Soldiering on … and getting lost in a book
By Gina Spadafori
July 2, 2008
Yes, I am alive, and I have confirmed by phone that Christie is, too.
Christie has a post coming up on a new antibiotic, and Kim has an update on the massacre of blue iguanas in the Cayman Islands.
I’ve got a few odds and ends to wrap up in a post, probably tomorrow, but first, I need some help.
As most of you know, the PetConnection folks have been pretty busy the last couple of years. For me alone, I’ve just wrapped up my contribution to my sixth, seventh and eighth books in just a little over two years, plus the weekly pet page for the Universal Press Syndicate, plus the day job, etc. And, of course, this blog!
I am sort of taking the summer off, which is to say Dr. Becker and I are not starting any new projects until fall.
What I need help with: I need a good read. We get tons of books in to review, but of course they’re all about pets, mostly how-to. I want to read something just for pleasure, and I’m looking for suggestions. Novels, histories, biographies, non-fiction — it doesn’t matter to me as long as I can become utterly, totally lost in the pages. Extra points if it’s been around long enough to be in the library system, because I just got a new library card.
Suggestions, anyone?
OK, you deserve a break today and here’s a short list (in no particular order) of titles popular in my little library: “Nothing to Lose” by Lee Child, “Sundays at Tiffany’s” by James Patterson, “Lady Killer” by Lisa Scottoline, “An Irish Country Village” by Patrick Taylor, “Angles in the Gloom” by Anne Perry, “Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot” by Antonia Fraser, “Home” by Julie Andrews, “Audition” by Barbara Walters. And, if you just can’t let go of dogs, an older title that I currently have in progress: “Merle’s Door: Lessons From a Freethinking Dog” by Ted Kerasote.
Comment by Russell Long — July 2, 2008 @ 8:36 am
1-The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
2-A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (a series—believe she is up to T now)
3-The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, also a series. These will keep you busy for awhile.
Comment by Ricki — July 2, 2008 @ 9:10 am
Fun read — Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty the Werewolf Series. She has four books out now, Kitty and the Midnight Hour is the first book.
Comment by Kathleen Weaver — July 2, 2008 @ 9:14 am
I’ll second the recommendation about Merle’s Door, although I didn’t care for a couple of training decisions the author made.
For a non-dog book: if you’re of a certain generation of women who loved Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King in their youth (I plead guilty), don’t miss Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller.
Comment by Susan — July 2, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Well, my taste is kind of eclectic, but here goes -
“Zombie Wars” reads like a real life re telling ‘World War Z’. It’s creepy, disturbing and utterly believable. The chapter on the Army Ks is heart breaking.
“A Brief History of the Dead” is a sad, wonderful, beautiful little book that I can’t find words to sum up. It’s just lovely.
“The Lovely Bones” is also wonderful, and moving in a way that you’d not think a book told from the viewpoint of a child victim of a serial killer could be.
In Anthologies… “Best American Non Required Fiction” is ALWAYS kick ass.
“Yiddish Policeman’s Union” is the only semi detective novel I’ve ever read, let alone thoroughly enjoyed.
Light reading but still really well done - “I Love You, Beth Cooper”.
Comment by Carol — July 2, 2008 @ 9:51 am
Thanks, everyone!
And, Russell, I should have known I should have asked a librarian for suggestions. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 2, 2008 @ 9:51 am
I just finished a book that I found to be a perfect summer read - a novel written in a very breezy way: “Then We Came to the End,” by Joshua Ferris. It’s a 2007 release so it should be in the library. I related to it, as it is about relationships among office workers, and it contains hilarious observations that one tends to make when spending 8 hours every day with the same group of people.
Comment by Emily in Ohio — July 2, 2008 @ 9:55 am
I’ll forewarn you that I love LONG books. But a few months ago I read an amazing historical fiction/travelogue/(believe it or not)vampire novel called “The Historian.” It made me want to visit Eastern Europe. It’s suspenseful but not scary. I highly recommend it.
Comment by Lori — July 2, 2008 @ 10:08 am
I would really recommend “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman (or anything by Gaiman actually). Amazon says “American Gods is Neil Gaiman’s best and most ambitious novel yet, a scary, strange, and hallucinogenic road-trip story wrapped around a deep examination of the American spirit.” That pretty much sums it up, and it’s fantastic.
Right now I’m reading “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow. Set in a post terrorist attack San Francisco, revolves around tech savvy high school students trying to stay under the radar of the Dept. of Homeland Security who took over the city after the attack. It’s been called “A worthy younger sibling to Orwell’s 1984” Also, he’s giving it away: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/
And for doggie fiction: sweet and a relatively quick read that I couldn’t put down, “Bark if You Love Me” by Louise Bernikow. Pet ownership becomes a turning point in a woman’s life.
Comment by Nydia — July 2, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Middlesex by Jeffery Eugeniedies (Spelling is probably wrong.) is fantastic, has been out for a few years, and was an Oprah pick (don’t hold that against it), so there’s a good chance your library has it.
If you’re into horror or just want a good scare, I actually sort of second the reccomendation for “World War Z” by Max Brooks. I couldn’t put it down, and then couldn’t sleep for weeks, but it also has some fascinating observations on Humanity and Culture.
Comment by Christine — July 2, 2008 @ 10:36 am
How about Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer —for the 4th of July?
Serious history book, but highly readable.
http://search.barnesandnoble.c.....310/?itm=1
Comment by glock — July 2, 2008 @ 10:51 am
Every year, writer friends of ours host a Passage Party. Guests bring things they’ve been reading that year that are particularly striking in some way, and read passages aloud. All year long I evaluate my reading for Passage Party material.
Here’s some of what I either brought or discovered at the Passage Party the last few years:
Opening Skinner’s Box, Lauren Slater
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
Jacob’s Ladder, Donald McCaig
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, Lynne Truss
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond
Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
Snow White, Blood Red, Ellen Datlow (editor) — short stories
Above you have non-fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery, and not a one of them could I put down. The Sparrow and Jacob’s Ladder are the kind of books that you finish and then flip open and start re-reading right away. Though one book has “dog” in the title, and another is by a “dog writer,” there’s nary a dog or pet in sight, except Lynne Truss’ Comma the border collie, which will make you laugh. The McCaig, Russell, and Gaiman novels have sequels, as does the book of re-worked fairy tales edited by Datlow, and you don’t have to wait on them like I did!
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 2, 2008 @ 10:53 am
I loved Jacob’s Ladder. :)
Keep the suggestions coming! I can reserve books online (yeah, it HAS been a while since I had a library card) for later pickup.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 2, 2008 @ 10:54 am
“Discover Your Inner Economist” - written by an Econ Professor/Blogger. An easy and fascinating read that looks at how incentives drive unexpected things like falling in love and where good restaurants tend to be located.
Another of my favorites in recent years - “Green Grass Grace” - a riotously funny story about an irreverent 13 year old in Philly and his quest to ‘save’ his family and win the heart of the girl down the street.
Comment by Neil — July 2, 2008 @ 11:21 am
“To Say Nothing of the Dog” by Connie Willis. It’s a time travel romantic comedy set mostly in the Victorian era. It’s got faux spiritualists, repressed sexuality, a trip down a river by boat, a cat named Princess Arjuna, and yes, even a dog. Connie Willis loves literature, chaos theory, and screwball romantic comedies. A truly great book and a fun summer read. And it’s got both a cat and a dogs in it but it isn’t about pets.
Comment by Jackie — July 2, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Drags you in completely. We (at work) found ourselves talking about the characters as if they were real people we knew.
Comment by cheryl — July 2, 2008 @ 11:59 am
To Say Nothing of the Dog is a scream. I loved it.
I loved the scene where the boat capsizes and Basil the bulldog is drowning, unable to keep his giant head above water. The professor explains that this is not possible, that all dogs know how to swim, it’s axiomatic.
“Of course he knows how to swim! He’s a bulldog, he just can’t!” (or something very close …)
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 2, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
I liked Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “The Mists of Avalon” (although I tend to be a sucker for most retellings of the Arthurian legend).
Peter S. Beagle’s “The Last Unicorn”.
Lately I’ve been reading the Terry Pratchett books. They all crack me up, but I found “Going Postal” to be eerily true (and hilariously funny).
You might find the twist in Sheri S. Tepper’s “The Companions” to be of interest.
Vonda McIntyre’s “Dreamsnake”
Can you tell I tend towards Sci Fi/Fantasy type stuff? LOL!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 2, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
If you like mysteries - Tony Hillerman’s books - American Indian related.
And John Grisham’s books - business or law related.
Excellent attention holders!
Comment by Jackie Z. — July 2, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
Hey, it’s nice to see everyone who reads but doesn’t comment.
We should form a Pet Connection Book Club!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 2, 2008 @ 1:01 pm
I recently read Richard Russo for the first time, a book called Straight Man. It had me screaming in laughter at points. If you read Dean Koontz, I recommend re-reading Watchers and Lightening just because. If you don’t read Koontz, I recommend those two as his best. Not really crazy-out there, but still good books. If you read Fantasy, ANYTHING by Robin Hobbs but especially the Assassin Series. Cut myself off now, but enjoy reading instead of writing this summer!
Comment by Brenda — July 2, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
The ARC of The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein was in the DWAA goody bag. I resisted at first—dying dog and Grand Prix racing?—but wow, what a wonderful, quirky, funny, poignant book. For SF, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ursula Le Guin, and Sherri Tepper are my favorites. And most of Chris Bojalian’s novels are just plain good reads. I could go on and on (I have a long train commute and go through at least a book a week), but I just finished, and loved, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Elin—true story of a U.S. mountaineer who finds his life’s mission in building schools for girls in the remote mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The world sure needs more people like him.
Comment by Cindy R — July 2, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Mystery:
Victoria Thompson (Gaslight mystery series - turn of the century NYC)
Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency - modern day Botswana)
Lindsay Davis (Didius Falco series, ancient Rome)
Fiction:
Ivan Doig - English Creek series (ranching in the high plains)
Wallace Stegner - Big Rock Candy Mountain & its sequal written many years later -
Recapitulation
Salman Rushdie - Shalamar the Clown
Sherman Alexie - The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fightfght in Heaven
(I have to confess that I am apparently the only person on earth that didn’t like the Yiddish Policemen’s Union).
Non-Fiction:
Daniel Mendolsohn - The Lost, the Search for
Six of the Six Million (the author searches for information on 6 family members lost in the Holocaust).
Norman McClean - Young Men & Fire (His son John McClean has picked up the mantle of writing about forest fires)
Luis Alberto Urrea - Across the Wire and The Devils Highway - (life legal, and illegal at the Mexican/American border)
Laurence Gonzoles - Deep Survival
enjoy
Comment by 2CatMom — July 2, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
and I almost forgot….for animals: The James Herriot stories of course.
Comment by 2CatMom — July 2, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters ;)
Comment by straybaby — July 2, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
I definitely second American Gods (and just about anything else by Gaiman).
We just bumped into Dean Koontz in our local bookstore (in Finland that is ;) - what caught our eye was the silhouette of a golden retriever. And well, it isn’t about flatcoats but it’s got retrievers in it and it was a good read so I’d also recommend his The Darkest Night of the Year.
And I’ve very much been a fan of Neal Stephenson. His Zodiac and Snow Crash are smaller reads, but Cryptonomicon and the System of the World series are great reads in science geekery.
And I’d love to recommend a couple of Finnish authors in the crime genre, but there might be a slight language barrier ;).
But if historical novels are your cup of tea, I really recommend reading Mika Waltari. Sinuhe is his most famous piece (and most likely to be found in the States), but I’ve generally liked his other historical novels more. Alas, I don’t know how many of them have been translated.
Comment by ramin — July 2, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Gah. And of course I went and forgot my current read: A review of the flatcoated retriever, by Nancy Laughton.
That is, if you haven’t read it yet…
Comment by ramin — July 2, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
My favorite book of all time is “A Gay and Melancholy Sound” by Merve Miller (1961), followed closely by “American Pastoral” by Philip Roth, “Herzog,” by Saul Bellow, and the Civil War trilogy by Michael and Jeff Shaara (“Gods and Generals,” “Killer Angels,” “Last Full Measure.”) A great book to get is called “Book Lust” by superstar Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl. She lists her favorite books of all time by genre. I spent one year going through one in each category.
Comment by Nathan Winograd — July 2, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
Dean Koontz - One Door Away from Heaven. Very different, suspenseful, and funny. Interesting characters, aliens, a murderer, a little boy out on his own who has never had a dog and picks up a little black and white mutt and names him “old yellow.”
Comment by ruth ellen — July 2, 2008 @ 7:11 pm
Thank you all … I’ll be heading for the branch library Saturday. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 2, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
Just ran across an article from the NY times. they mentioned a website to peruse you library from home.
http://www.worldcat.org/
figured Pet Connection was a great place to note this with such a nice pet sounding name?
Comment by Lost for Words — July 3, 2008 @ 11:25 am
I love Lillian Jackson Braun’s series of “The Cat Who ….)
I’ve read them all.
Comment by Alyce — July 6, 2008 @ 12:36 pm