The Leibster Award and Me

Can I just say that I am thrilled, honored and shocked to be nominated for the Liebster Award. A huge thanks goes out to Katie at Doing Dewey for the nomination. To be completely honest, I had never heard of the Liebster Award until Katie (a complete stranger) came along, but now I am pretty excited about it.

The Liebster Award is an award passed on by bloggers to new blogs (less than 200 followers) worth reading.

Recipients of the Liebster Award must:

1. List 11 Random Facts about you
2. Answer the questions that were asked of you (By the blogger that nominated you)
3. Nominate 11 other blogs for the Liebster Blog Award and Link to their Blogs
4. Notify the bloggers of their award.
5. Ask the award winners 11 questions to answer once they accept the award

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I’m pretty sure I was a cat in a past life and will likely be one in a future life. I’m just really good at sleeping.
2. I can’t resist milk chocolate.
3. I never finished my PhD even though I often claim that I did.
4. I love to travel.
5. I can’t not finish a book I’ve started no matter how much I dislike it.
6. Besides English (duh!), I can speak French and Hindi.
7. I don’t like meat other than bacon.
8. Five year plans are impossible for me. I change my mind way too often.
9. I just bought my first sewing machine. It’s purple.
10. Every night at about  5:30 I wonder what in the world we will have for dinner.
11. I hate taking showers.

Answers to Katie’s Questions:

1. How did you get started blogging?

Way, way back in the dark ages (2001) I had a blog about doing my PhD. It was a great way to procrastinate. When I abandoned my PhD, I abandoned my blog. I sort of thought blogs were passe until I was interning at HarperCollins Canada. After I moved to Edinburgh I wasn’t working for the first time and I thought that doing a blog would be a great way to keep in touch with the Canadian publishing industry and document my reading. So six months later, here I am.

2. Do you have a favorite genre?

Yes. Literary fiction. But really, I like anything that is well written. And I have a strong bias against YA and vampires.

3. What was the last thing you read, watched and listened to?

Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman, the season finale of Survivor and a podcast of This American Life.

4. What are your hobbies?

Reading goes without saying, as does writing. Also gardening and my new attempts at sewing.

5. Of the books you have read this year, which is your favorite?

Umm, that’s a toughy. Let’s go with Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann.

6. Where would you go for a dream vacation?

Probably Morocco.

7. Are you a cat person or a dog person?

Cat.

8. Do you always match your socks?

No. I do well just to make it out the door most mornings.

9. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate. I don’t even know why vanilla exists.

10. E-book or hard copy?

Tough question. I do love a hard copy, and I love the way books look on shelves, but I would have to say e-book because I move a lot.

11. Do you play an instrument? If so, which one?

No. I am terribly unmusical.

A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon

A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon is a big book. At first it appears to be a rather simple story of two unlikely friends during their university years, but as the story proceeds it grows into much more. It spans two generations of two families and deals primarily with issues of money: how to get it and if you have it how it determines your life path. The perspective on money is quite unusual. For those who have it in spades it is almost seen as a limiting factor. The moneyed are expected to go to certain schools, have certain interests and work in certain fields, such as law, finance or medicine. But what happens when one steps outside of these prescribed roles?

However, A Dual Inheritance is more than just a university novel, a good chunk of it is set in for away places. In addition to good old America, parts of the narrative are set in Africa and Haiti. I am a sucker for stories about people in foreign places so this really appealed to me. In some ways it may have detracted from the major trajectory of the novel, but I think Hershon is a skillful enough writer to keep things in check.

Who would like this book? A Dual Inheritance has been compared to both The Marriage Plot and Rules of Civility. For me, these comparisons do not hold up. But having said that, I do not know what I would compare it too. Like The Marriage Plot, A Dual Inheritance takes place in an university setting for at least half the story. Aside from that I would argue that they are very different sorts of novels. I do highly recommend A Dual Inheritance. It took me some time to get into, perhaps 100 pages, but it was worth it. It will go down as one of my memorable books of 2013.

Dark Diversions by John Ralston Saul

I am almost ashamed to admit that I have never read anything by John Ralston Saul before. Not his early novels, not his philosophical trilogy, nothing. So when I saw Dark Diversions at the library, I had to pick it up. I don’t really know what I was expecting from Saul, but this was not it. Dark Diversions is billed as a novel, but in essence is really more a set of loosely linked stories. It is unlikely that this would prove an issue for anyone other than me, but I have an unexplainable dislike of short stories. I think I was also expecting something a little denser and philosophical from Saul.

At its heart Dark Diversions is about the rich people of the world. I don’t mean well off or middle class people, but the truly rich. In each story or chapter our unnamed narrator happens to be visiting rich friends and acquaintances in far flung corners of the world. That some of these include dictators, political elites and fading aristocrats, as well as the new rich intrigued me. I thought we were going to get a taste of some of what Saul saw as the husband of the erstwhile Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson. I thought we were going to get something that was more overtly political.

Instead, the arc of the novel is more about how our narrator increasingly inserts himself into narrative. He starts out the novel being rather objective and hands off in his recounting of the facts. By the end of the novel his is thoroughly embroiled in the lives of those he is visiting. This gentle progression is pierced midway through the novel with a moment of self exploration or realization on the part of the narrator. He questions whether or not the writer is in fact the same person as the narrator. How are we to know either way?

Frankly, being stuck where I am, between the writer and you, is unpleasant and uncomfortable. I didn’t ask for the job. It’s not as we were soulmates, the author and I. For one thing, he is tall and thin. He eats like a pig and never gains a pound. I’m medium and have to watch my weight… I’ll tell you this much – I write better than him and faster.

Who would like this book? I am at a bit of a loss to say definitively who would like this book. It really did not leave much of an impression on me either way. It was just there. The writing, of course, is supreme, but we expect that from Saul. Obviously, any die hard fan of Saul’s other writings will be interested in reading Dark Diversions, but beyond that who is this novel meant for? It is not especially, or even remotely, ‘Canadian’ and I thought it might be. It does not court controversy and I thought it might.

VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 by Mark Bittman

Full disclosure before I start this review, so you get where I’m coming from: 1/ I love Mark Bittman, long time food writer at the NYTimes and 2/ I was a briefly a vegan and I’m married to one. This style of eating does not scare me.

The basic premise of VB6 is that you eat vegan before 6pm, or whatever time you set for yourself. After that you can eat what you want and you will have a more healthy diet and loose weight. The impetus for Bittman’s approach was a trip to a doctor and numbers that he did not like to see. His cholesterol was high and he was pre-diabetic. His doctor suggested he go vegan – Bittman’s high numbers were due to dietary issues. Going vegan whole hog was not something Bittman thought he could do, especially given that he is a food writer, so he came up with a compromise – vegan before 6pm.

The main problem I have with Bittman’s approach is that he only goes halfway. He lets you slip up and make mistakes. He believes it is better for your body and the planet to move towards a plant-based diet, while still allowing room for treats. I speak from experience when I say this approach is very hard to maintain. I was a vegan who allowed occasional slip ups and look at me now, I’m not even a vegetarian. My husband, on the other hand, was 100% dedicated to a life style change driven by health concerns and 2 years later he remains a vegan.

That is not to say that VB6 is not filled with valuable information. In fact, explaining the biology behind what we eat is one of Bittman’s strong points. He lays out how different foods are processed by the body, giving you the information you need to make informed decisions. As with any diet that is premised on lifestyle change, Bittman argues for eating more plant-based food that is not highly processed. Simply put, that means nothing pre-packaged and nothing that you can’t pronounce. It means eating whole grains over processed grains, cutting down on sugars and turning towards legumes and tofu as major sources of protein.

The final portion of VB6 is dedicated to recipes. Not only does Bittman provide vegan recipes, but he also includes a wealth of recipes that use meat as a garnish. Those are there to help guide the reader in their after 6pm meals. Perhaps because I cook vegan meals on a daily basis I found many of his selections to be on the boring side. The key to eating vegan for me is good, tasty and exciting food. I’m not sure if he provides that, though Bittman certainly provides an easy step into vegan cuisine for the reluctant cook.

Who would like this book? VB6 is clearly meant for an audience who is already poised to make a significant change to their dietary lifestyle. That does not necessarily mean becoming a full fledged vegan, but more moving towards a plant-based diet. It is choke full of informative material that would be of use to anyone who is interested in cleaning up their diet and understanding what we need to eat in order to function. If going vegan is your thing, I would recommend something by Dr. Neal Barnard, such as 21-DayWeight Loss Kickstart (this awful title is clearly aimed at those who are prone to serial dieting, rather than seeing it as a lifestyle change). In the last few years an abundance of really good vegan cookbooks have come out as well.

Swimming to Elba by Silvia Avallone

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t often read books in translation. I’m kind of suspicious of them. Like The Dinner, Swimming to Elba by Silvia Avallone should put those suspicions to rest. It makes sense really, only the best books in a foreign language are going to be translated into English. Like The Dinner, Swimming to Elba was one of the best novels I’ve read this year. Having said that, I should also warn you that Swimming to Elba will not be to everyone’s taste. It is edgy, gritty and sexually charged. It is tragic and heartbreaking. In spite of this, I was unable to put it down.

The story focuses on two teenage best friends growing up in a working class factory settlement on the coast of Italy. They are at an age when they are discovering the power their bodies can have on members of the opposite sex. This power does not go unnoticed by Francesca’s father, who spends his days peering at them through his binoculars in what can only be described as a predatory way. Over the course of the novel the girls make different choices and drift away from one another.

Swimming to Elba has been described as both graphic and defiant, characterizations that I agree with. The novel is suffused with a feeling of discomfort surrounding the girls’ sexuality. Most of this surrounds their young age and therefore innocence, which is contrasted with their knowledge that it is their looks that will bring them escape from the drudgery of daily life. They willingly and deliberately put themselves on display and yet, there is still something very predatory about them boys and men watching them.

The writing style of Swimming to Elba is exquisite. First time novelist Avallone slips back and forth from one perspective to another almost seamlessly. Her changes in perspective flow into one another the way one wave melds into the next. Without Avallone’s brilliant writing, Swimming to Elba may have been filed away as just another coming of age story.

Who would like this book? This book is not going to be to everyone’s taste and is certainly not for the faint of heart. There is no doubt that Avallone is pushing the boundaries and taking you to a place that is uncomfortable. There is overt sexuality, abuse, drug use, crime and death. But for all of that, it is not a depressing story, though perhaps it should be. It gives a straight up view of working class life in Italy and for that it is an insightful and important work. I have a hard time finding another book to compare it to, though Lullabies for Little Criminals may do the trick. Both are edgy and expose a side of the world that is not always pleasant but is nonetheless true.

Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara

Cascade is Maryanne O’Hara‘s first novel. It does not, however, read like a first novel. This is a rather big and bold debut, confronting many of the themes that define the era between the two World Wars. The story of Cascade focuses on Dez, a woman born before her time. Due to the financial peril she and her father are put in during the the Great Depression she marries a man she does not love and seemingly foregoes a career as a painter. Running parallel to the quotidian concerns of Dez is the broader issue of the creation of a reservoir that would flood Cascade, her home town. In protest Dez paints a series of postcards depicting Cascade before and after the flood, which launch her into nation wide notoriety and present her with the opportunity to move to New York. All of this is set over the framework of a Shakespearean tragedy.

One of the most interesting facets of the novel for me was looking at how a town ceases to exist. Cascade, once a prosperous holiday destination, is hit hard by the Great Depression. With news of the impending reservoir, it literally ceases to exist. By the end of the novel the town has vanished under the rising waters of a lake and the inhabitants have scattered. How does one say good bye to a place that will cease to exist?

Who would like this book? I suspect that Cascade will become a big book club pick (maybe even a Heather’s pick), and it would certainly be a good choice. There is a lot to talk about in Cascade. Certainly, for one more versed in Shakespeare than I, I think the parallels would be worthy of much discussion. Most of my knowledge of Shakespeare comes from high school and seeing some of his big plays, but even with those fragments I detect that something much bigger was going on. Cascade will also appeal to those interested in issues of equality in the period between the two world wars. First, there is the issue of women’s rights: the politics of working outside the home and what it means to eschew a traditional marriage. Second, there is also the plight of Jews in a world that is becoming increasingly antisemitic.

Due to the focus on water, Cascade reminded me of The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. The human endeavor to try to control such a powerful force of nature, namely water, is fascinating (and perhaps foolhardy). And yet, time and time again we try to change the course of nature, with consequences that may not be realized for decades to come.

The Morels by Christopher Hacker

The Morels by Christopher Hacker was not at all what I was expecting when I picked up the novel. I was expecting something a little lighter, a little quirkier, something more like The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. The Morel family of the title is not particularly quirky and does not bring any of the humor of the Family Fang. Once I got past this and accepted that The Morels was a much more serious novel, the role and effect of Art at the end of the twentieth century I slowly warmed up to it. In fact by the end of the novel, I was even enjoying it, not wanting it to end.

The Morels recounts the story of child music prodigy turned writer Arthur Morel. It is told from the point of view of a childhood friend who unexpectedly comes back into his life just before the publication of his second novel. This highly autobiographical second novel entitled The Morels ends with a very troubling scene between Art and his eight year old son. Is it fiction or did it really happen?

Overall The Morels is an ambitious novel. At times this ambition slows down the plot as the characters dive down into the depths of ‘ontological ruminations’ on the true nature of art. Does art need to shock in order to be truly effective? The protagonist Art certainly thinks so and often lives by this creed to sometimes disastrous results. While Art’s actions and the inevitable fall out provide for an interesting story, the long discursive sections outlining and explaining Art’s motivations slow down the story and are at times tedious. I found this to be true especially in the early portions of the novel before I fell into Hacker’s pacing.

Perhaps the most interesting characters, Art’s parents, are not introduced until the second half of the novel. They raised Art in a most unique manner, that quite likely resulted in Art’s inability to fully fit in in regular society. For me, it was the parents and flashback to Art’s childhood that saved the novel. Until this point I was getting fed up and bored.

Who would like this book? This book would appeal to those looking for a more philosophically driven read, rather than a plot driven one. It is an excellent meditation on what it means to be an artist at this point in history. Is it the role of the artist to shock and raise consciousness? Or is it enough to submit the strictures of a market driven industry? In some ways Hacker raises issues similar to those found in The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards, though I found the later to be much more readable and I believe it will receive much more critical acclaim than The Morels.