This year's version of the Alumni List's recommendations got off to a fast start. We'll see how it finishes. Here's a link to 2002's list. | And a link to 2003's list. Contents Truth and Beauty Those Who Save Us High Country The Second Mark Dracula Islam for... Battle Ready dog stories The Dead Cat Bounce, et al. Whirlwind Here I Stand et al. A list The Odyssey Galileo's Daughter Michelangelo ... Salt... Dune Saint Camber The Cantebury Papers The Mommy Myth Inkheart Fforde's books WW I Smokestack Lightning Quicksilver What's the Matter With Kansas... Surrender or Starve The Jane Austen Book Club Why I am not a Muslim Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl The Art of Rhetoric Designing for People The Reluctant Empress Wayward Women: A Guide to Women Travellers A Suitable Boy The Three Musketeers children's books The Diamond Age, Or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer Walk with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement Janet Maslin's summer reading list from CBS Sunday Morning Alan Cheuse's 2004 Summer Reading List from All Things Considered An Independent Book Seller's View of Summer Reading from Laura Hansen, Bookin' It, Little Falls, Minn. on NPR's Morning Edition Sherron Watkins' Book Picks from NPR's Weekend Edition Summer Book List from NPR's Performance Today Aimee Mann: Summer Books for the Road from NPR's Weekend Edition -- Sunday Summer Reading List: The Best of 2004 from NPR's Talk of the Nation Climber Francis Slakey on Books for High Altitude from NPR's Weekend Edition -- Sunday 52 Authors' Summer Reading Lists from Authors on the Web The Canterbury Papers by Judith Healey from Ann Shanks Etter An excellent, light mystery is The Canterbury Papers- Judith Healey- a fictional story about real (mostly) medieval characters. Princess Alais of France is the heroine. The Mommy Myth by Susan J. Douglas and Meredith W. Michaels from Ann Shanks Etter My latest non-fiction read is The Mommy Myth- good book about how the media portrays motherhood and creates an impossible ideal. They bring up a lot of good issues. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and Anthea Bell from Ann Shanks Etter My husband just finished reading Inkheart to the kids- they all liked it- it's in the fantasy/Sci-Fi realm. Return to top of page The Eyre Affair, Lost In a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde from Ann Shanks Etter My favorites of late have been The Eyre Affair, Lost In a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots- all by Jaser Fforde. The man has a great sense of humor. Too many literary allusions to catch and the books are laugh out loud funny. The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell and The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman and The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque and Dreadnought by Robert Massie from Andrew Fenton I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. In particular, I'm resuming a summer reading project that I started two summers ago, to read what I could about World War I. I'm not particularly interested in military history per se; what I find so fascinating about WWI is that, more even than WWII, it marked a huge change in the way people looked at the world. The post-war world is recognizably modern; but the pre-war world was really just alien, in all kinds of unexpected ways. It's also a war in which irony was on the front lines: "The War to End All Wars" that introduced the bloodiest century in history; British officers, rotting in trenches in France, who received regular care packages of caviar from Fortnum and Mason. Et cetera... Anyway, two summers ago, I read The Great War and Modern Memory, by Paul and The Guns of August (each a classic in its way), as well as The Proud Tower (this about Belle Epoque Europe). Last summer I read All Quiet on the Western Front. This summer, I've started Robert Massie's book on the leadup to WWI, Dreadnought. It's a big, big book (close to 1000 pages), primarily about the arms race between Britain and Germany in the leadup to the war. But Massie is terrific at bringing in illuminating anecdotes, and the scope of the book lets him spend time on all kinds of interesting material: you want fifty pages on the career of Bismarck? It's there. A chapter on the Kaiser's love of yachting and what it has to say about his character? Oh yeah, baby. Anyway, I'm a quarter of the way through, enjoying it immensely, and hoping to be done by August... Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country by Lolis Eric Elie from Andrew Fenton Finally, I've also been indulging another passion of mine with Lolis Eric Elie's wonderful book Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country. There's nothing more American than barbecue, and nothing better to eat. If you're at all interested in food, or the roots of American culture, this book is a joy to read. (It's also beautifully illustrated)...very hungry now. Return to top of page Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson from Steve Mack I'm slogging my way through Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver right now. I enjoy it, but it's complex, historical, and probably a bit pretentious. But if you're interested at all in early scientific inquiry, alchemy, or baroque style and thought, it's delightful. Isaac Newton is a character, as is Samuel Pepys, and a number of other brilliant 17th-century weirdos. What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank from Steve Mack I'll plug it because I saw him on his book tour the other night and he's from Kansas. His thesis is that conservatives are using social issues to convince heartlanders to vote against their own economic interests. Haven't finished it yet, but it's arguments seem intuitive and well-reasoned so far. Kansas is an interesting case study because of its history of populism, social progressivism and economic conservatism. Other thoughts: As a change of pace I read What's the Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank. I found it very depressing. Apparently, whether they realize it or not, the disenfranchised of globalization are willing to destroy the US to impose their social agenda simply because of their anger over their economic losses. The Democrats played into the hands of those manipulating these masses by "moving to the (new) center" or "triangulation" so they had no place to bring their discontent. The democrats were making a play for corporate campaign donations resembling those for Republicans. Frank seems to feel that, if the midwest had been a happier place to begin with, they would not have been as hostile. He points out that the rule of corporations pit city against city, state against state, nation against nation in a race to the bottom economically. The book left me with the feeling that we will end with a fascist nation. Susan (Reedy) Schnur Return to top of page Surrender or Starve by Robert Kaplan from Kris Herfkens I'll throw in my 2 cents...I'm reading Robert Kaplan's Surrender or Starve. It's a fascinating discussion of the famine and politics of the African Horn, and gives insight into the growth of terrorist camps in that part of the world. The Jane Austen Book Club by Joy Fowler from Alex Galt I just read Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club, which I didn't love as much as Entertainment Weekly promised I would (and they were so right about Buffy all those years...). But reading it revealed a gap in my reading of Jane Austen. I had never read Northanger Abbey. I can hardly believe my luck. Now I get to read a Jane Austen book for the first time. I'm on chapter 10, and so far it's funny. In a way, it reminds me of Don Quixote, which if you're like I used to be before I read it, and you have some vague idea of it being a dusty old male adventure story classic, which wouldn't interest you anyway, then I would urge you to try it. It's funny. I read it in a book club, and I liked it better than anyone else. Turns out, I was reading a different translation, but I can't remember who the translator was. Both books, Northanger Abbey and Don Quixote are about being heroes (heroines) in novels. They both begin by describing how unlike novel protagonists their protagonists are. And both are bitingly sarcastic (although apparently some of that is lost (or added) in some Don Quixote translations). Why I am not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq from Susan (Reedy) Schnur The third book I read for balance was Why I am not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq. Right after 9/11 this book was discussed on various lists. I bought it but never got around to reading it until now. It is best read after a book such as Islam for Dummies. Mr. Warraq says that Islam is incompatible with Democracy because it is incompatible with any sort of religious choice. The penalty for leaving the religion is death. He does not see Islam as peaceful and cites his reasons. I would like to see one idea expanded in all these books. According to the Warraq book, the Islam Mohammed preached at Mecca when he first laid it out was very different from the religion he preached later at Medina--hence the wildly different interpretations. Warraq believes power corrupted Mohammed. But it also confirms my belief that people of a philosophical nature who found religions have had a moment of insight (or some would say a revelation) about the nature of the universe and the infinite. In trying to explain it to folks with an un-philosophical nature, they resort to analogy, simile, and metaphor. After a while, either they begin to lose the center of what they are trying to convey or the followers later follow the metaphors instead of the main idea. Return to top of page Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl from Suzanne Highet Kaiser and her mother Pat Highet I found my mom's evaluation of Pirates of the Carribean to be amusing and thought the list might enjoy it. Perhaps we can add a "movie rentals" aspect to our summer recommendations? But then we are all going to be so busy with all these great books, maybe we have no time to watch flicks... ps- both mom and i liked this movie; she is a harsh critic yet easy to entertain, so keep that in mind when reading the review. begin forwarded message: > From: Robert and Patricia Highet > Subject: movie review: Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl > > I had not meant to see this movie, but Suzi said I would like it. You were > right, Suzi. It is a truly goofy movie. The plot is implausible and > somewhat predictable, and the characters fairly one dimensional, except that > Johnny Depp manages to put some depth into the goofiness of the pirate Jack > Sparrow. But it is highly amusing and entertaining. The fighting is not > very realistic, even when none of the combatants are skeletons (that's > nicely done) and the sailing even less so. I particularly like a scene in > which Sparrow and Will steal a ship and the two of them quickly get it > rapidly moving out of the harbor, a task best done with 25 to 50 men. > Orlando Bloom seems to be everywhere these days. > Pat Further comments:And for those of you who do not keep up with the gossip and news as assiduously as I do, Keith Richards has joined the cast of the Pirates sequel to play Jack Sparrow's father. Ahahahahahahahahahaha! There is a merciful god! Laura Goostree '84 (there has to be at least one incurably shallow Carleton alum in the bunch) AND Make that two. I really thought Johnny Depp should have won an Oscar for it. Loved it through and through. Of course, my 15-year-old daughter did, too -- maybe that gives me better perspective!!! I'm not usually amazed by special effects, but I really loved the morphing skeletons. Mary Jill Duncan Return to top of page The Art of Rhetoric by Aristotle from Karen Mardahl I have just bought the Penguin Classics version translated by Lawson-Tancred. (Hope that's OK, Andrew?!) A friend of mine was sitting in on some rhetoric classes at Copenhagen University and raved about going back to the source to strengthen one's writing talents. My Cliff Notes support is here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/> Designing for People by Henry Dreyfuss from Karen Mardahl Henry Dreyfuss is considered the father of Industrial Design. I love this book. Borrowed from the library and had to have it for my own. I'm a technical communicator and I think I came across this book title through some usability discussions. The layout of the book is a joy in itself (sigh - I'm a geek), but the insights in the book expand to cover so much more than just designing something. It covers the whole joy of design, from producer to consumer. It's just.. it's just... I can't explain (haven't read book #1 yet). I'm halfway through this one. Return to top of page The Reluctant Empress by Brigitte Hamann from Karen Mardahl A biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Not yet begun, but I understand I have a good biography in my hands. I was in Vienna in April and a friend at the conference I was attending had discovered the Hofburg was just opening an exhibit on Sissi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1830-1898). My knowledge of Sissi and Austria at that time was rather shaky. All the shops had tons of Sissi books for sale, so I picked up that she was a popular figure. We were there on the first day of the exhibit and I simply became obsessed with her. I had to buy the biography in the gift shop. I couldn't get enough of her. Haven't had time to start this one yet, but I have a lot of airplane flying coming up in the next few weeks, so this is going in my carry-on. Wayward Women: A Guide to Women Travellers by Jane Robinson from Karen Mardahl An old standby that's been on the shelf for a few years: It's a bibliography of women's travel writing, so it is more a reference book than anything. I call it a guide to new friends. I now look up any travel book written by a women in this bibliography, and feel like I have hit the jackpot if I find it. And I'm taking about books from the past. Her earliest writer is abbess Etheria who wrote "The Pilgrimage of St. Silvia of Aquitania to the Holy Places" from about 385 A.D. The books lists women who went out in the world for adventure, for pleasure and curiosity, for the sake of God (missionaries), or duty (as the wife of someone sent abroad).Use it as a guide to other books or follow the advice of the quote on the front cover from the magazine "Traveller": "...eminently dippable..." A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth from Anita Mancia Probably the two favorite books I read this year (so far) have been : A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth -- very thick but very satisfying book. I think it would be a great vacation read... though it may need to be a pretty long vacation (this from the woman who typically finishes a book in 1-2 days) The Three Musketeers from Anita Mancia The Three Musketeers -- yes, the classic one. Again, this one took me weeks to finish, but perhaps that is why I enjoyed it more Return to top of page The Magic Tree House series, A Long Way From Chicago, and The Great Brain in Northern Utah from Robert Morphis This is my entry into the summer reading list, albeit for children's books. It's length explains why it is so late. Hope it is of some use. This is a three-fer children's book review, two positive and one negative. Some of my comments are based on Isaac, my 8 year old son, who, in terms of attention span, interests and reading ability is roughly average. He liked all three. They are all vaguely historical, The Magic Tree House series being set in various times from the time of the dinosaurs forward, A Long Way From Chicago being set in depression era central Illinois, and The Great Brain in Northern Utah during the late 1890s. The Tree House series is about at a 2nd - 3rd grade reading level, The Great Brain and A Long Way are both probably at junior high level, though the Brain... is slightly more aimed at being read to younger kids, while A Long Way strikes me as being for Jr. High kids to read to themselves. Mind you, Naomi, my thirteen year old daughter felt it was too easy to read so she is having me read it to Isaac while she listens in. Don't ask, I'm just telling you what is going on :-). In any case, Isaac enjoys it just fine. The Great Brain is set in the late 1890s in northern Utah and narrated by an eight year old non-Mormon. I think it captures the logic of eight year olds pretty well. It feels fairly authentic in its historical detail, but I am pretty clueless about that time period so who knows. Given the time and place it does occasionally deal with religion. A brief aside, a friend of mine is an English professor who teaches Paradise Lost by Milton. He had a student get upset when he discussed the theology of the time it was written... Pretty clearly Utah is not the same as the Garden of Eden so religion doesn't permeate the book, but it is there. So are backhouses, skinny-dipping, and occasional language that might offend the most sensitive of ears (namely the use of "jackass"). I think that one of the reasons I liked it is that it does not portray life with all the sharp edges filed down and padded with an inch of foam. It doesn't dwell on pain and suffering, but it doesn't pretend that it doesn't exist. Maybe that makes the joy and successes more real. I am a big fan of the Encyclopedia Brown books and was half expecting something similar, and both protagonists have read encyclopedias but the similarities pretty much end there. The boy known as the Great Brain is not perfect as a person or as a font of knowledge, and many of his exploits concern an understanding of human nature rather than facts. A Long Way From Chicago also contains outhouses (as they are known outside of Utah) and chamber pots to boot. It is a series of short stories and is set in an unnamed whistle stop between Chicago and St. Louis where a boy and his sister visit Grandma for a week each summer. Their grandmother puts them to work making lye soap, weeding her garden (in central Illinois mid-August heat), outmaneuvering the local society women, feeding out of work drifters, and flying in a patched-up biplane. The bad news turned out to be a bit longer than I expected so I have saved it for last: The Magic Tree House series of books. My review may be taken as my official application to the curmudgeon's club. This series, which is broken into 4 book mini-series, irks me to no end. It is aimed at young readers, but I do not consider that an excuse for the insipidness contained therein. I will start with the series' good points, kids like it, they read it and it gets them interested in various subjects. The books generally contain some fairly worthwhile moral in the end. Whether this makes up for the faults is extremely debatable. It's plots revolve around a six year old girl who is enraptured by fantasy and an eight year old boy who is Spockian in his approach to life (the Vulcan, not the child psychologist), who find a magic tree house that can take them through space and time. (Don't sue me on the ages, I don't think so, but I may be off by a year or two.) Aside from the sameness of general flow of the plots, which is something I can live with, there are three characteristics that rub me the wrong way in these books. The least subjective is that they are poorly researched. In those books which dealt with times and places about which I had more than superficial knowledge I caught a number of errors. The one that jumps to mind was the description of a medieval helmet and other armor as being incredibly heavy. Newsflash folks, warriors had to move around in that stuff... and we do have examples that bear out the fact that with few exceptions (particularly with respect to tournament armor) it wasn't that heavy, even for an eight year old. (This jumps to mind because I just perused the author's book on medieval times, aside from the oversimplified views, to be expected, she talks about "chainmail" and "platemail". "Mail" means "mesh", "chainmail" and "platemail" are, respectively, repetitive and self-contradictory labels coined by some 19th century antiquarians and given widespread credence by "Dungeons and Dragons"... why yes, this is a sore spot, why do you ask?) This is the same author who wrote the line about getting into a city to lay siege to it. Blech. Wherever they go, they always have a book with information about the place. Given his druthers the boy would sit and read the book from cover to cover before going out to the real world. Which would, I must admit, make for an incredibly boring story. The girl always charges out, frequently into danger. But have no fear, make friends with the first stranger you meet and all will be well. I am opposed to the extreme stranger danger attitude that our society has fallen into and teaches our children but the repeated message that it is okay to charge without thinking and that strangers are our friends strikes me as a not good thing. The last issue is the different treatments of the boy and girl. The boy is afraid of experiencing the world, much preferring to stay inside a book, on this I think he improves (very) slightly. He does eventually accept that magic works even if he can't understand it. I don't recall the girl learning anything from the fact that she has repeatedly endangered herself and her brother, i.e. learning that one might want to learn about a situation before jumping in. Well, that is my contribution for the summer, hope you have a good one. Further Thoughts: Ah, the Great Brain! I read those books when I was little, and I loved them. As to authenticity, my understanding is that they're (very loosely) autobiographical; so I presume that Fitzgerald gets it more or less right. > Pretty clearly Utah is not the same as the Garden of Eden so religion > doesn't permeate the book, but it is there. In retrospect, it's striking just how important religion is in the books. It's always there in the background. I remember that the first book (and maybe all the books?) begins with a sketch of Adenville's population by religion: Catholic, Protestant, Mormon. Religion, and religious differences, are always there in the background, and sometimes are foregrounded; for example, there's a remarkable story in one of the books that deals with anti-Semitism. Fitzgerald fits it into a more general theme of how to get along with people who aren't like you. (I hasten to add that he doesn't do this in any sort of didactic or explicit way, or that would take away from the joy of a book about a con man in short pants). Great book. Thanks for reminding me of it. Andrew Fenton Further Thoughts: I had to laugh when I read this review. My 9 year old, who is both extremely bright and dyslexic, absolutely refuses to read the Magic Tree House books, even though they are certainly right at his ability level (if below his cognitive level). Why, you may ask? Because the cover of the book in which the kids travel back to Washington crossing the Delaware shows Washington wearing a sword which, if you know anything about period weaponry, is hanging backwards (so that the wearer can trip over it with each step). Living with a juvenile history & weapons nerd is always exciting! Abe Fisher Further Thoughts: I loved these books also as a child. They richly described the rough coexistence of disparate national and religious cultures as a frontier transformed into an established society. Besides which they were very funny. I haven't read the books in probably 25 years, but some images still stick with me, including the boy who lost his leg to gangrene after stepping on a rusty nail, the many descriptions of fistfights (and bloody noses). I remember the anti-Semitism story (about an itinerant peddler I believe), as well as the Catholic/Mormon contrasts and the travails of a Greek family. That was also the humorous story about the installation of the first indoor flush toilet in the town. I clearly remember the detailed description of digging the septic line and building a tank from wood planks, with all the kids in town predicting that the "indoor privy" will stink up the whole house. Rob Roe Further Thoughts: I also loved these books. I read all of them multiple times. Whether or not the were authentic, they FELT authentic. I still remember the talk of buying stuff for pennies and how a nickel was a lot of money, the Sears catalog, phrases such as "going like sixty", and penny candy. Also how all the chores needed to be done each day, what a "dude" was, and how real the characters felt. I remember the kid who lost his leg as well and how Tom (the Great Brain) taught him how to race so that he could win, even with a prosthesis. I would recommend these books to any kid, aged 7-14, and maybe a bunch older than that too. Clearly I need to head to the library and dig them up and reread them all... Thanks for the memories, Nathan Henderson-James The Diamond Age, Or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson from Brian Sala I just finished Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, Or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (1995). Very engaging, if you like sci fi, particularly the "cyberpunk" sub-genre. And still very fresh feeling, despite it being a decade old. It was great until the last segment. I thought the ending fell pretty flat. Still, while I only vaguely recall William Gibson's Neuromancer, I think this was better. (and I haven't read Snow Crash, so I don't have a comparison to Stephenson's other big hit). Return to top of page Walk with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement by John Lewis from Tom Albertson Yesterday I was thrilled to hear and meet Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis (D-GA), and that will inspire me to re-read his excellent book Walk with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement (ISBN: 0684810654) this summer. His profound advocacy for civil and human rights and non-violence resonates particularly in this post-9/11 world. His essential response to injustice is to stand up and get in it's way. Lewis' book makes a better case for his approach than I could, but a quick overview of what he said yesterday: Lewis provided an overview of his life and his struggle for civil rights. He told of his youth, raising chickens, teasing [Microsoft] employees "You are smart, but you don't know how to raise chickens." He spoke of his childhood during segregation and hearing his parents say "That's the way it is, don't cause trouble." He was inspired by Rosa parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and highlighted his first meeting with Dr. King in Alabama, as well as his first arrest in 1960. (Lewis was later arrested and assaulted over 40 times.) He said that some trouble is necessary and good. "We didn't have a website, nor email, nor fax, nor cell phone, but we put our bodies on the line." At age 23, Lewis was the youngest speaker at the historic 1963 "March on Washington". He recalled knowing personal friends who were killed registering to vote, the march on Selma and the struggle for the Voting Rights Act, finally signed by LBJ in 1965. He told of the day he was with Dr. King and they together heard President Johnson use King's words "We shall overcome" in a speech, bringing both to tears. Lewis hopes that the world community takes a lesson from the non-violent community. He said that he was raised in a shotgun house, and that today we all live in the same house, "We're all in the same building now. Use technology for all mankind, to build that house." A truly remarkable man. Return to top of page Add the summer reading recommendations from your favorite publication by sending me the URL at Ken@SideTrack.org.

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