the scene of Lexy\’s prom night (only hinted at) and the Cerberus Society Paul gets mixed up with (reminding me of things from Animal Crackers). I kept thinking of The Time Traveler\’s Wife while reading this book too, though I\’m not sure why. Maybe because of how the romance parts are written.

This book has two covers, and I\’m not sure which one I prefer; I feel they both strongly illustrate different aspects of the story. I kept picturing to myself a combination of the two, a cover with a venetian mask of a dog, which I think would capture the essence of the novel perfectly.

Rating: 3/5 264 pages, 2003

Read more opinions at:
Book Chase
A Guy\’s Moleskine Notebook

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, General Fiction

found by…

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It\’s been a while since I\’ve done this kind of post. Most people who type in keywords to google search find me via a book title or sometimes author name, but every now and then I get a really funny or odd one. Here\’s a few from the past six months.
I always get some that include \”dog\” one way or another:

syphilis in dog ear
how to steal the love of a dog
how to teach a young toddler not to hit dogs
dog ear full of pus
eating dog ears
dog carrot allergic reaction
do dog\’s ears have to be the same
ideas for potty training dogs
hawaiian juvenile book eating a dog
dog fears weeds swimming
mild mannered dogs available in south africa
what happens if you bite a dog\’s ear?
write on my favourite animal and label it a dog

Someone was apparently looking for The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, because I got these repetitive attempts:

the man who mistook his wife for a cat
the man who mistook his cat for his hat
the man who think that his dog was a hat

I\’m really curious what page these people landed on:

endless moutain labradors
civil war ear novels
redhead duck claws on feet
toilet slave directory non fiction
attitude fearless boxing how to instill fearless courage like mike tyson

And these ones just made me go what? I have no idea what these people were looking for, and I\’d sure like to know what the answer was!

what city or town? it doesnt matter how big the ear is, you never be able to pick it up

i like green lobsters. i am usually hungry. i am potty trained. i am intelligent though stubborn. what is my name?

looking for history picture of tom o\’ bedlam with a chicken in his ear

I find it hard to believe someone actually came across my blog by typing one word into a search box, but that\’s what my stat counter reports:

pedestrious
about
white

This last one is a nice quote. I think it\’s from a song:

when i turned the page, the corner bent into a perfect dog-ear, as if the words knew i\’d need them again

Get Your Own Damn Beer, I\’m Watching the Game!

A Woman\’s Guide to Loving Pro Football
by Holly Robinson Peete and Daniel Paisner

I\’m almost embarrassed to mention this book, but the record of my blog would not be complete (or honest) without it. It\’s been floating on and off my bedside table for more than two years. I picked it up a library sale once because my husband is a football fan (of the San Francisco 49ers) and I wanted to learn a little and appreciate his enthusiasm for the sport. But this book did not give me what I was looking for. It does have tons of information about football- how the game is played, breakdowns of all the positions, spotlights on famous players, even historical aspects- like how certain plays originated, or what the first football was made of. Some of it was interesting, other parts really technical. What I couldn\’t stand was reading over and over about how the author (a famous football player\’s wife) has a childhood association of football with ice cream, or of all the things football-related she finds cute, or the name-dropping of her husband\’s famous friends. I\’m sure all her little interjected woman-to-woman remarks were meant to be engaging. But I didn\’t feel connected, or amused, just annoyed. So after plodding though sixty pages of this book, I\’ve finally pulled it off my shelf for good.

I think I\’d do better with a novel that describes someone\’s experience learning to play football, rather than an instruction book. Something like The Power of One, which taught me a bit about boxing through the personal story of its main character. I hardly ever read fiction that features sports, so I don\’t know where to start looking. Any ideas?

Abandoned 228 pages, 2005

Month: December 2008

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