Welcome to week four of A People’s Readalong. A group of us (see the end of the post for the group, and please shout out if I’ve overlooked you) will be reading one chapter a week from Howard Zinn’s classic history book, A People’s History of the United States. We’ll be finished sometime in July.

This week we’re focusing on Chapter Four: Tyranny Is Tyranny. Zinn discusses the years leading up to the American Revolution, which gave our forefathers an excuse to direct the masses unhappiness towards England. Since England saw the colonies as a source of needed revenue, and the colonies were increasingly wanting less rule from England, the time was right for rebellion. Zinn states that this was the beginning of the trend in US politics of the upper class mobilizing the energy of the lower classes. The ruling class would recognize grievances and give just a bit, but not enough to jeopardize their own power and wealth. Instead, they would channel the energies of the unhappy to meet their own agendas. And this is what happened with the Revolution. Except for a few holdouts (Zinn offers up the Regulators as one unhappy group who later remained largely neutral during the Revolution), the educated and wealthy who were in positions of power were able to channel the lower classes into rebelling against England…instead of them.

I’m still enjoying the book, and finding it surprisingly easy to read, with one exception. Okay, two. 1) I find it hard to the grasp Zinn’s point for each chapter. While I understand what he’s getting at, I struggle to summarize his points for each chapter. And this is tied to 2) the almost overwhelming amount of info he packs into a short chapter. The names and groups get to be too much sometimes. I’m not getting a sense of the characters behind any of the names, and consequently, I find it hard to remember any particulars. So I’m left with the feeling that Zinn is trying to over-prove his point.

Still, this is a minor criticism. I’m not unhappy with the book…just finding it difficult to reframe into my own thoughts, if that makes sense.

How are you guys doing doing with the reading?

Readalong Participants:

• Amanda
• Andrew
• Beth
• Brooke
• christy
• gavin
• Jenners
• Jenny
• Kim
• nomadreader
• Patti Smith
• Rayna
• Shana
• Shelley
• Stacy (A Novel Source)
• Vasilly
• Wallace
• zibilee

I want to thank you for being a wonderful month. I normally don’t have favorite months, but it’s going to be pretty hard for the other months to top you. Why were you so wonderful? Well, here are a few reasons:

• I read (or listened to) 11 books. Three of those books were from the Shelf of Doom (The Memory of Love, Rooftops of Tehran, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) and one was from the pile for the Classics Challenge (The Stranger). Unfortunately, February is lagging when it comes to books.
• I sold $75 worth of books to Powells for store credit. And I only bought one book this month. Which means that I’m totally rockin’ my first 12 for 12 goal: Spend less money on books. And I bought that one book from Powells, so I sort of supported goal 2: Spend more time at indies. And with that $75 in credit, I expect to spending more time at indies, even if it is a virtual manifestation. But I’ve been to the real thing, so I can picture it as I surf its online shelves.
• I also made some damn good progress on goal #3: Stop going to Starbucks. I did go to Starbucks once, but it was when I was sick and in Fresno (not that I’m blaming you for my sickness…that’s the fault of my sick co-workers who brought their germs to work). I ordered a large mint tea and the county paid for it…so I figure it doesn’t even count. I did cave and buy a latte one morning on the way to work, but it was from a local coffee shop, so I’m not counting that lapse, either. So…sayonara Starbucks!

I also planned some excursions for Febraury, so I should have some fun things to thank February for, too.

Usually, you’re a cold, rainy month, but for some reason you decided to be exceptionally sunny and warm this year. So even though we need the rain (maybe February can deliver?), the warm weather was appreciated and I took full advantage of it by going on some fun hikes and walks. I’ve seen parts of the county I never even knew about, and I’ve lived here for 36 years! And the sunsets! Dude, you’ve outdone yourself:

And then there’s the new job…that’s another reason why you, January, are going to be a banner month. For the first time in a mighty long time, I’m actually enjoying my job. And I’m accomplishing stuff (sometimes bureaucracies make it really hard to get stuff done…it’s sad, but true).

Anyhoosie, I just had to thank you for being such an awesome month. Maybe you could put in a word for me with the other months? Because I’d love to have the year continue like this.

Thanks bunches!

softdrink

Why is my mind racing? Because HB and I are thinking (not yet doing, but seriously thinking) about selling our house and downsizing to a cheaper model (because construction is totally stagnant and that’s what he does for work and neither one of us is attached to this house and the mortgage payment that goes with it and we might as well sell why we still have SOME equity in the beast). Thing is, the market here in Morro Bay (where we want to stay) is crap. There’s not much for sale and it most likely will take forever and a day to sell the house we’re in. In the meantime, we’re thinking about what needs to be done to this house (not in terms of massive overhauls, because who wants to do a bathroom remodel when we won’t get the money back, but more like must-do maintenance on the deck and a few other things). And I’m dreaming about what the new house might possibly look like. Even though there is no new house. But this is what I do every time we think about moving. I’m also thinking I need to start purging some of the miscellaneous stuff that has accumulated in the 7 years we’ve lived here. We used to move about every two years, which was great motivation for not keeping things. But seven years makes you complacent and bogged down with unnecessary stuff (for example…why do two people need an entire shelf full of coffee mugs?? Especially when one of the two people doesn’t even drink coffee…just the occasional mug of tea).

My mind is also racing because next weekend I’m going to Sacramento (photography workshop), and the weekend after that my mom and I are going to Orange County (family visit with a side trip to see the Terracotta Warriors), and in March I’m doing a girl’s weekend (we’re staying local) with some friends (one of whom will be moving soon and I’m very sad about that), and in May we’re trying to plan another girl’s weekend in San Francisco to walk Bay to Breakers. Whew. Lots of good stuff in there.

And it’s also racing (the mind) because there are things I want to post about that I haven’t (refer back to that want nothing more to be a vegetable comment) and things I need to post about (A People’s History Readalong) and comments I never seem to make anymore and books to read that I haven’t been reading. I haven’t finished a book in over a week, and I just ran out of pre-scheduled posts, so the blog is gonna be mighty quiet for awhile.

However, for the first time in forever I got a full night’s sleep (can you tell?…I’m rambling like a madwoman, and there’s not a drop of caffeine in my body). The brain turned off at 9:30 and let me sleep until 6:30 and now I’m waiting for HB to finish surfing. We’re going to go for our (what is almost becoming a weekly habit) weekend hike/walk. Today it’s off to San Simeon (where William Randolph Hearst built a castle on a hill that you might have heard of). We’re not hiking to the castle, but we will be rambling through the State Park. It’s supposed to be a four mile loop…flat, to accommodate HB’s still healing leg, yet long enough to give us a feeling of accomplishment. Then it’s home to clean and work on the deck and hopefully (but no promises) organize my thoughts and preschedule some more posts and connect with all of you all instead of hitting the dreaded Mark As Read button.

In the meantime, happy weekending!

Wherever Grace Is Needed
Elizabeth Bass
2011
352 pages

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I’m totally cheating and stealing the book description from one of those major book selling sites (you know, the one that isn’t B&N):

When Grace Oliver leaves Portland for Austin, Texas, to help her father, Lou, recuperate from a car accident, she expects to stay just a few weeks. Since her mother’s divorce thirty years ago, Grace has hovered on the periphery of the Oliver family. But now she sees a chance to get closer to her half-brothers and the home she’s never forgotten.

But the Olivers are facing a crisis. Tests reveal that Lou, a retired college professor whose sharp tongue and tenderness Grace adores, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Grace delays her departure to care for him, and is soon entwined in the complicated lives of her siblings-all squabbling over Lou’s future-and of the family next door…

Ray West and his three children are reeling from a recent tragedy, particularly sixteen-year-old Jordan, whose grief is heightened by guilt and anger. Amid the turmoil, Grace not only gives solace and support, but learns to receive it. And though she came to Austin to reconnect with her past, she is drawn by degrees into surprising new connections.

With wit, wisdom, and unfailing insight, Elizabeth Bass tells a story of loving and letting go, of heartache and hope, and of the joy that comes in finding a place we can truly call home.

I know I bought this at Borders, because the sticker on the back told me so. But I have no recollection of when or why I bought it. I must have been in a sappy mood, because this is one of those books that’ll make you (okay, me) tear up while at the same time you’re asking yourself (again, me) “Really? You’re crying over that??”

I think my two major concerns with the book were that 1) the love story part of the story (a minor part during the book, but kinda big at the end) had zero sparks happening and 2) the characters saw the light but I never really saw them see the light, if that makes any sense. It was like conflict, conflict, conflict, resolution. I wanted more AHA! between the conflict and the resolution. Or maybe I just needed to be hit between the eyes with it. I mean, it was there, it was just too subtle considering the high drama that was the beginning of the book. So while this was an enjoyable read for a Saturday afternoon, it’s not going to be anything that sticks with me.

A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
1996
807 pages

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For once, I’m starting a series late, and if I play my cards right (pace myself) I might just be able to remember what is going on when we get to the last book in the series (I believe there are 2 books that haven’t been published yet). Because I will most definitely be reading this one to to the bitter end.

To filch from wikipedia, this is the set-up:

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two are planned. In addition there are three prequel novellas currently available, with several more being planned, and a series of novella-length excerpts from the main Ice and Fire novels.

The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world, primarily on a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east, known as Essos. Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses others are introduced, such as the assumed-to-be-extinct cold supernatural Others from the far North and fire-breathing dragons from the East. The series is told in the third-person through the eyes of a number of point of view characters, 25 by the end of the fifth book.

There are three story lines that become increasingly interwoven: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros among several competing families; the rising threat of the Others, who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros’ northern border; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in another civil war fifteen years before, to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne.

The narrators for A Game of Thrones are:

• Prologue: Will, a man of the Night’s Watch.
• Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King.
• Lady Catelyn Stark, of House Tully, wife of Eddard Stark.
• Sansa Stark, elder daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.
• Arya Stark, younger daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.
• Bran Stark, seven-year-old son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.
• Jon Snow, bastard son of Eddard Stark.
• Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf, brother of Queen Cersei and her twin Jaime, son of Lord Tywin Lannister.
• Princess Daenerys Targaryen, Stormborn, the Princess of Dragonstone and heiress to the Targaryen throne after her older brother Viserys Targaryen.

Although each of these characters has some sort of flaw, they are the most likeable characters in the book. There are numerous other characters floating around, and some of them are downright despicable (hello, Joffrey, I’m looking at you, you little twerp). As far as our main narrators go, I’m looking forward to Jon growing up a bit and removing his head from his ass, Sansa realizing that there is more to life than pretty dresses and pretty faces, figuring out just what exactly Tyrion’s agenda is, and hoping that Dany lives up to her potential. Oh, and that Arya turns out to be a kick-ass heroine.

Welcome to week three of A People’s Readalong. A group of us (see the end of the post for the group, and please shout out if I’ve overlooked you) will be reading one chapter a week from Howard Zinn’s classic history book, A People’s History of the United States. We’ll be finished sometime in July.

This week we’re focusing on Chapter Three: Persons of Mean and Vile Condition. As I mentioned last week, Chapter 3 is a continuation of the discussion Zinn began in Chapter 2.  In Chapter 3 Zinn focuses on the developing underclass…the rise in the number of poor (mainly servants and petty criminals who were shipped off to the colonies) threatened the small class of wealthy who lived in fear of an uprising. Bacon’s Rebellion, in 1676, was once such instance. White frontiersmen and servants, as well as slaves, joined together in protest against the governor of Virginia’s supposedly friendly policies with Native Americans. Because the rebellion was a collaboration between poor whites and slaves, Zinn argues that afterward the wealthy merchants and landowners began to increasingly emphasize the differences between black slaves and poor white servants as a means to quell rebellion. The poor whites were used to further the suppression of slaves (by being encouraged (or would that be bribed?) with rewards to return fugitive slaves) and their racial superiority was emphasized as a means to give them a sense of power and reduce their resentment for the upper classes who held both the wealth and power in the colonies. This, Zinn firmly believes, is the beginning of the firmly entrenched racism that continues to plague the United States.

Since anger seems to be a recurring response to the issues that Zinn brings to light, what pissed you off this week?

Readalong Participants:

• Amanda
• Andrew
• Beth
• Brooke
• christy
• gavin
• Jenners
• Jenny
• Kim
• nomadreader
• Patti Smith
• Rayna
• Shana
• Shelley
• Stacy (A Novel Source)
• Vasilly
• Wallace
• zibilee

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Jonathan Safran Foer
April 2005
368 pages

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To say that our main character, Oskar, is precocious is an understatement. He’s also quirky, a bit socially awkward, and very, very sad (or, in his words, he has heavy boots). His dad died on 9/11 and Oskar misses him fiercely. So when he finds a mysterious key hidden in his father’s closet, Oskar sets off on a quest to find the lock that the key fits. Despite Oskar’s issues, I found myself reluctantly charmed and cheered him on during his search, even when it got a bit ridiculous at times. But then, Safran Foer has a tendency to get a bit ridiculous.

Along with Oskar’s story, we also get glimpses into the history of his grandparents, who were victims of theDresdenbombing.

One of my favorite things about this book was the addition of pictures and letters and day book entries that support the story and Oskar’s (and his grandfather’s) experiences. Kind of like House of Leaves, only way more interesting and accessible.

I’m a bit sorry that it sat unread on the shelf for so long (I have the hardcover, if that tells you anything), since it ended up being way less intimidating than I had the mistaken impression that it would be. I blame that on Safran Foer’s wife, since I do not have a good history with her. And that’s just ridiculous, because their styles are so different. So note to self: Jonathan Safran Foer yes. Nicole Krauss no.

Natalie has come up with the brilliant idea of A Walk About Town, a weekly feature hosted at Coffee and a Book Chick. Anyone can participate…just write about a spot in your town, or a spot you’ve visited.

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Last weekend Hamburger and I went for a walk through El Chorro Regional Park, which is located along Highway 1, halfway between our little town of Morro Bay and the larger county seat, San Luis Obispo. The land has an interesting history. Back in the day, like a lot of land in these parts, it was used for dairy ranching. In the 1940s the land was purchased by the federal government to add to Camp San Luis Obispo, which is the original home of the California National Guard. And then in the 1970s, some of the land was deeded to the County of San Luis Obispo as part of Nixon’s “Legacy of Parks” program to create El Chorro Regional Park. This history explains why there are fenced off areas with signs stating “No Trespassing – Unexploded Munitions” posted along the trails.

For our walk, we stuck to the old road that heads back into the hills. It had rained the day before, and we didn’t want Hamburger to slip on any muddy trails. The last thing he needs is to re-break any of his still healing bones!

The road was peaceful (babbling brook, chirping birds), but a bit boring (for Hamburger…I actually like old country roads that go nowhere). But we did come across a partially collapsed bridge:

I also liked this twisty oak:

This is actually what a lot of the county is looking like right now…dry hills and oak trees. We need more rain, and then I can show you why these hills are called the Irish Hills.

The Stranger
Albert Camus
Translated by Matthew Ward
123 pages
First published in 1942

This is a most unfortunate choice of covers (especially since it’s the edition that I own). It reminds me of the cover for Beat the Reaper, which you may recall was my least favorite cover for 2011. This is the cover for the original US edition, which is way better, in my opinion:

Also, another note on book covers…I know many of you raved about Bad Marie last year. Although I never read it, I saw the cover plenty of times. Enough times, in fact, that when our main character acquires a girlfriend by the name of Marie, I instantly visualized her as the woman from the cover of Bad Marie. Kinda strange, since I’ve never read that book, but it just goes to show how much of an impact covers can have on me.

So. The book. I have no idea what inspired me to buy this book. But it’s been hanging around for awhile, so I put it on my list for the A Classics Challenge. And about the best thing I can say is that it was short (which means it’s not even the end of January and I can say I’m making progress on my challenges!). The worst thing I can say is that Camus was a philosopher. I should’ve known better, because philosophy and I have a long history of dislike. I just don’t get it. To the point that it makes my head hurt when I try.

Where was I? Oh yeah…the book. Our narrator, Meursault, is a bit detached from the world. When the novel opens, his mother has just died. He goes to the funeral, but he’s more overwhelmed with tiredness than grief. In the days following his mother’s death, he becomes involved with Marie, and his neighbor Raymond, a mean man obsessed with beating his mistress because he believes she cheated on him.

When the mistress’s brother (they are Arab, and none of the Arabs are given names (also…did I mention this book is set in colonial Algiers?)) starts to follow them, Raymond gets a bit twitchy. Eventually there is a confrontation and Meursault ends up shooting a man. Similar to his mother’s death, he shows no emotion or remorse. And it’s this detachment and lack of emotion that results in his eventual conviction and death sentence.

Evidently there’s a lot of absurdism and maybe a touch of nihilism and existentialism reflected in the book, but if I tried to explain any of that I think my brain would explode. There’s also Meursault’s denial of God and his eventually acceptance that life just has no meaning.

Like Meursault’s lack of emotion about life, I pretty much had no emotional response to this book. While it isn’t the worst of the classics I’ve ever read (hello, Brothers K), it didn’t do much for me, other than put me to sleep (actually, I think that was the cold I was coming down with, but with 5 pages left to go, I just couldn’t keep my eyes open).

Rooftops of Tehran
Mahbod Seraji
May 2009
368 pages

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17 year old Pasha and his best bud Ahmed like to hang out on the (surprise) rooftops of their homes in Tehran. Pasha is the more serious of the two…he loves to read and moon over the neighbor girl, who is engaged to the local genius/Really Nice Guy. Ahmed is comic relief, always quick with a joke or a skit. Of course, he’s mooning over a girl, too. However, since it’s the 1970s in Iran, there’s also a bit of political dissent going on, and the boys can’t stay innocent forever.

I ended up being disappointed by this one. I thought that the ending was predictable. Also, the Big Event happened halfway through the book, and then it seemed like it took forever and a day to wrap the whole thing up. And since I could see the ending coming from a mile away, it wasn’t the most enjoyable of forevers and a day. I liked it so much better when Pasha was in the mental hospital and we didn’t know what had happened to him.