when i went back to school a year ago and decided to pursue a MA in English (instead of continuing on with Biology or IT work), i thought this blog would play some part in the process. and early on, it did. i tried to keep blogging about books i was reading in class (like my Toni Morrison binge), and it was exploratory and fun. but, as things got busier with grad school and i was reading less novels and more theory, the blog just didn’t fit. i mean, who wants to hear about me fumbling through composition and cultural studies theory?

also, i’m finding that the 300 or so books that are taking up shelf space are no longer in my target reading zone. i used to love a good novel, but now i’m more interested in non-fiction, politics, social justice, and the like. my interests have shifted so dramatically that i surprise myself every day. i’m happy with the change and my time spent thinking and reading and living feel more meaningful as a result.

as for the blog – i think the coming semester will tell. my theory heavy load is gone and i’ll be taking classes that will once again fit into the blogging life (i hope!). i’m taking a class on Biography and the American Dream, a literature class (either American Realism or Representations of War in pre-1700 literature), and an American Studies class in social movements of the 1960′s. the reading list for these classes should prove to be much more interesting and discussable.

this will never be the blog it was before; i know that. but, i am not ready to sunset the whole concept just yet.

Title:

the premise of this book was immediately intriguing to me: a small group of zen monks fight a California forest fire to protect their monastery deep in the woods. i won’t lie; i have a thing for zen monks and spiritual enlightenment, particularly when it meets real world challenges, so i couldn’t pass this one up. and mostly, it didn’t disappoint.

in the summer of 2008, lightning ignited drought-stricken California, sending off a flurry of wildfires for several weeks. with resources thin and weather conditions worsening, the monks at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (near Big Sur) prepared for the worst. as it became clear that the fires were imminent, evacuations forced the monastery to be left unattended for the first time in its long history.

when five of the core team of monks realized what that meant for the center – a certainty of ruin – they turned back to defend it at all costs. without the support of fire crews and nothing but their own zen training, Tassajara still stands today. and this was it’s story. part monastic history and part fire survival 101, this narrative telling of those turbulent few weeks was interesting, to say the least.

Zen is not a passive path. It’s a practice of complete engagement. A zendo is profoundly still and quiet during zazen. But then the bell rings. There’s work to do, relationships to navigate, dishes to wash. And there’s no dividing experience into what matters and what doesn’t. It all matters.

with this simple approach to life, and to fighting fires, everything mattered. every act was an act of great importance, one that meant life instead of death, or a building burning or left standing. by connecting the dots between zen practice and fighting fires, Busch focuses on the readily apparent metaphor that fire fighting provides when we look inward to ourselves and the challenges that we each face. while this isn’t a new concept, it was still a joy to read the ways that the incident at Tassajara played out, moment to moment.

what i adored about the book was the easy way that zen monks were presented. i don’t know what i was expecting from monks, but they were so very human, in ways that surprised me. for example, in one situation, the only woman in the group was talking about how she was babied during certain tasks.

“The fact that I’m a woman might have made Steve feel protective,” she told me later. “It’s understandable. But at the time it just pissed me off.”

i think i actually snorted when i read that line. i just hadn’t expected zen monks to be capable of being pissed off, and it made me immediately connect to her in a way that i hadn’t before. she was human, just like me. and despite her many years of zen training, she does get irritated. it was an a-ha moment for me, and i appreciated the simple honesty that the book portrayed in these moments.

my only complaint with the book was that Busch, at times, seemed to overemphasize the metaphors and overwrite the story, which made me feel like she didn’t think her readers would be intelligent enough to get it. as a result, the book was a little heavy handed, with a few moments where perhaps bad editing made for jumpy reading, but altogether was an enjoyable read. i would recommend the book to anyone interested in zen practice, or for those interested in the ways that fire and humans can live together in peace.

Fire Monks is currently on tour with TLC Book Tours and was sent to me by the publisher for review. thank you to Trish, TLC and Penguin for the opportunity to partipate!

Title:

i’m not going to lie. i’m a Chris McCormack fangirl. so, this book had immediate appeal to me. as a slowpoke triathlete who lives one island over, watching the World Ironman Championships in Kona each year is a must. and watching Chris McCormack win last year was epic. so, when i heard that he wrote a book about his life and was proffering advice, you can bet i was one of the first to want to read the book.

Macca, as McCormack is known in the sport, is a professional athlete with decades of race experience. so, the most obvious thing about the book without even reading it is that he is not a writer. while this can sometimes work against an author, particularly when they are talking about themselves, Macca has an effortless style that makes his boasting seem less arrogant than we all know it is. (i mean, let’s be honest – the name of the book is I’m Here to Win - so there’s no skirting the fact that the book is a shrine to himself.)

To this day, some athletes can’t stand me because I speak candidly and on the record. I guess that’s why a lot of people in the sport regard me as cocky. But in reality, I’m not cocky at all. I’m smart.

while some might be put off by his unapologetic self-aggrandizing, i loved every minute of it and respected Macca even more for it. i was fascinated by the story behind the champion, the failures and successes, all of the things that make him human (even if he is a little superhuman). having lost his mother to cancer and missed his shot at the Australian Olympic team, Macca  became less athlete superstar and more real in my mind. and as he struggled through the many failed attempts at Kona, i found myself cheering him on and booing his competitors.  and having watched last year’s race live, reading the book was like stepping into the moment all over again, but with the unexpected insight of the two-time Ironman Champion.

also interspersed throughout the autobiography are McCormack’s yearly statistics, including race and training history and other fun facts, along with training tips that have been field tested by the champ himself. these segments were interesting and valuable resources for those actually interested in the practical application of training techniques.

The process of being a triathlete – training, surpassing limitations, developing strategy, finding the strength to endure the suffering – is transformative. You become a better person when you manage to do something as insane as swimming, biking, and running 140.6 miles in the same day.

as someone who trains and is aspiring to do my first half Ironman next year, I’m Here to Win really contextualized a lot of what triathlon means for me personally. it is a life-changing activity in the most unexpected and wonderful ways. you learn who you are and how you can be better. you overcome and you grow. and above all else, you stop hoping for better and you become better.

do yourself a favor and read this book. expect a cocky Aussie who can back up his arrogance with his performance and live to tell the tale.  this book is amazing for the successful, aspiring, or wannabe athlete in all of us.

i have learned from past trips that ebooks are the way to go, so i have filled my kindle and iPad up with more books than i could possibly read. and i’m throwing a few in the suitcase for good measure.

digital books (read: takes up no space)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Little Princes by Conor Grennan
Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon van Booy

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Paris Was Ours edited by Penelope Rowlands

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

in the suitcase

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (mid-read)
Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami (mid-read)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (re-read)

World War Z by Max Brooks
Hawaii: Islands Under the Influence by Noel Kent (for school)
From a Native Daughter by Haunani-Kay Trask (for school)

on audio

The Graveyard Book by Nail Gaiman (mid-listen)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

what are your favorite travel-friendly books (listed here or not)? and of these, which ones must i absolutely read?

a modern-day Heart of Darkness with a female protagonist, State of Wonder beautifully captures the joys and fears associated with nature, and the essence of human connections and disconnections, in love and in friendship.

when Marina learns that her coworker has died while on assignment in South America, she is vaulted into the same daunting situation with two goals: find out the details of his death and finish the work that he had been sent to do. as she approaches these tasks, she is also forced to face her past, which include her failed attempt at becoming a doctor and a father who abandoned her. conveniently (or perhaps inconveniently for Marina), the doctor in charge of research in the jungle is Dr. Swenson, the source of much personal and professional anxiety for Marina. all of this comes together as Marina journeys deeper into the jungle, the physical and metaphoric manifestation of her life as it is.

What had made the jungle so uncomfortable all this time was its absence of people. All the jungle had offered thus far were plants and insects, clinging vines and unseen animals, and that was bad enough, but now Marina realized that people were truly the wost-case scenario.

in this way, the jungle and the Lakashi tribe are given life. interestingly, the book centers on the role of Dr. Swenson and the jungle, but similar to the introduction of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, their entrance is belated. two thirds of the book has passed before the chronology of the book places Marina in the wilderness, facing her deepest fears. in a narrative sense, this works well because the character development has been given time to build into a fully formed vision of the person that she is, flaws and all. but, it can also feel a bit tedious and drawn out, as it must have felt to Marina as well.

the themes addressed in the book tackled some of the complex issues regarding the nature of civilization and what it means to be an outsider. i particularly loved the deaf and mute tribal boy Easter, who represents innocence and passion in their raw and unadulterated forms, simple and needy as children tend to be. we see through the presence of Easter, Dr. Swenson, and Marina, as non-Lakashi tribe members, the ways that the outside world are, for better or worse, witnessing the tribe in its natural state.

If you pay any attention at all you’ll realize that you could never convert them to your way of life anyway. They are an intractable race. Any progress you advance to them will be undone before your back is turned. You might as well come down here to unbend the river. The point, then, is to observe the life they themselves have put in place and learn from it.

admittedly, the book is a little too conveniently put together at points, particularly in terms of the way that Marina’s employer functioned, and the placement of Dr. Swenson and her role in the organization.  there were also some areas that felt a little more tangential than necessary, but altogether i did enjoy the writing and would recommend the book.

this was my first book by Ann Patchett, though it will definitely not be my last. i own Bel Canto and have been encouraged through this reading to pick it up very soon.

State of Wonder is currently on tour with TLC Book Tours and was sent to me by the publisher for review.  thank you to Trish, TLC and Harper Collins for the opportunity to partipate!

Title:

i’m always intrigued when i read books that are written in native English (that is, not translated) and yet are so vivid in their representations that it seems like a new and vibrant language altogether.  i’ve felt this in the past when i read Someone Knows My Name and The God of Small Things, and now again with this book.

Onyesonwu is a mixed-race girl (in a post-apocalyptic Africa), forever marked by her sand-colored skin as a child of rape in the midst of a genocide-stricken land.  as a child, she is shunned and feared by her mother’s people, a race unwilling to see the depths of injustice that continue to plague them.  but when it is found that she possesses magical powers, Onyesonwu embarks on a physical and spiritual journey to  find herself and save her people. most obviously, this book is about race and difference. the tension, and often violence, that Onyesonwu experienced was a reminder of how an oppressed people can easily become the oppressor. as an intelligent young woman that is both stubborn and strong, she managed to frustrate and encourage me (sometimes at the same time). i was annoyed with her naivete and selfish tantrums, and yet sympathetic toward her struggles. perhaps most importantly, her intelligence and perspective as narrator offered reflections on the racial differences and their place in her culture.

As we walked, that brothel not far behind us, I felt a wave of anger. To be something abnormal meant that you were to serve the normal. And if you refused, they hated you… And often the normal hated you even when you did serve them.

in many ways, the book was about the importance of family, friends, and the binding power of love in those relationships.  although she was often alone, Onyesonwu did have the support of a small number of individuals and i was blown away by the strength and power of these relationships born out of tradition, experience, and difference.

It’s wholly binding if it is true and the emotion is reciprocated. This is not like the word “love.” A man can tell a woman he loves her every day. Ifunanya is spoken only once in a man’s life. Ifu means to “look into,” n means “the,” and anya means “eyes”. The eyes are the window to the soul.

admittedly, Who Fears Death is not an easy book to read, laying bare the experience of rape, genocide, genital cutting, and blind racism that exists both in Onyesonwu’s world and elsewhere. but, although the subjects covered are often unpleasant, the book was a triumphant exclamation of reclaiming one’s self in the midst of these horrible things. Okorafor’s writing was simple, but moved me to an emotionally raw place as a reader and left a lasting impression.

a note on the cover: i’m always drawn to this book when i see it in stores and i do approve of the design. but, there is something unsettling about it to me and i can’t quite place it. i don’t know if its that the image feels somehow unfinished or that the something that feels to be missing is precisely the intention of the artist. regardless, there is something in the artwork that leaves me left wanting, or at least confused. does anyone else see/feel this when they look at the cover?

other’s reviews:

Calico Reaction
Dirty Sexy Books
Into Your Lungs

view of windward coast from Olomana hike

in life, i’ve been busy enjoying summer break with lots of hiking, running, and biking. tolkien and i are registered for a bunch of upcoming events, including a 144-mile charity ride around the island (in memory of a cyclist that was killed in a hit-and-run accident last year), a 100-mile fun ride, and the Honolulu Marathon. we also completed the Honolulu Triathlon last month and are just so amazed at how important triathlon has become in our lives.

and, on that note… *gulp* i’m unofficially committing myself to next year’s Honu Half Ironman triathlon. registration isn’t open yet, but i’m putting it out there on the interwebs, because if i blog about it, it’s real, right? so yeah, a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run are in my future. we won’t really start training for it until after the marathon in December, but it’ll always be in the back of my head now, since it’s pretty much the most superhuman thing i’ve ever attempted.

aside from training, i’m still working on my web/social media internship at the local weekly publication and getting ready for our trip to Europe, which will be awesome, i’m sure.

so yeah, summer break is shaping up to be uh-may-zing and i’m loving every minute of it. the downside of all of this me time is that i’m less interested in blogging. but, i’m trying to stop with the blogging guilt and just enjoy myself. so, for now, i’m spending every free moment i can with my nose in a book because i know that August will see the death of that again.

My Bookish Life

it was a surprisingly productive month here in reading (not so much for reviews). i still can’t believe it, but i read 25 books in June (my personal best by a mile)!

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Prime Baby by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Poke the Box by Seth Godin
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Stitches by David Small
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie *
Haiku for the Single Girl by Beth Griffenhagen and Cynthia Vehslage Meyers
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Stiff by Mary Roach
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Heart of Iron: My Journey from Transplant Patient to Ironman Triathlete by Kyle Garlett
Notes for a War Story by Gipi
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Resistance by Carla Jablonski and Leland Purvis
I’m Here to Win by Chris McCormack

favorite books of the month: Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (re-read), Who Fears Death, Heart of Iron, and I’m Here to Win

What is in store for July?

i’m in the middle of a few books and have these upcoming books that i’m looking forward to:

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Fire Monks: Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara by Colleen Morton Busch
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
World War Z by Max Brooks

and there are some others that i have set aside specifically for while we travel that you’ll just have to wait and see. 

how was your month?  what was your favorite book in June?

Title:

i hardly ever do re-reads of books because i’m always so overwhelmed with all of the books i haven’t read. but, when Giraffe Days announced her intent to re-read the Harry Potter series this year, i just couldn’t resist. with the release of the final movie and the recent Pottermore announcement, the world is all abuzz with Potter love anyways, so what better time?

but, i don’t feel the need to do a standard review of this book, since everyone’s already read it by now, right? (if you haven’t, let me be the 1,000,000th person to tell you that you should.) so, instead, i thought i’d chronicle my Potter reading experience.

but first, a story…

when i was between jobs many many years ago, i spent a short time waitressing. there was a girl i worked with who will forever remain in my memory as the girl who first mentioned Harry Potter to me. at that time, i think the 3rd book had just come out and i was mostly oblivious of its presence in the world. but, the way that girl just lost herself in those books curled up in one of the restaurant booths really struck me as something special. it took a few more years until i bought them, but i’ll never forget her and the intensity with which she read those pages.

you see, i didn’t read or watch any of the movies until 2007, when the final book came out. i generally avoid watching books-turned-movies until i’ve read them first, so the movies were off limits. i started the series before the final release date, giving myself two months to read all 6 books. what i hadn’t expected was that i’d read through them all in less than 2 weeks and be left having to wait over a month until the last book came out. so, while i didn’t agonize each year with the expectation of the next release, i did experience it once and i am so glad i read it when i did.

i was an instant, albeit late, fan.

so, it’s been a few years since i’ve visited Hogwarts and while ever bit of the re-read was familiar, it was actually more exciting the second time around, knowing what’s in store for the characters in the future. i mean, it’s in the first pages of the book that we hear about what is expected of Harry, those things which will both haunt and motivate him.

He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!”

throughout the entire book, i kept being reminded of how well thought out this whole series is. Rowling drops names and sly little comments left and right that meant nothing on the first read, but are all indications of the story to unfold. it’s phenomenal how detailed and intricate the series is and while the first book was my least favorite of the series on the first reading, i absolutely adored it on the second pass.

i was also struck this time around by the seriousness and complexity of themes presented. the first time i read these books was before i became an English major, so my head and reading style were in very different places. but now, it’s almost like watching lines drawn in the sand making connections that never existed for me before. Rowling does some really expert things with themes and characters that would be interesting to study, i imagine. (though, i haven’t seen anything offered in academia that covers Rowling, have you?)

i was particularly intrigued by Dumbledore this time around, since we know so little about him at this point. he’s more of an enigma that commands respect and fear among the students. and yet, with so little said, readers are shown great insights into his wisdom and compassion, which become so meaningful later in the story.

“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper names for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

the most challenging part of this readalong is going to be to throttle my reading speed, since the schedule only calls for one book per month. but, tomorrow is a new month, so guess what that means?!? Chamber of Secrets will be in my grubby little hands immediately.

Title: The Lake
Author: Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Michael Emmerich
Published: Melville House / 2011
Genre: Fiction, Japanese Literature
Length: 208 pages
Source: publisher
Rating: 6/10

i’ve been trying to connect with my Japanese heritage in books and this was a natural choice. though i’ve never read any of her previous works, Banana Yoshimoto has made a name for herself in Japanese Literature circles and i was really looking forward to trying her on for size.

but, alas, this one didn’t work for me as much as i’d have liked. there was great potential that i could see in the writing, but i was so discouraged by one thing that i couldn’t get past. but, before i get to that, let me talk first about what i did enjoy.

The Lake is a coming-of-age novel about the young graphic artist Chihiro who, having recently lost her mother, is setting off on her own in Tokyo. when her eyes connect with Nakajima one day while looking out her apartment window, the intersection of their lives is laid bare. with compelling and haunting use of very simple, punchy sentences, Yoshimoto brings the lovers into an emotional place that is raw and rugged.

He makes me feel like I’ve suddenly awakened, and I want to go on watching him forever. That, I think, is what it is. I’m awed by his terrible depths.

in the development of the characters and relationship, i was intrigued. Chihiro and Nakajima are far from your cookie-cutter characters, with a quirkiness that was endearing.  the dialogue in the budding relationship had a whimsical quality that was odd, yet maintained an authentic quality. the storyline, as it progressed, was certainly bizarre and maintained and progressed what came to feel like a dream sequence. and the character’s growth and simple naivete was heartfelt in a way that many novelists aren’t able to pull off.

so what went wrong?

i’m not sure if it was the translation or the editing or the writing, but something didn’t click for me. the language felt clunky, creating a disjointed reading experience that was distracting. so, while i did enjoy the concept and the characters, i never was able to quite buy into the story because i was constantly reminded of the fact that i was reading it. i’m not even sure if that makes sense, but for me, a good book makes me forget i’m reading and unfortunately this one kept hitting me in the head instead.

however, like i mentioned earlier, there was much to enjoy about this book and i can see how Yoshimoto has built up a strong base of fans over the years. i wasn’t discouraged enough that i’m unwilling to try another of her books.

other’s reviews:

Books in the Burbs
Literary Lotus

if i missed your review, let me know and i’ll be happy to add it to the list.

Banana for Japan. if you purchase the book, a portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to the tsunami/earthquake relief efforts that are ongoing in Japan.

have you read any of Banana Yoshimoto’s books? what did you think?

and bonus, i found a new stash of graphic novels at the state library and have been grabbing everything i can find! so here are the first three of the batch.

i loved reading these and am gaining so much respect and appreciation for graphic novels as a genre. more review bundles to come (i hope!).

Title: Prime Baby
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Published: First Second / 2010
Length: 64 pages
Rating: 9/10

i guess i’m officially a Gene Luen Yang fangirl. i read and loved two of his earlier works, American Born Chinese and The Eternal Smile, so i couldn’t pass this up when i saw it at the library. at a measly 64 pages, Prime Baby is a book you could read standing up in the aisle at your local bookstore or library, but i opted to take it home and savor it a bit.

as expected, the artwork is wonderful, with those telltale yellows and oranges that i’ve come to recognize as Luen Yang’s.  the artwork just makes every cartoony moment pop out in such a wonderful way. and the message is again similar, teaching respect and tolerance for those with differences, in this case a baby sister who is either an alien or a genius (or perhaps both). my only wish is that it had been longer!

Title: Ghostopolis
Author: Doug TenNapel
Published: Scholasic / 2010
Length: 267 pages
Rating: 9/10

i had never read anything by Doug TenNapel, but i’m so so glad i picked this up. Ghostopolis is the story of young Garth, who is accidentally taken to the world of the dead by a ghost wrangler (reminiscent of the Ghost Busters).  while in the land of the dead, Garth faces evil like he’s never known and must use the magical ghost world abilities he has gained to fight his way back home.

with a fun and quirky cast of characters and beautifully detailed paneling, this dark and fast-paced tale was so much fun to read. it even had a few really touching moments of confrontation with death and love that were unexpected, but very well executed.  i’ll definitely be looking for more of TenNapel’s work in the future.

Title: Copper
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Published: Scholastic / 2010
Length: 95 pages
Rating: 7/10

this isn’t actually a graphic novel, but rather a collection of short comic strips by the author in the order that they were published  in a magazine. so, while there is no storyline to follow, the two characters, Copper and his dog Fred, are consistent and it was fun to follow their wild journeys. because of the short length of each piece, there was less depth to the work than you’d find in a true graphic novel, so i found myself wanting more from the characters. but, i don’t think that is the fault of the writer, but just a function of the comic strip genre that i’m not used to.

the artwork was probably among the best i’ve seen in comics and it was clear that Kibuishi goes to great lengths to get every detail perfected. my absolute favorite part of the book, though, was the Behind the Scenes look at the step-by-step process of creating a Copper comic. Kibuishi explains the sketch and inking process, as well as his use of digital processing for color. it was a fascinating inside peak at the life of a graphic artist and it made me appreciate the artwork that much more.