Ice Man - Wynn Morgan

I wanted some light reading for the trip to Vegas - nothing taxing, something for sitting next to the pool or in the whirlpool tub. Looking at the bookshelf of things to read, I saw Ice Man - thin, cheesy 70s art - perfect! And it fit the bill even after I had finished it. A story about a NY cop who is tracking the killer of the Mafia hit men - taking out the best in the business without any errors. It was fast paced and I was even surprised by who the killer was. If you see this on the used book store racks or at a garage sale, it is well worth the $1.

I would probably have added it to the bookshelf, except I think it is still in the hotel.

On another note, the amazon.com description of this book is incorrectly linked to a non-fiction book with the same title by Anthony Bruno.

California Uncovered: Stories For The 21st Century - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Editor)

Yet another book club selection, this time it's the Sacramento Bee Book. A collection of short stories, excepts from novels, and a few poems sounded like a nice selection. I thought it would be something I could easily pick up and put down. Each story is about someone living in California - almost all told from the point of view of immigrants and from different time periods. I thought the idea was good, but I found that I missed the feel of short stories. Only one of the excerpts from a novel left me feeling satisfied. I found myself dreading the next story.

I did find a couple of quotes -
"At some point in your story grief presents itself.
Now, for the first time, your room is empty, not merely unoccupied."
- D.J. Waldie, from Holy Land

"There bodies don't work, their minds have wandered off to meet old friends and new horizons, and their own families treat them like they are idiots."
- Laila Halaby, The American Dream

"Money, though, is an illusion with green faces. I think this is so money has a personality - like the way our dieties end up with traits like the rest of us. People create money then they let money create them."
- Luis J. Rodriguez , "My Ride, My Revolution" from The Republic of East L.A.

If nothing else, I think I found a couple new authors. I am curious to read the rest of the story.

The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan

This was the first book club book I ever went to the meeting for where I had not read the book. The lone woman who read it inspired me to give it a chance. A friend got it from the library and I borrowed it.

The concept of the book was great - telling the story of the Israel / Palestine conflict through two families who lived in the same house; the Palestinian one who built it and the Israeli one who later moved into it. I thought I wanted to know the history of Israel - to understand why the conflict never seems to get better. Faced with the mess the British started and that the rest of the world allowed to happen, I can't believe that it hasn't been worse. What country would allow immigration to cause a 50% population increase in a matter of a few years?

Reading the history (I only made it to the early '70s) was extremely depressing. I can't believe how many stupid moves both sides have made. The Israelis couldn't have done much more to breed hatred and the Palestinians couldn't have done more to focus on what they lost, not on what they still had. Maybe if I had read the entire book, I wouldn't have such a pessimistic view of the situation, but based on my reading, I have no faith this conflict will end.

The book has been returned to the library. Maybe, some day, I'll try it again.

Omnivore's Delimma– Michael Pollan

Another hard cover book for book club - this year's "One Book" for UC Davis. Since it is the UC Davis Alumni book club, they feel obligated to read the "One book" each year. If only the UC Davis folks would pick something cheaper. Yes, I know, I really need to start getting these books from the library.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book; learning about the evil of corn. Cheap corn has become the cornerstone of the US food supply and the implications it has on the environment and the nutritional value of our foods are staggering. Can you imagine trying to engineer carnivorous salmon to eat corn? Did you realize that the amount of omega-3 in beef has declined and the level of omega-6 increased as beef have been fed corn rather then the grass intended for them? How many of the tongue-twisters on your ingredient list are traced back to corn?

From there it progressed to how the definition of organic was decided and how that definition now allows for organic farms that deplete the soil almost as much as the big business farms. From there it moves to a sustainable farm. Unfortunately, there are no solutions, just more questions. The sustainable farm was enlightening, but even Pollan states it isn't feasible to feed the entire country this way. Who would want to go from being a corn farmer, working only a portion of the year with the aid of tractors, and convert to one where you work day and night - moving chickens and cows while planting a variety of crops to rotate?

The book was great when it was discussing factory farming, the rise of big business "organic", the ideal of a sustainable farm, but falls when it reaches the hunting and gathering section. Pollan seems to have a lost his message when he learns to hunt and works on identifying edible mushrooms - there were still interesting facts, but it was hard to get through the psycho-babble.

It has changed my eating habits, I am trying to do a better job buying organic - thinking about what I am eating and where it came from.

I've already passed the book on to a friend, and I think several friends are sick of me talking about the evil of corn.

His Dark Materials Series - Philip Pullman

A few years ago a friend of mine told me they were going to make a movie of the Dark Materials series. She spoke of the series as if I should have known them and read them as I was growing up. When I was looking for a gift for a pre-teen neice, I picked up The Golden Compass – seripitiously reading it before wrapping it. I enjoyed it, reading it quickly in one night; intending to pick up the rest of the series as a future gift. I don't think she ever started The Golden Compass. Now I am buying her gift certificates to her favorite clothing stores, having given up on finding a book she'll read.

A few years passed and I found the entire series at a used book store. The price was right – used and at a store where I have credit. I was in the mood for some light fiction –something to read on a flight. I packed up the entire series for the long weekend.

I quickly fell into the story – suspending disbelief at the thought of a young girl and her daemon traveling the worlds, rescuing friends, and changing the course of history. I enjoyed the theological commentary, the literary references (maybe it was my recent reading of The Dante Club?), and the themes of friendship, self-reliance, and the power of intuition combined with thinking. Some of the thoughts were obvious, but I found enough hiding under the surface to enjoy them.

This series will join the others on the shelf. I think I'll enjoy reading them with my son when he is older.

Questionnaire answers

1. A book that has changed your life: I think I'll start with Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. The first book I remember reading. We forgot it at one of my parent's friends houses once - they had to buy another copy. I think every book that you read changes you a little, gives you a different perspective to think about.

2. A book you have read more than once: Most recently, Folly by Laurie King. First time I read it aloud with my husband (then boyfriend) as we drove across country. But I think I have read it 3 or 4 times. But there are entire series of books I have read multiple times - sometimes with a series, I go back and start at the beginning before I read the newest installment.

3. A book you would want on a desert island: I'd pick a compilation book of poetry. Something akin to a college text with lots of different poets or portions of plays. Poetry is something that I can read over and over again and find something new each time. I don't read a lot of it because I need to take the time to really think about each word - but being on a desert island, I'd finally have the time. My other option would be some book about how to get off the island.

4. A book that made you laugh: Any of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich has made me laugh out loud - multiple times usually.

5. A book that made you cry: Most recently, Truth & Beauty by Ann Pachett.

6. A book you wish you had written: Luckily, I don't have any ambition to write. But if I could write, I'd want to write like Sherri S. Tepper.

7. A book you wish had never been written: There are books I wish I hadn't bothered to read, but none that I wish had never been written.

8. A book you are currently reading: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It's for the UC Davis Alumni book club. Hopefully someone besides me will finish the book this month.

9. A book you have been meaning to read: My mom's favorite book is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I tried reading it in the past, but put it down and never found the energy to pick it back up. I feel like I should try again. Maybe I'll recommend it for book club; then I'll feel obligated to finish.

The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl

Another one of those books sitting on my shelf staring at me, begging to be read. The cover did nothing for me, and the name - well, let's just say, this was definitely passed on to me by someone else. I have taken it off the shelf before, but never cracked it open. The opening is a foreword saying that this story needs to be investigated - reminding me of the opening of other books - the Holmes books by Laurie King, Bridges of Madison County (yes, I read that...). It was not a promising start. The book was a little slow to get going - impressive since it starts with a murder. The beginning of the book has two separate story lines and the back and forth nature of the chapters takes a little getting used to. As the story lines converge, the book gets better.

I enjoyed the story - it is always interesting to have literary figures investigating a murder. I just don't picture poets dashing about the countryside trying to solve crime. But I supposed the mid-1800s was a different time.

I won't be keeping this in the library, but I would read other books by this author. And, I will be passing this one on the others to read.