What I read (or listened to) from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006, organized by category.
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Non-Fiction:
The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton, read by Steven Crossley (A)
The last few chapters of this were the best–the discussion of Van Gogh and the colors and landscape of Provence, room travel, and learning to draw in order to learn to see.
America (The Audiobook), read by Jon Stewart and the cast of The Daily Show (A)
I was sad there were only 3 CDs (it’s abridged) because there are some really funny bits and I wanted more.
Marley and Me, John Grogan
I bought this book in the airport in Atlanta on a whim–I needed reading material and none of the magazines available really interested me and this book had a cute puppy on the cover and an intriguing subtitle (“Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog”). I loved it. I didn’t always love the Grogans as dog owners, but I loved the book and I loved Marley. I had to stop reading it on the planes, though, because I was sure my laughing and crying were going to disturb the other passengers around me.
Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck, read by Ron McLarty (A)
Now this is a good road book. Doesn’t tell all, but the omissions are made gracefully. It was interesting to get a view of what the country was like when I was a baby.
Everything Bad is Good for You, Steven Johnson (BC)
A lot of this makes a lot of sense, but I still think I should read more.
Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss
I bought this in the airport because I couldn’t get into Christopher Moore’s Lamb and needed something to read on the plane. This was perfect–it made me laugh more than once.
The Distance to the Moon, James Morgan
I picked this up because based on the back cover copy it seemed like it would be a feel-good car story, perfect to pick up my Motown spirit. Except the author does his road trip in a fancy new Porsche, and that made it hard to connect. I liked this book best when the trip went through places I’ve been, least when it referred again and again to the fight the author had with his wife at the beginning of the trip (she spent the first few days with him), which was presented in the “I cant’ really go into the details but I’m going to go on and on about the fallout” style that so annoys me when people do it in their online journals.
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure, Sarah Macdonald, read by Kate Hosking (A)
The references to Australian pop culture went right over my head (I assume that’s what they were), and the text didn’t much enlighten me on how the author went from hating India to crying when it was time for her to leave.
Paige by Paige, Paige Davis
I got this at the dollar store, which was about the right price. The layout of the pages is odd, with seemingly random font changes and text placed at strange angles; I suspect this was done to make it look more informal and give it a scrapbook feel, but it just annoyed me. This isn’t a tell-all; it’s light and bright and breezy.
Fat Girl, Judith Moore, read by Carol Monda (A)
This is a book about survival. Not thriving, just survival. There’s no sugar-coating.
Soul of a Chef, Michael Ruhlman
I’d enjoyed this author’s earlier book, The Making of a Chef, so when I saw this one in the Friends of the Library sale, I grabbed it. This one doesn’t hang together as well as that one did, being three long essays on different things, but I did like it. My favorite was the first essay on the Certified Master Chef exam–one of the chefs being tested was from Michigan and taught at the college I drive by on the way to work, so it was fun to see those touches of local color mentioned.
I’m a Stranger Here Myself, Bill Bryson
I could have sworn I’d read this before, but it doesn’t show up in my past book logs, so it must have been a while ago if I did. I enjoyed a lot of the pieces included, but knowing that they were written for a British audience about the U.S., I wished that some hadn’t been quite so honest about this country’s shortcomings. It’s the “we can say bad things about our family amongst ourselves but put on a good face to the outside” dynamic I learned early, I guess.
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, Susan Jane Gilman, read by Susan Denaker (A)
I really liked this, especially the parts about her girlhood, which gave me a new perspective on growing up different. I did not appreciate her view of Detroit but at least she didn’t dwell on it.
Tales from the Scale, Erin J. Shea (editor)
This felt abridged somehow, as if the stories were culled from various online journals and the bits that didn’t fit the theme of each chapter were chopped out. I felt like something was missing and got no clear sense of who most of these women are.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
It felt like I’d seen or heard some of these pieces in other places, so it wasn’t all new to me like I’d hoped; yes, I’m greedy and want more David Sedaris, because some of it is so funny and some is so touching and some of it is both at the same time.
My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy, Nancy Cartwright, read by the author (A)
I kept listening for (and hearing) hints of Bart in her normal voice, which was a bit distracting. It was also strange to hear her do voices for characters other actors normally do, and the references to L. Ron Hubbard in the afterword were distressing–she’s a Scientologist?
Knitting in Plain English, Maggie Righetti
Denise recommended this to me, and it’s good. I haven’t done enough knitting to understand some of it, but it was interesting and entertaining enough that I read it cover to cover and expect to refer back to it frequently.
What Just Happened, James Gleick, read by Dan Cashman (A)
This collection of essays about the early days of the internet was interesting in a “gee, how much has changed” kind of way.
My Kitchen Wars, Betty Fussell
This memoir made me glad I didn’t live her life. Her husband and son have also written memoirs; I’m now curious to read those and see how the family dynamic shaped them.
Bible Clues for the Clueless, Christopher D. Hudson, et al
I picked this up because I don’t know as much about the bible as I’d like to, and I don’t mind being called “clueless” (unlike being called a “dummy” or an “idiot”). I cannot recommend it, at least not to a skeptic like me, plus I found the humorous touches completely unfunny.
Inside Edge, Christine Brennan
This would have been more interesting if I’d read it when it first came out, before I’d learned so much about figure skating from other sources. Still, it was a good read.
A Boy I Once Knew, Elizabeth Stone
I found this story of what happens when a man wills his diaries to a teacher he hasn’t seen in two decades vaguely unsatisfying. It felt like a companion piece rather than a complete work–a book about the writing of a book that doesn’t seem to actually exist. This is not the story of the man in the diaries–this is the story of the person who read them.
White Men Don’t Have Juju, Pam Ascanio
This really made me not want to go to Africa, at least not the way this couple did. I’m entirely too attached to creature comforts like adequate food. The chapter covering life after their return home to Florida was interesting.
Million Dollar Mermaid, Esther Williams with Digby Diehl
I hoped this would give me a peek into the Hollywood studio system in the 1940s and 50s, and it did, but I found some parts of it unsettling. I sure am glad my mom didn’t do what Esther Williams did to her kids after she divorced her alcoholic husband.
How Not to Live Abroad, Shaun Briley
This was really funny, especially the first two-thirds or so of the book.
The Nia Experience, Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas
I really did read this all the way through–usually a book like this with lots of pictures I’d just skim and read a bit here and a bit there. I’m not sure that Nia really translates well into book form–for me it’s about movement and music and book doesn’t have either of those. But I have referred back to parts of it, especially when my instructor was travelling and I had to be my own teacher for a few weeks, so I’m glad I have it.
Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down, Dave Barry, read by Dick Hill (A)
Has Dave gotten less funny, or has my sense of humor changed? I don’t know. I do know I only laughed or chuckled a few times while I listened to this. The narrator on the CD was overly dramatic for my taste–maybe if I’d read it to myself I would have found it funnier.
Whose Panties Are These?, Jennifer Leo (Editor)
I read most of this collection of stories about travel misadventures while on a trip of my own. It’s a good book for reading in short stretches, so it was a good travel companion. Only a few of the stories stood out as funny, but the rest were interesting enough for a diversion while on the road.
Lost in My Own Backyard, Tim Cahill, read by Michael Prichard (A)
This made me want to go backcountry camping in Yellowstone, and I normally don’t think of myself as a backcountry camping kind of person.
The Bitch in the House, Cathi Hanauer (Editor), various authors, read by them (A)
I missed the word “selections” after “unabridged” on the cover of this, or I wouldn’t have checked it out. The introduction refers to stories which were not included on the CD, some of which sounded more interesting than the ones that were on it. I most enjoyed Elissa Schappell’s essay on motherly anger, and Laurie Abraham’s on co-parenting was pretty good as well. Some of the others were too whiny for my taste, and many of the authors are not good readers, so that detracted.
Note: I later got the printed book out of the library and read the essays that weren’t on the tape. There were indeed some interesting ones in that group.
Fiction:
Dirty Work, Stuart Woods, read by Robert Lawrence (A)
This is not a very good book, even judged by the standards of its genre. The plot hinges on a series of coincidences that stretch belief well beyond the breaking point. There was also a fair amount of gratuitous sex, not even redeemed by it being hot. The narrator’s choice of voices for the many of the characters–particularly Bacchetti, who sounded a lot like Andre the Giant–grated on me. I kept hoping I’d get used to the voices and the story would improve, but it didn’t happen.
The Stupidest Angel, Christopher Moore (BC)
This is the first Christopher Moore I’ve read, and I found it great fun, from the subtitle (A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror) on. A good airplane book.
By a Spider’s Thread, Laura Lippman, read by Barbara Rosenblatt (A)
Incidents that I assume were covered in a previous book in this series were referred to so often in this one that I really felt like I was coming in in the middle of something. I didn’t quite buy the ending, but maybe that’s because I don’t know enough about guns.
I’m Not the New Me, Wendy McClure
I bought this because of the WW recipe cards, which I saw on the author’s website thanks to a link in a forum way back when. The book has some very funny bits and some touching ones and it was fun to see who I recognized from reading online journals. I only wish it had a stronger ending, but that’s not how real life works most of the time and this is not a novel.
Getting Mother’s Body, Suzan-Lori Parks, read (and sung) by the author (A)
I liked the characters–who all took turns narrating–and the way the songs were handled on this audio and loved the twist near the end. I only wished for a longer epilogue, with more details about what happened after.
Girl Clown, Mary Wise
I read this because I met the author, a.k.a. Bozoette, at last year’s JournalCon. Fortunately, I liked it, so I won’t have to avoid her at this year’s gathering.
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
You know I’ve got it bad when I buy a hardcover.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale (A)
This was my least favorite of the series so far. I found it almost painful to listen to at times because I couldn’t stop thinking that so much of the bad stuff that happened could have been avoided if only Harry hadn’t been acting so stupid. I know he’s a teenaged boy, but I expected better of him. Of course, if he hadn’t acted the way he did, the plot wouldn’t have worked out the way it did and I’d like to believe that those events were necessary to set up what’s to come. Time will tell.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale (A)
My favorite of the series so far. I wonder if that’s because this is the first one I’ve read without having seen the movie first.
San Remo Drive, Leslie Epstein
I picked this up because I was intrigued by the “novel from memory” line on the jacket. Reading it made me feel melancholy. The non-chronological order confused me at first, but then I realized that’s how memory works, so I relaxed into it.
Death in Paradise, Robert B. Parker, read by Robert Forster (A)
A light mystery, perfect for the car because it doesn’t demand too much attention to follow.
owling, read by Jim Dale (A)
I’m going to be sad when I run out of Harry Potter books to listen to. They really do make my commute better.
Men at Arms, Terry Pratchett
It was nice to be back on the Discworld for the time it took me to read this. I wish there were a Carrot in my world.
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale (A)
I got the reader’s name this time; still not on the jacket, but he introduced himself at the end of the book and I was paying attention. Again, an enjoyable listening experience.
The Invisible Man, H.G. Wells, read by Vicki Morgan (A)
This book deserves its status as a classic.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale (?) (A)
I’m not quite sure about the reader’s name, since it wasn’t on the jacket. This was a good car book, especially since it had been so long since I saw the movie that I’d forgotten key plot points and thus was interested to see how things developed.
Eaters of the Deadrichton, read by George Guidall (A)
Somehow I temporarily got Beowulf confused with The Canterbury Tales and wondered why this retelling of the former was unrecognizable as the latter when I first started listening to it. Once I stopped waiting for the knight and the miller to show up, I enjoyed it more. At some level, though, I was listening for any hints of Crichton’s anti-environmental views.
When the Women Come Out to Dance, Elmore Leonard, read by various narrators (A)
This collection seemed a little random, with a couple of the short stories set in the last century rather interrupting the flow of the more contemporary ones, but I enjoyed it. Includes a prequel to Tishomingo Blues, which stands on its own but resonated more with me because I’d read that book already.
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