May I just say that I love the library? I love the library. I summoned up my strength to take the long walk across the street this afternoon, and upon entering found 3 books on the new arrivals shelf that I’ve been interested in reading and would probably have bought at some point, further breaking my goal to buy less books this year. Instead I was able to borrow them from my darling library and spend not a penny. Unless of course I turn them in late, but that hasn’t happened once so far this year. AMAZING!

Anyway, I suppose the statement above is partially false, since one of the books I checked out I swore I would never pay for again. Those of you who have been keeping up on this log for awhile may remember a debacle that happened about a year ago wherein I bought a hardcover book on impulse, got partway into it, and then tragically left said hardcover at a trolley stop by accident. I refused at that time to buy another copy, no matter how much I wanted to continue the story, because it was a hardcover, and hardcovers are expensive darnit! Well, that book was Inamorata by Joseph Gangemi, and thanks to my friendly neighborhood library, I was finally able to finish it, albeit a year or so later.

The story is based in Philadelphia in the 1920s, (has anyone else noticed that I seem to be stuck in this time period? I drifted for a moment or two into the ’30s, but I just keep coming back) where spiritualism is all the rage. The Scientific American has offered a large cash prize to anyone who can provide proof of an actual spiritual encounter, and mediums are coming out of the woodwork. Our hero, Martin, is sent to debunk them, and does, until he comes across Mina Crawley; a beautiful, fragile woman, who seems completely legit. But is it his mind or his heart that thinks so? The book becomes a mystery of sorts as Martin tries to determine the truth behind Mina’s convincing seances, and it’s intriguing, if a little frustrating. The ending is vague in a trying not to be vague kind of way, and I wish it had been a little more concrete. I’m just glad I finally got to finish it.

I’ve been doing really well with alternating fiction and non-fiction, but I’m tempted to go with fiction again, since I found such good books today. But, I still have two books out that are non-fiction, so I should be good and go with one of them. I think I’ll tackle the autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Current Total: 21
Just Finished: Inamorata by Joseph Gangemi
Next Up: The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt

I’ve been sick for the last little while, and I hate trying to figure out what to read when I’m sick- it’s like when you can’t find a comfortable position to fall asleep. I’ve been flitting from comfort book to comfort book- finishing none.
Before I got sick however, I finished All the Available Light, an interesting collection of essays about Marilyn Monroe. All of the essays seemed really short, leading me to wonder if they weren’t just excerpts, but they were thought provoking.

I also read The Murder Room by P.D. James, and even though I accidentaly saw who did it toward the beginning of the book (it really was an accident!), it kept my rapt attention as I tried to figure out how and why.

I also finally got to the biography of Simone Weil by Francine du Plessix Gray which I’ve had out of the library for ages now. I picked it up randomly, and I’m quite glad that I did. Weil lived in France in the 1930-40s and was a tortured genius who could never accept her own brilliance (her brother was smarter). She fell into the trap of many of the early saints of Christianity- she was so eager to understand the suffering of others (and Christ) that she denied herself any comfort, finally dying of anorexia. Her life was complicated by her hatred of her Jewish heritage, and peppered by experiences of her own making that deepened her philosophies- working in a factory to experience the reality of the idealized “worker” in Marxism. She was a passionate union organizer, and searched her whole life for meaning and truth. Fascinating woman.

I have no idea what I’m going to read next. I’m just sick of being sick.

Current total: 20
Just Finished: Simone Weil by Francine du Plessix Gray

I’ve been out of town, and therefore lax in my updating. I finished Hanging Out with the Dream King by Joseph McCabe ages ago, and completely enjoyed it. It’s a collection of interviews with the people who have collaborated with Neil Gaiman in various mediums, from the Sandman comics to bands he writes lyrics for. The interviews provide a nice insight not only into the process of creating comics but the process of collaboration as well. Some went better than others, and it’s interesting to see how things went down.
I read Die Laughing by Carola Dunn as well, my plane landing 4 pages before the end. This is the first of her books that I was convinced I knew the culprit of, and I was right. It was quite enjoyable; I jumped in the series order and this is the first one I’ve read after Daisy and Alex’s marriage. That plot development is handled quite well, and I like the way the characters are going.
I’m finishing up All the Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader tonight and then will be moving on to The Murder Room by P.D. James.

Current total: 17
Just Finished: Die Laughing by Carola Dunn
Currently Reading: All the Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader ed. by Yona Zeldis McDonough
Next Up: The Murder Room by P.D. James

I finished Gail Collins’ America’s Women, and was impressed, instructed, and not just a bit outraged. Collins does an excellent job of giving an overview of the history of the US while placing women firmly within that history. I now know more about US history than I ever learned in school, and I think that having this book as required reading in highschool history classes would not only teach the students a whole lot, but ignite their passion for history. When you can see how all the pieces fit together and influence each other, it makes a whole lot more sense.
One of the themes of the book is mixed messages and condradictions that women have been subject to (and in many cases, perpetuating) throughout the history of the country- that women should be helpless yet able to run entire estates while their husbands were away, that they should be home raising their children yet working in the factories to keep the economy afloat. Collins does an excellent job tracking these cycles, pointing out the inconsistencies and frustrations.
My outrage comes from the things Collins reports- not with any fault of the book. When she describes the goverment investigating whether rumors of WACs in WW2 being promiscous and serving as geishas were enemy propaganda and discovering in fact that it was US soldiers who had started it, you just want to slap people. A whole lot of jackassery happened in this country, by all kinds of people, to all kinds of people, and the injustice of it makes me angry. I’m grateful I live in the time I do, that I have the luxury of taking for granted that I grew up being taught that all people are equal and should be treated so. I’m grateful that this book showed me what made that even possible. I’ll be buying this book for a great number of people this year.

I’ve been meaning to read Personal Velocity by Rebecca Miller for quite some time now, and finally got around to checking it out of the library. It’s really quite good. It’s a collection of short stories about women at a crossroad in their life, and some of the stories intersect as women mentioned in one story show up in a story of their own. It looks at art, at courage, at life, and it captures these women’s lives in vivid snapshots. I need to read it again when I’m in more of a frame of mind to think critically about it- I’m sure there are themes running throughout the stories that I missed.

Just picked up from the library:
The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman
All the Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader edited by Yona Zeldis McDonough
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
Die Laughing by Carola Dunn
Simone Weil by Francine de Plessix Gray

Current total:15
Just Finished: Personal Velocity by Rebecca Miller
Currently Reading: Hanging out with the Dream King by Joseph McCabe

I finished The Last Tycoon days ago. It was the book that Fitzgerald was working on when he died, and therefore is unfinished, but lucky for us, they printed it anyway. The copy that I got from the library had the 6 chapters he wrote, a summary of the rest of the book that was compiled from his notes, and then, at the end, a transcription of the notes he wrote on the pages of the draft. I found all of it interesting, but the part that captured my attention were his notes. I’m starting the process of starting a second draft/ reworking of my novel, and it was really instructive to look at what Fitzgerald had written (which was pretty dang good), and then look at his notes about it- how he thought he could tighten it up, what he thought needed changing. The story itself was compelling, I wish he had finished it so I could read the rest; the summary just wasn’t enough for me. I’ll just have to watch the movie.

I’m in the middle of America’s Women by Gail Collins, which is exceptionally good. It’s basically an US history book, starting before the Pilgrims and running up to present day, but it’s focus is on women’s lives- both famous and common. I’m up to the beginning of the 1900s, and I’ve learned more about US history than I think I’ve ever known. Collins’ sense of causality is great, and she’s quick to point out the contradictions in the expectations placed on women. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I still have over 100 years to go!

Current total: 13
Just Finished: The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Currently Reading: America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins