ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Monthly Archive: May 2016

Monday

30

May 2016

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COMMENTS

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

Eligible

What a delightful surprise. I’ve read Ms. Sittenfeld’s writing before (Sisterland), and I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, so I knew it would be entertaining. I also knew how it would end, sort of, so it wasn’t exactly suspenseful. And yet I read 500 pages in 24 hours. I stayed up too late reading last night, and started up first thing this morning.

If you’ve read Pride and Prejudice you know the characters – the basic personality types are still there, but everyone is aged up a fair bit, and the two sisters who don’t live at home have returned because of the patriarch’s heart attack. It continues from there, and it is mostly delightful. The title stems from the Bachelor-style TV show that one of the male love interests had previously appeared on.

A couple of things – I vaguely recall Mr. Bennet being a quiet but kind father, and Mrs. Bennet being extremely obnoxious but perhaps with her heart in the right place. This telling, however – hoo boy. Mr. Bennet is mostly a jerk who seems at times unable to accept that his very smart daughter is in touch with reality while he is not. His dismissiveness comes across as misogynistic, as opposed to just suffering 80s sitcom dad-ness. And Mrs. Bennet – racist, transphobic, obnoxious. I really wouldn’t have minded a diversion in the retelling that involved her running away and never returning, possible because she was being detained forever by the TSA. Just a wretched character.

I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if not recommended by a book club, but I’m really glad I did. I think it’s a fun read, especially for a long, lazy weekend.

Saturday

28

May 2016

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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars

download1

I know I’m a bit late to this book. Honestly, I wasn’t motivated to read it until I saw the preview for the film adaptation, which involves Emily Blunt (yes!) and the woman who played Cora in “Music and Lyrics By,” that Hugh Grant / Drew Barrymore film that no one saw but that I will watch whenever it is on. I knew that involved a possibly unreliable narrator, but that was about it.

Maybe minor spoilers below …

Still here? Okay. I’m glad that I picked it up. Started it this morning, finished it this evening. I haven’t let it set, so it’s possible my opinion might change, but I liked it. I knew there was some sort of twist, and I did actually pick up on what it might be fairly early on in the Megan chapters. But there was enough misdirection that made sense that I wasn’t 100% certain until a few chapters before it was explicitly spelled out.

I also liked that the only perspective chapters we get are from three women, two of whom are viewing the same actions through very different lenses. I thought the writing was mostly good – certainly good enough to keep me interested to the point that I read it at the gym, walking to and from work today, and then tonight after dinner. If you’re looking for a quick-reading thriller, I think this is a good choice.

Sunday

22

May 2016

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COMMENTS

Shrill by Lindy West

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Five Stars

lindywest

Love. I love this book. I read it in under 24 hours

Lindy West is a fantastic writer based in Seattle. Locals first got to know her writing in The Stranger, our funky weekly paper. Most other folks know her as a writer for The Guardian. She uses her wit and intellect to discuss issues like being a fat woman existing in the world (that’s her wedding picture at the top of this post), the prevalence and support of rape culture in stand-up comedy, and the need for access to reproductive health care, including abortion.

Ms. West has a way with words that I admire. She can take a serious issue and find a way to make it funny without diminishing it at all. For example, in the very first chapter of this book she lists all of the fat female role models she had growing up. They’re basically limited to characters from Disney films, and I think only one is human. It’s a funny chapter that drives home the fucked-up ness of the issue. Sample quote: “A League of Their Own is a classic family comedy that mines the age-old question: What if women … could do things?”

Every chapter is an essay that could stand on its own, although they connect really well to each other. I found myself marking them up with notes even more than usual. I did skim one of the sections of the book. I read it, but REALLY quickly. The chapter involves a discussion about rape jokes, and includes a recounting of Ms. West going on W. Kamau Bell’s show to “debate” the issue with another (male) comedian. She is right, he is not, and it’s just so frustrating to read the willful ignorance that some people employ to not have to make any adjustments to their worldviews. I just couldn’t devote the time to it that I should have. But I will, some day.

I wish I’d had this book when I was younger, and plan to gift it to my nieces when they are older. I also know that I will be re-reading this book regularly in the years to come.

Friday

20

May 2016

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COMMENTS

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

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Two Stars

I’m supposed to like this book. I like things that are a bit bizarre. I like England (where it is set). And everyone seems to rave about both this author and this book. So I’ve clearly once again missed something.

And yet…

I should have known. The blurb on the front, from The Boston Globe, is “Profoundly chilling…a slow-building neo-Gothic that will leave persevering readers breathless.”

Did you catch that? “persevering readers.” Apparently I was in for a bit of a slog. A book that was going to make me work for the reward. Which makes me wonder – do I like having to work to enjoy what I’m reading?

I don’t think I do. I’m not looking for Dr. Seuss, or short sentences. I think a book can be complex and challenging without dragging and feeling like work. This book was the latter, not the former. And even though I did make it to the end … I super did not care. I wasn’t shocked by the ending, I assumed it would end the way it did the entire time.

What am I missing?

I realized this morning that I could not picture anything the author discusses in this book. The home that features as a character in the book – I have not a clue what it looks like, and nothing about the author’s words helped me build that image in my mind. I don’t know what Miri (one of the main characters) looks like, nor do I have any picture in my eye of any of the other characters. The only setting I could sort of picture was part of the chunk set at Cambridge, because I’ve been there.

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this before. Is this the author’s goal – to make the reader just feel like she is reading words, not creating any sort of picture or story? If so, then huzzah! Success! But that’s not what I’m looking for in fiction, at all. I can’t recommend the book, although I am somewhat looking forward to book club (the reason I read this) tonight, to see what the hell I’m missing here.

Friday

13

May 2016

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COMMENTS

Feminism and Pop Culture

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Reviews

Three Stars

I-choose-my-choice

Ms. Zeisler is one of the founders of Bitch magazine, and wrote this survey of feminism in pop culture covering the 1940s through the early 2000s. It’s pretty brief at about 150 pages, and doesn’t go too deeply into any one topic, but it’s a nice basic introduction to the topic.

Broken down into just five chapters, the book explores the development of how women are portrayed in pop culture, as well as (to a lesser extent) how much of a say women have had in how they are portrayed. I described it to my husband as feeling like the first book one might read in a 100-level American Studies class that was going to have a bit of a focus on gender.

I found the final chapter – “Women Under the Influence” – to be a bit troublesome. In this one Ms. Zeisler attempts to have a fairly basic discussion about the issues around pornography, sex work, and whether they are (or can be feminist acts), but given how surface-level the brevity of the book is, she just doesn’t have the time to provide a really good discussion on the topic. She definitely needed to bring it up, but I found the way she chose to do it to be lacking. She also has a few pages on abortion and how it is portrayed in the media, but she refers to it as “heartbreaking” choice. Which is annoying, because it isn’t always heartbreaking, and she didn’t really allow for that understanding of abortion.

Is it worth reading? Hmmm. I think it could be fine for someone who is new to the topic and wants a super straightforward overview, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting a deeper analysis.

Sunday

8

May 2016

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Misery by Stephen King

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Four Stars

So this was awesome. I’d seen the movie (or at least parts of it) many years ago. There’s one scene that I recall being especially brutal; in the book it’s worse. I was walking while reading it (it’s a thing I do), and when I got to one part in the book I actually stopped and physically had to stifle a gag. I can’t recall the last time that happened. And I’ve seen all the Saw films.

The premise of the book is that Paul is a writer who has been in a very serious car accident. He happens to be rescued by Annie Wilkes, who is his “number one fan.” She also happens to be super mentally unhinged. Stephen King does an interesting job in trying to make Annie more than just a horrifying evil person. I mean, she is. She’s awful. She’s brutal. But she’s also clearly very ill. I don’t ever feel sorry for her, but from my perspective she isn’t just a cartoon character.

One challenge of reading a book after I’ve seen a movie is that I cannot unsee the actors chosen to play the parts. So for better or worse, Paul was James Caan and Annie was Kathy Bates. And that was pretty great casting.

There were times when I felt that the book should have been close to the end, but it kept going. It worked, but I do think it also could have ended sooner. I’m obviously not in a position to question the writing choices of Mr. King, but these 340 pages maybe could have been like 275. But whatever, it was still a great read and a book I had a hard time putting down to do things like sleep and eat.

Wednesday

4

May 2016

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COMMENTS

Diet Cults by Matt Fitzgerald

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Four Stars

diet cults

I’ve written on a few different health books during the Cannonball Read, and most of them are focused on what Matt Fitzgerald would call “Diet Cults.” It sounds more insulting than I think it actually is; the premise of the books is that many folks latch onto a way of eating that doesn’t just work for them, but that they insist is the only healthy way to eat. Think Paleo, or vegetarian, or Atkins. I know I’ve fallen into more than one of these ways of thinking (see: my Whole 30 book review).

Mr. Fitzgerald looks at many of these ideas about ways we must eat to be healthy and breaks them down not so much to disprove them as working for some people, but to disprove that they are the best way to eat for everyone. He doesn’t argue that these diets don’t work for some of their adherents; he just points out that for pretty much all of them, there is no science to support them as healthy for all people. Gluten isn’t likely to harm you unless you’re celiac; you can eat dairy and quality meat and not be a walking heart attack.

I think my favorite chapter was the one he used to illustrate that even sugar – something nearly everyone vilifies – has its place in some diets. Endurance athletes, for example, do benefit from the sugar added to sports drinks. They aren’t right for folks as an everyday beverage while sitting and reading a book, but they can be quick healthful for someone in the middle of a marathon.

The very last chapter gets at what he calls “Agnostic Healthy Eating.” His point is that you can make up whatever diet you want, but that there are things to keep in mind. His suggestions:
– Fruits and Vegetables (including beans) are essential, so eat the most of these
– Nuts/Seeds/Healthy Oils, High Quality Meats and Seafood, Whole Grains, and Dairy are recommended, so eat the next most of these
– Refined Grains, Low Quality Meats and Seafood, Sweets and Fried Foods are acceptable, but eat the least of these

It’s not rocket science, and Mr. Fitzgerald freely admits that it’s pretty similar to the ‘My Plate’ concept. But I found it pretty interesting. And hopefully it’s another motivation for me to do what I already know I should: eat more vegetables and fewer sweets.