books

Well, I was better, and then I was sick again and now I'm doing a bit better again. It is the most frustrating thing. After calling in sick to work every day last week, my boss decided to put me on a sick leave of absence. It is for the best for everyone, he can hire someone to cover my hours and not worry about being short-staffed if I call in sick, and I can focus on my health without feeling guilty calling in sick all the time and return when I'm healthy. Still, it feels like a setback somehow but I'm trying not to think of it that way.

More vertigo the last few days, hopefully this is the reaction to the Gentamicin and I'll be feeling better soon. In the meantime about all I've been able to do is sleep and listen to audiobooks and knit. I finished the fourth Harry Potter last night and am waiting on the fifth to come in at the library.

The bag I'm making for my sister is nearly done. The pattern is Candy Stripers Messenger/Laptop Bag from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation by Heather Dixon and the yarn is Cascade Yarns: Cascade 220 Wool. Pre-felting:

So where have I been? Doing research on two very different topics: library science and inner ear surgery. I just completed hell week, also known as Comprehensive Exams. Four research papers on current issues in library and information science and technology, each coming in around 6 pages long (that was the limit -- as one classmate put it, when did it get harder to write shorter papers than longer ones?).  I think Comps are outdated and have become pointless, especially with the way our degree is obtained these days but that's a whole 'nother story. But they're done now so all I have left between me and my degree is my final project for my flash class which is FUN, unlike writing research papers.

Good news: the vertigo appears to be under control although I'm still druggy and dragging and just not myself. I made it to work every day this week and made it through the whole day each day which feels so good. However, I also napped a couple hours after work pretty much every day to recover. That doesn't leave a lot of time for much else and the stress in my life hit an intolerable level. I've realized that stress is almost certainly making the Meniere's worse and with some help from a wise soul I took a hard look at all of the things in my life that take up my time and energy. This wise soul pointed out that I need to cut back to the point where I can accomplish every thing that is on my plate even when I'm not feeling well. Then when I am feeling well, any extra stuff I can get done is bonus. I also need to not feel guilty about taking time to read and knit because those are my calming things. Knitting is almost meditation to me.

Book review of: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists: A Novel by Gideon Defoe

This is the third in Defoe's highly entertaining "Pirates! In an Adventure with ..." series, the first two adventures being with Scientists and Ahab. These books tell of the Pirate Captain and his crew (the albino pirate, the pirate who used to be a mailman, the pirate with scurvy, etc.) as they go on unlikely adventures.

It's hard to explain what is just so funny about these books, you sort of just have to read them. They are completely asynchronous, happening supposedly in the past but with frequent references to current cultural elements and events. One particularly funny example is when the Pirate Captain and Karl Marx discuss their "What's Hot and What's Not" lists.

To give you an idea of the books, go to the author's website and read an excerpt from one of the books. Also, here is one of my favorite passages from the most recent book. The setting is that some of the pirates have been listening to Dr. Marx and believe they are being unfairly oppressed. They go to the Pirate Captain with their demands:

"The pirate with a monobrow began to recite his list. 'One: an end to the use of derogatory phrases such as "you scurvy landlubbers" when ordering us about. Because when you think about it, it doesn't even make much sense, seeing as how landlubbers don't tend to get scurvy. Two: more of a say on what we eat at feasts. Perhaps we could be a little more adventurous with our choice of meats? Three: when you read us a bedtime story, we were hoping it could be something other than your unpublished novel? Oh yes, and four: a more equal distribution of cereal from mini variety packs.'"

Did I mention that they are obsessed with ham? Need I say more? Enjoy.

Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

I'm a fan of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novels, but they are so dark at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I like dark, but I need something to balance the darkness and that is lacking especially in her most recent work. I found her autobiographical works, Persepolis and Persepolis 2 to be fascinating but somewhat dense reading. Then Embroideries, based on stories Satrapi has heard from women in her family about various sexual encounters was a wonderful work, both funny and dark at times.

Chicken with Plums is all dark and depressing. It is a wonderfully twisted love story, but I found myself wondering what the lesson was. Or maybe I missed the point and there isn't a lesson, maybe it's just a story. But I found even the story difficult because the main character (based on the author's great-uncle) was mostly unlikable, making it was difficult for me to feel any sympathy for him.

As always, Satrapi's black and white artwork is beautiful in its style and simplicity. Here's hoping her next work is a bit more like Embroideries.

In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer

Jacky Faber, that is. I absolutely love these books; this being the fourth and most recent in the series. Jacky was an orphan living on the streets of London until she decided to pretend to be a boy and get a place on a ship. Jacky is a sailor at heart, and a bit of a pirate too, which of course makes for great fun.

In the first book she falls in love with Jamie, another of the ship's boys, and her identity as a girl is eventually revealed. But that doesn't stop her from continuing her swashbuckling adventures, or getting into trouble due to her "free and easy ways" in the following books. These books have a real element of history and tragedy to them along with the fun and shenanigans. Jacky has had a difficult life and things don't always turn out wrapped up all nice and pretty at the end.

I absolutely devoured this book and now I'm depressed I'll have to wait a couple years probably for the next one.

Pride of Baghdad written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Niko Henrichon

I read this gorgeous graphic novel in one sitting yesterday. It's about a pride of four lions that escaped into the streets of Baghdad, along with a large number and variety of other animals, after the U.S. bombing of the city. It's based on a true story but of course this telling is from the lions' point of view.

You can read this a couple different ways. One way, it is a story about some lions who escaped from their zoo only to find themselves in a much bigger one (the bombed streets of Baghdad). Another way, it is a parable of the whole larger story of the war. The lions, long ruled by the zookeepers, crave freedom only to find it unfamiliar, unpredictable, and frightening. They could be seen as representing the Iraqis, long ruled by Saddam Hussein, who craved freedom from that opression, only to find that with that freedom came chaos and not necessarily a better life. Or it could just be a story about some lions.

Interpret it however you wish, analyze it as much or little as you want, but regardless, it is beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. The illustrations are rich with red and orange and shades of brown and gold. The eyes of the lions are full of expression and you'll care about them by the end of the story. You'll want to go back and re-read what the wise old turtle said one more time. And you'll have a real sense of the panic, the fear, the complete unreality of the end of your own personal world. I imagine it must be only a small sense of it, just a tiny taste, but somehow this story of a family of lions brought it home to me more than any news story has yet: just how devastating this war has been for the people of Iraq.

It occurs to me, reading this just after The Book Thief, that both are stories of how war is essentially the end of the world to so many people who live in it. We are so isolated here, so detached from the bombs and rubble, and these stories are reminders of what is all too easy to ignore. It's painful to read these stories, it makes us look at things we'd rather not truly see. And thank god they do.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Go check this book out or buy it right now. Or the audio version - the reader (Allan Corduner) is wonderful. I started out listening to it in the car but I soon realized that this book had a lot of visual elements so I checked out the book and I started reading it. But then I missed Corduner's voice so I started listening to sections after I'd read them. Now I've finished reading it and am listening to the end and it haunts me.

The book thief is a girl named Leisel Meminger and her story is organized according to the books she has stolen. Each one is significant in its own way. Her story is narrated by Death which sounds ridiculous but it really works. Death doesn't enjoy his job, he endures it. War is the boss constantly pushing him to get more work done. Death distracts himself with colors and the sky so he doesn't get bogged down by the humans. Humans scare him and fascinate him. Sound familiar? Oh, and there is no scythe, and the black hooded robe is only if it is raining.

This is set in Nazi Germany and covers so many things that a summary would feel a bit ridiculous. What is more important is the characters and the way they are described, the way this stunning book is written. Hans Hubermann is warm silver metal and a cart of paint and an accordion. Rosa Hubermann is a cardboard wardrobe with a wooden spoon and an iron fist. Rudy's hair is lemon-colored and Max's hair is like twigs when he first arrives but after a bath it is like feathers. You see?

I didn't want to finish this book, I dragged out reading the end slowly because I didn't want it to end. I knew what was going to happen because Death tells us well in advance. He himself questions why he spoils the ending this way. But it doesn't ruin it. It makes you savor each bit leading up to what you know is coming that much more.

What a beautiful book, this one will linger with me a long time, I can tell. I'm officially going to add this book to my mental list of my favorite books of all time.  I believe this author has another book out which I will be requesting promptly. But really, go read this book.