Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom


Just when I needed a break from all the dismal the-world-and-all-the-people-dwelling-there-are-angry-conniving-vindictive-not-to-be-trusted-pieces-of-nastiness books that are so popular now, this book emerged from beneath one of my life piles I so frequently reference.  I guess it had to be the right day for the surreal cover art to speak to me.  Fannie Flagg's work comes to mind from time to time while reading.  You judge, here's the first sentence

My father's wife died.  My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us.

Doesn't that remind you a littleof Idgie's voice in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Which reminds me, next time I need a light but not fluffy fix, I could catch up with Fannie Flagg. Anyway....half sisters, one adventurous and driven, the other smart and inventive take center stage in Bloom's novel.  The girls, who meet for the first time after the death of  Iris's mother, wife of their shared father, eventually find a common bond brought on by the realization that neither one of them has a decent parent to rely on.  (Yes, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition, but I do believe those guidelines are loosening up).  Iris, the hopeful star and her sidekick, Eva, journey across 1940's America in search of fame and fortune.  They leave Ohio and travel to Hollywood where the glitz and glamour betray them.  In a Thelma and Louise like move, they  steal a car and head to Long Island.

Iris and Eva stumble across the landscape in search of the next bigger, better deal.  What they find instead is scandal, betrayal and war.  If this all sounds rather grim, well, it isn't.  Memorable characters save the day, and despite the desperate circumstances, the sisters' escapades are as funny as they are tragic.

I find the style problematic at times.  Eva narrates and so her recollection of conversations is built into her narrative, rather than being written as dialogue.  Reminds me a bit of How Stella got Her Groove Back. Once Stella found her boy-toy distraction, the book shifts into high gear.  Using very little punctuation, the plot frantically tumbles and rushes breathlessly toward the predictable, but satisfying conclusion.  If you're beginning your Wisconsin winter Sunday afternoon reading stack, Stella is a fast and fun escape.

Food for thought and lessons learned:  My life is so simple since I left teaching, but I continue to make discoveries everyday.  Today I learned that if you eat garlicky leftovers for lunch at work, no amount to York Peppermint Patties can counteract the damage.  I'll try coffee next.  Or will that make it worse?


 Our friend Steve Head will travel from Nebraska for a Meet and Greet at LaDeDa on Thursday, November 13 from 6-8.  More info to come shortly.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

It's Always Best to Laugh


Lorna Landvik never disappoints me.  Her deceptively humorous titles draw you into stories that ride the wildest of roller coasters.  You chug along to the top, enjoying the characters and the ride, and then in split second, everything changes and you are reminded of the yin and yang that comprises a full life.

Perhaps I was drawn to this book because of its show biz theme; but besides that, how can you resist an opening like this:

     Of the untold mysteries in this great wide world, the one confounding me at the moment was shy none of my neighbors stocked what I considered a kitchen staple.  In face, from Maeve Mullman's reaction, you'd have though I was asking to borrow a kilo of heroin.
     "Are you award that sugar is poison?" she said, hogging the doorway, as a six-foot body builder is wont to do.  "Are you aware that sugar is responsible for everything from cancer to sexual dysfunction?  Never forget, your body is your temple."
     As she slammed the door in my face I murmured my thanks and apologized, all the while doubting the purity of worship going on in her temple.  I mean, it was fairly obvious from her East-German-World-champion-swim-team-physique that steroids were part of the daily bread.

Maeve is just the first of the non-traditional apartment complex tenants that Candy meets upon leaving her drab existence with grandma in Minnesota and moving into her cousin's sublet in California.  There's the ruined nightclub impresario, a well connected Romanian fortune teller and a whole roomful of hecklers who boo, hiss and cackle when Candy tries her hand at stand-upcomedy.

Personally, I think that Landvik is at her best in this book - rubatoesque pacing, bits of stream of consciousness narrative, distinct character voices and a plot sprinkled with wit and wisdom.  If you haven't read anything by Lorna Landvik, give her a try.  Next time you're between books and the right title hasn't fallen onto you bedside table, pick up any one of her titles.  Within the pages, you will find yourself, your friends, and your town.  You won't be disappointed.

Other stuff....

Local lady, Sally (Pitz) Goldenbaum spoke at the Manitowoc Public Library last night.  Sally has written a series of cozy mysteries set in a small town peopled with characters that could be our friends and neighbors. I was happy to see so many familiar faces there last night.  Sally did a great job - funny, charming and with a bit of sass.  Keep your eyes open for these author visits.  They are always free and always worthwhile.  tom Maltman (The Night Birds and Little Wolves) will be speaking in spring.

If you're looking for a fun place to visit, take a drive to LaClare Farms just outside of Chilton.  Goat farm and cafe.  The LaClare's have 700 goats with more being born every day.  On Sunday, a set of white twins were born, along with a little black goat.  The farm dog has the loft responsibility of cleaning the newborns while trying to escape the ire of the new moms.  The farm foreman told me that new goats are born every day, with the highest birthrate being twenty-four in a single day.  The little ones live and rest in huge Tupperware type bins until they get up enough gumption to jump out on their own.  Great breakfast and relaxing time walking around watching the animals.  While you're in the area, you can wander through the corn maze at Polly's Pumpkin Patch,  and stop an artsy consignment shop called the Plaid Squirrel.

Thanks for stopping by.




Monday, October 13, 2014

Creepy TV Show. Good Book. Bad Movie.


With Halloween lurking in the mist, I mustered up my courage to finally read Stephen King's It.  Oh, but then I watched the first episode of "American Horror Story: Freaks" and the plan changed.  (Thanks for the recommendation Rick Oswald and Ray Pritchard.  I haven't slept much since the big toothed clown entered my life last Wednesday.  Nice joke, guys.  You knew this show would freak me out and I am sure that you are both still laughing your fannies off thinking about how you duped me into watching.  But yet, I grin.  You know what they say about Karma.)

Luckily, the book pictured above arrived in time for me to avoid cracking open the King tome despite its obvious scary clown theme.  How could I resist with this tempting blurb on the back cover, "If David Sedaris and Agatha Christie had a child, it would have been Julie Berry!".   You know my fondness for Sedaris and so those words sealed my fate and filled my Sunday.  

Intended for YA audience?  Yes, but the storytelling blended with some cleverly turned phrases give this novel lots of universal appeal.  If you're looking to be frightened to the nth degree, this won't work.  But, neither is this a sweet little cozy mystery.  The students at St. Etheldreda's School for Young Ladies face a bothersome dilemma.  Mrs, Plackett and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at their Sunday dinner.  Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home unless the students - all seven of them - can hide the murders and convince the neighbors that nothing is wrong.   "Nunsense" and "Weekend at Bernie's" come to mind.

Burying two corpses in the garden, faking their way through a surprise party for one of the deceased (with whom an injured neighbor must share a bed!) and muddling through the horrors of Victorian housework unsupervised are easy enough.  But getting to the bottom of the murders in another task altogether especially since the girls fear the killer may strike again.

If you want a lighthearted, seasonally themed book, join Dear Roberta Pratley, Disgraceful Mary Jane Marshall, Dull Martha Boyle, Pocked Louise Dudley, Dour Elinor Siever, Smoothe Kitty Heaton and Stout Alice Brooks in this farcical mystery.

Thanks for stopping by.

I saw "Gone Girl" this weekend and still don't understand how this book and movie are getting such rave reviews.  I stand by my earlier comment that the most interesting characters are the cat and the ottoman.  Too many logic gaps.  If the director was trying to channel some film noir techniques, that just didn't work. ... and Amy got away with murder, for crying out loud.  Of course, that opens the door for a sequel, doesn't it?  I can't wait.

While we're speaking of clowns....check this out.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmCJEehYtU

Monday, October 6, 2014

Bullying Prevention Month



October is bully awareness month.  We are all asked to show our unified stance against bullying by wearing blue next Monday.  This sure is a baffling issue - hard to define and hard to end.  Like pain, everyone's tolerance level for bullying is different.  Was I bullied as a child?  I guess so.  I mean, what short round kid wasn't?  But school was so much fun for me, that I didn't notice - or was to dumb to notice.  Oh sure, Joe and Mike, my nasty neighbor boys who attended public school (that was the problem wasn't it?) chased me home from 1st grade every day. But I screamed so loudly all the way home that in time, one by one, neighbor's would step onto their porches, armed with brooms, rolling pins and fly swatters as they watched the three of us approach, allowing me safe passage. 

But you know what, the bullying I have experience from adults has been far worse, more hurtful and more memorable than those after school flights from the brothers.  One person is a name caller, the other, a disrespectful challenger.  When I finally had the guts to tell one that I could not longer tolerate my friends beings called "stupid", "liars" and a slew of other names, I was dismissed from the relationship.  That was good.   Most recently, I have been in a situation in which an individual chose to argue with me and belittle me - only when there was an audience.  When we talk one on one, all is well.  My defense with him has always been to take the quiet road, realizing that those witnessing the aggression will take note and his name will be forever written in the annals of nastiness.  A few days ago, my nemesis showed up at a party I was at and, wouldn't you know, he headed right over to the chair next to me.  He was warming up.  He was ready to find some reason to loudly tell me that I was wrong about something - the color of the sky, the day of the week - anything.   I told him that someone was already sitting there, which he clearly could have deduced from the beverage glass and partially eaten plate of food directly in front on the chair.  He got up. I wiped the sweat from my brow thinking I was in the clear.  Couldn't be that easy.  No sirree.  He squeezed in between me and the person to my right on the couch.  What's up with that?  I made it clear that we could talk about the weather and nothing else. Annoyed, he left shortly after that.

I'm an adult.  I know how to analyze situations and understand the importance of deciding what is and what is not worthy of my attention.  Kids don't have those skills yet and the bullying landscape is multi-faceted. 

Far too many books have been written about bullying in the past few years. Eric's Kahn Gale's Bully Book is based loosely on incidents that happened to him in 6th grade.  Classmates actually wrote a book on the fine art of grade school social climbing - how to do, how to choose a victim, and how not to care whose feelings are hurt in the process.  The rules are ruthless and beyond ugly. When Eric was eleven years old, he felt like the whole class was conspiring against him.  Everyone used the same insults and nicknames, and there didn't seem to be a safe corner of the room or moment in the day.  The book gives voice to everyone who has ever had a Joe, a Mike, a name caller or a bruiser in their lives.

Here are a couple useful resources

http://the http://the bullyproject.startempathy.org

www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust

www.stopbullying.gov

Wishing you a bully free day, week, month, year....life

Thanks for stopping by.