when you've suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling

Book Review 

 

Rating * * * * 

 

Title: Life of Pi

 

Author: Man Booker Prize-winning Canadian Yann Martel

 

Published: this novel was published in 2001; I listened to the unabridged audiobook (HighBridge; read by Jeff Woodman and Alexander Marshall; 13 hours) 

 

What is the story? 

    After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
    Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, Richard Parker, for 227 days while lost at sea.
    The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional—but is it more true?
    Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God. --from Amazon.com 

What type of language does it use—technical, complex, standard, or colloquial? standard and some colloquial. 

 

Does the level of language make it easy or difficult for the reader to follow? it is easy to follow, an organic and personal story that really flows (meaning, I often read longer than intended. Just one more chapter!)

 

Did you like this book? I did, but it was odd—this is one of the few times that I liked the movie more than the book. It may have been different if I'd read the book first, though. The picture that I had in my head didn't quite match what's on the page. 

 

If you could change something, what would it be? the occasional mini-lectures on running a zoo, animal behavior, and religion were refreshing and interesting to me. I would have liked more of them. 

 

What was your favourite part? the scene where Richard Parker's name is explained, which came just at the right point in the story to have ample curiosity built up, and anticipation relieved in an unexpected way

 

Who stands out, among the characters? Richard Parker, of course

 

What is your recommendation? this is a beautiful book, evocative and mesmerizing. I recommend it to those interested in animals (especially zoo creatures), Indian culture, sea travel, and loss. There are moments of upsetting content, and they appear unexpectedly; sensitive readers should be forewarned.

 

5 adjectives you would use to describe this text: magical, strange, lush, heartrending, captivating

 

[book review template 5 adapted from here; the title quotation is from the book]

the chance Of one sweet, mad, last hour

Bending above the spicy woods which blaze, 

Arch skies so blue they flash, and hold the sun 

Immeasurably far; the waters run 

Too slow, so freighted are the river-ways 

With gold of elms and birches from the maze 

Of forests. Chestnuts, clicking one by one, 

Escape from satin burs; her fringes done, 

The gentian spreads them out in sunny days, 

And, like late revelers at dawn, the chance 

Of one sweet, mad, last hour, all things assail, 

And conquering, flush and spin; while, to enhance 

The spell, by sunset door, wrapped in a veil 

Of red and purple mists, the summer, pale, 

Steals back alone for one more song and dance. 

 

[Helen Hunt Jackson {1830-1885} 'October'. This poem is in the public domain.]

we ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters

1. Who in your extended family makes you laugh the hardest and why? 

    my mom's next-younger sister, from whom I got my middle name. She is a joyful, earthy, irreverent weirdo with a wicked sense of humor and almost zero filter. There is a photograph of her in an album at my parents', showing her laughing so hard that tears have pooled in her eyes, with one hand up as if to wave away the camera. Just thinking of that picture can make me laugh aloud.

    This aunt is the one with whom my mom has been closest over the years. The relationship was my example of how sisters could be with each other. The contrast with how my life turned out is so strong.

 

2. Have you ever sent a text to the wrong person that was about them? 

    never. I have to be careful about that sort of thing when communicating at work—some topics really are strictly confidential—and it's spilled over into my private life as well. Before sending anything, I verify the recipient.

 

3. What is your honest opinion about your first kiss? 

    mild regret, I suppose, and a little smidge of dismay. If I could go back, I'd have saved it up for a better moment, and definitely a better partner, than the one I chose. It wasn't a terrible kiss, and the circumstances could have been way worse. I just wish it had been with someone I genuinely liked afterward. 

 

4. What’s the funniest thing that happened at a family wedding? 

    this is funny only in retrospect! 

    I'd been chosen (i.e. "volunteered") to serve punch at a cousin's wedding reception. Given my vast numbers of cousins, this wasn't a rare occurrence and I really didn't give it a second thought until the day of... which happened to follow a night of heavy drinking and heavy making out. I guess I didn't realize how heavy it all was until after I'd showered and dressed and then looked in the mirror, only to find what appeared to be a shark bite on my neck. After considering and rejecting various methods of concealment such as hair-over-one-shoulder, makeup, bandage, or jaunty scarf, I ended up with the classic turtleneck and shorts ensemble that's ever so appropriate on a Midwestern summer day. I looked ridiculous but did not look like I'd been doing what I'd been doing the night before. Success!

 

5. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done for love? 

    besides going to a family wedding with a shark bite? Oh, God: it's the mix CD I made for the animal-brained lawyer, which is so mortifyingly direct that it still makes my cheeks burn to recall it. He, as always, responded with aloof amusement that approached indifference, and has not mentioned it since then. Gaahhhh

 

6. What’s the worst hairstyle you ever had? 

    there was a phase in maybe 8th grade where my hair looked like it came from another planet. It was probably not the fault of the stylist but a combination of a sudden burst of hormones, the terrible hair choices of the era (hello, Sun-In and tight perms), and my complete inability to style my own hair. My naturally light brown hair was a sort of orange-beige that does not exist in nature. My normally straight hair was wound into not-quite-poodle-tight curls that reached just above my shoulders. And my typically healthy, albeit fine, hair was dry and split. Liberal application of a high-quality conditioner could have resolved a lot of it, but it lasted like that for probably half the school year. 

 

7. Describe the circumstances around the biggest lie you’ve ever told without getting caught. 

    I was involved with someone whose presence in my life I could only vaguely explain, because any clearer truth would have been abhorrent to the listeners and emotionally difficult for me. And the secret was not mine to tell. That meant I was constantly on the edge of saying too much, or the wrong thing—or holding back precisely what I needed to talk about. Courting danger.

 

8. What’s the silliest thing you have an emotional attachment to? 

     glancing around the room, I see many choices that would make good answers to this question. I think it's my tabletop groundhog. 

He sits on the bedside table in my guest room. He reminds me of friends, laughter, and being loved even long-distance. 

 

[from here, divided and adapted; the title quotation is from the movie Groundhog Day]

the challenge will not wait. Life does not look back

The last 3 days have been unbelievable. 

On Friday, I woke at (6:30 AM) and worked the usual time (7AM-3PM). 

    It was an especially stressful day.

Immediately thereafter, headed out for a much-needed walk. 

Midway through the walk, got a text from a family member.

    Another family member was in a medical crisis. 

        Not an emergency, per se, but a situation where local healthcare would not do the job. 

They needed to go to an urban hospital and be seen via ER.

For reasons unrelated to those circumstances, I was needed to drive them.

 

I walked home (quickly), showered (in record time), and drove to their house.

We left at 4:50 PM. 

I arrived back home at 1:20 AM.

 

Saturday (yesterday) was similarly long.

I woke at the usual time (after about 4 hours in bed, sleeping prehaps half of that).

    Big brother picked me up for breakfast at 6:50 as is our practice on Saturdays.

We met the two from the Friday incident at 7:AM.

Came home and changed clothes.

    Met a friend to walk around the lake at 10:AM, as has been planned for a week.

Returned, showered, and got ready to once again accompany the others to the big city.

    Follow-up testing was needed, albeit not via ER this time.

However, they decided to go without my help. 

I remained in text contact throughout the day.

 

Today is Sunday. I went to bed last night a little before 9PM.

Woke a little after 7AM.

I still feel groggy and deeply tired, even after 10 hours' good sleep. 

And I feel guilty, for getting good sleep, and for not going along yesterday.

And I feel sad and scared because my family member has been in a lot of pain and faces some uncertainty.

And I feel concern for my other family member, who is a champion worrier.

 

It's been a really tough summer.

One of my best friends died.

    It was exceptionally traumatic. 

        I grieve his death every day. 

    As a direct result of this, a person I've cared about for a long time is lost from me. 

One of my family members has gone through a cancer diagnosis.

    They've survived what appears to be successful treatment.

Another family member has a very different cancer diagnosis.

    Their treatment options are limited, and survival is uncertain—or unlikely.

What I want most is to curl up into a ball, figuratively and literally.

There's no time for that. 

 

The lessons?

    Surround yourself with the people you love.

    Tell them how you feel and what they mean, by whatever means you can.

    Time is limited; there is no 'someday'.

    If it needs doing, do it now. 

 

[the title quotation is by Paulo Coelho, from The Devil and Miss Prym]

a classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow. 🤨

 

📚 Which Classic Book World Do You Belong In? 

 

Literature is full of places we secretly wish were home. 

Which fictional universe might claim you as one of its own?

---

1. A perfect afternoon includes… 

    A) Tea and quiet conversation. 

    B) Solving a puzzle or mystery. 

    C) Wandering in nature. 

    D) Debating bold ideas with friends. 

 

2. You’re known for your… 

    A) Grace and charm. 

    B) Sharp mind. 

    C) Sense of wonder. 

    D) Passion for change. 

 

3. Your dream house has… 

    A) A cozy parlor and library. 

    B) Hidden passageways. 

    C) A garden full of oddities. 

    D) A lively gathering room. 

 

4. If you were a character trait in a book, you’d be… 

    A) Kindness. 

    B) Curiosity. 

    C) Innocence. 

    D) Courage. 

 

5. Your favorite escape is… 

    A) A social dance. 

    B) A cryptic crossword. 

    C) Stargazing. 

    D) A political rally. 

 

Results in the comments! 

 

[the title quotation is by Italo Calvino, from The Uses of Literature]

it is the darkest days I’ve learned to praise

It is a goldfinch 

one of the two 

 

small girls,

both daughters 

 

of a friend, 

sees hit the window 

 

and fall into the fern. 

No one hears 

 

the small thump but she, 

the youngest, sees 

 

the flash of gold 

against the mica sky 

 

as the limp feathered envelope 

crumples into the green. 

 

How many times 

in a life will we witness 

 

the very moment of death? 

She wants a box 

 

and a small towel 

some kind of comfort 

 

for this soft body 

that barely fits 

 

in her palm. Its head 

rolling side to side, 

 

neck broke, eyes still wet 

and black as seed. 

 

Her sister, now at her side, 

wears a dress too thin 

 

for the season, 

white as the winter 

 

only weeks away. 

She wants me to help, 

 

wants a miracle. 

Whatever I say now 

 

I know weighs more 

than the late fall’s 

 

layered sky, 

the jeweled leaves 

 

of the maple and elm. 

I know, too, 

 

it is the darkest days 

I’ve learned to praise — 

 

the calendar packages up time,

the days shrink and fold away 

 

until the new season. 

We clothe, burn, 

 

then bury our dead. 

I know this; 

 

they do not. 

So we cover the bird, 

 

story its flight, 

imagine his beak 

 

singing. 

They pick the song 

 

and sing it 

over and over again. 

 

[Didi Jackson {1970- } 'Fall', from Poem-a-Day]

I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one

1. Of all the gardening tools and gadgets you own, which one do you most enjoy using? 

    a tiny pair of gardening shears, maybe 3 inches end-to end, that came with an ill-fated herb garden that grew like crazy until I tried to harvest, and then every plant gave up the fight. They were the little afterthought, included in a burlap bag of miniaturized implements, but they ended up being the biggest treat of all. I use them all the time. In fact, one of my favorite "multitasking" activities when I'm on the phone is to dead-head and prune my plants using these shears. I also use that time to water the plants, rotate them so they get even sunlight, and so forth. Very therapeutic.

 

2. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which three people would you most want to have join you? 

    • big brother, because he could create, construct, and use everything we needed

    • my massage therapist from the Flatland, who besides being excellent at her job is also wonderful company

    • The Intern, the best option to design the structures and make us all laugh

 

3. Who's the most famous person you have ever met? What famous person would you most like to meet? 

     Feh. I think I've covered this one several times, so I'm going to use it as a FREE SPACE and share something else.

    My birthday is not long past. This year it was a very, very quiet occasion, mostly because I wasn't bringing it up beforehand (no "gimme gimme" post here, for instance!) and didn't encourage anyone else's efforts along that line, either. Many friends sent text or FB messages, one sent a card through the mail, and some family gave presents. 

    Then, a couple of days after, I got a text from my friend whose family bought my (previous) house: there was a package there for me. I knew immediately what it was, and who had sent it. Yay! 

    It was even better than I'd anticipated. Filled with treats of all kinds, and postcards for my collection and use, opening and unloading that package was an incredible joy. The person who sent it—who is reading here, and hopefully who will see this!—knows me very well. I was smiling for days after, and smirking off and on as well.  Thank you, G.!

 

4. How many times have you had stitches, and what were the circumstances? 

    I've never, with the exception of the dissolving kind after having teeth pulled as a kid. There's at least one time that they would have been appropriate, but I was not in proper condition to seek that treatment. (See this post for the gory details.) 

 

5. When did you last have fresh flowers in your home? 

    I've gotten out of the habit of buying them, so it's been quite some time. Maybe two years? Probably more? I am surrounded by houseplants, several of which bloom now and then. That mitigates the effect of no cut flowers around. 

 

6. What is the difference between knowing a lot of facts about a person and knowing someone personally?  

    it's the difference between reading a recipe and tasting the finished dish.

 

7. Do you care more about pleasing people or speaking the truth? 

    there is a third option available: I care most about being left alone. I'm not interested in "pleasing people" in a general sense, though I'm most content when my family and friends are happy. I'm also not interested in "speaking the truth", as that tends to be a magnet for other peoples' drama. 

    However, I've come to realize that, for the first time in several years, I feel completely free to express my political opinions when among friends and even on the blog now and then. It's a surprising feeling, making my realize how much I've censored, to keep from making waves. I've missed my waves.

 

[from The Complete Book of Questions : 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion; the title quotation is by Edna St. Vincent Millay, from "Afternoon on a Hill"]

it belongs in a parallel universe. It belongs in another dimension of space

11. Can you love someone without connection? 

    no, that doesn't make sense to me. From a distance there's admiration or infatuation, attraction or intrigue. Love, though, is like a substance or structure that develops between two people, and the 'betweenness' is a necessary part of how it works. 

    Sometimes I manage to find just the right illustration for a point I'm trying to make, such as that at right (two figures carrying a large piece of glass). Love is like that glass: heavy, a little hard to hang onto, and easily broken—but also mesmerizing and beautiful if you choose to look at it that way. 

 

1. Why do people send mixed signals in love? 

    fear of being vulnerable enough to express what they want or need, or what they can't be counted on to do. Focused on their own desires, to the detriment of their partner or the relationship. I suppose those are the most positive, understanding reasons. There's also deviousness, greed, manipulation, and a psychopathic glee at another's misfortune, amplified by the higher stakes in romantic relationships.

 

16. What’s something you feel incredibly grateful for in your current or most recent relationship? 

    I'm not sure whether this answers the question or just serves as a sideways riff, but... I am grateful for the time spent in bookstores, which may be the best example of our ability to coexist in complete accord. My tolerance for bookstore browsing can be extensive and exhaustive, and other people with whom I've tried have tapped out long before I was ready. I am grateful for having been treated with patience in a situation that made it feel like a luxury.

 

21. Is there anything you’ve always wanted to ask about love, about relationships, or about anything that’s on your heart?

     the first thing that popped into my head was, Why doesn't anybody stay together anymore? Naturally, it was in Phil Collins' voice.

    I suppose that's the real question: how does it work? What do people do in order to have lasting success in romantic, intimate relationships? 

 

5. If you could have any fictional character as your best friend/lover, who would it be and why? 

    Ford, the mysterious hero of Alisa Kwitney's novel Does She or Doesn't She? (2003). He's a reasonably skilled plumber (delicious irony) and also quite good at his other job. He's a man of few words (always a plus), clearly capable of thinking about what someone's said to him, and determining the best way to respond, rather than flying off the handle. Calm and reliable, he's also able to make efficient decisions and act on them without a big fuss. He's also got a knack for both kids and pets, and he's exotic and sexy. Bring it on. 

 

10. Is there a physical expression of love that you’ve never experienced but would feel deeply cherished by?

     what a truly perplexing question this is! After thinking it over for a surprisingly long time, I've come to the conclusion that I am not inspired to "feel deeply cherished" as a result of physical activities. As much as I like a long hug or a kiss—or anything else further along that line—it isn't the physical part of it that makes me think "love", but the feelings and indescribable connection that bring those actions about and fuel them. 

    I've also decided that, despite the ridiculous degree of sharing I've done in this space for over 21 years, I no longer have the stomach for tell-all. If there were a substantive answer to this question, I would likely choose not to post it. Some things are best kept behind closed doors or in one's own journal.  

 

2. If you could write a song about your relationship (current or former), what would it be called? 

    I'm not a songwriter, but if I were... it might be titled "You should have noticed."  

 

[from here and adapted; the title quotation is by Margaret Atwood, from The Blind Assassin - and is about the word 'should']

I pray to what you are not

Out there, somewhere, 

you are a variable 

in the night's equation. 

 

I listen hard 

to the hands of smoke 

moving beneath the river, 

 

to the abandoned grain elevator 

dragging its chains 

through the tender blood 

of the night. 

 

I listen to the hush 

of your name 

as it's subtracted 

from one darkness 

then added to another. 

             

            *

 

I pray to what you are not. 

 

You are the opposite of a horse. 

Your hair is not the seven colors 

of cemetery grass. 

Your mouth is not a dead moon, 

 

nor is it the winter branches 

preparing their skeletons 

for the wind. 

A double thread of darkness 

winds through me, 

and the night's coarse tongue 

scrapes your name 

against the trees. 

 

            * 

 

I've found a good spot by the river. 

 

The trees line up along either bank 

and bend toward the center. 

 

I've been trying to get rid 

of that part of myself 

that I most despise 

but need most to survive— 

it rises like wood smoke, 

 

it's shaped like a brass key, 

and the hole it looks to enter 

can be seen through, 

revealing a banquet hall 

with one chair 

and countless silver trays 

piled with rags. 

 

            * 

 

Is your voice in the linden 

wood of an oar? 

Your face in the daily ritual 

of the Cooper's hawk? 

 

Is your charity the green rot 

of a fence post? 

 

Are you near me 

as I clean this ashtray 

with my sleeve? 

 

Are you the dead doe's skull 

shining from within itself?—

 

I've been pretending 

not to hear it speak to me, 

 

even though I've entered its voice, 

hung my coat 

from a nail in its pantry 

 

without bumping the table 

or creaking the floor 

 

and moved in the utter darkness of it. 

 

            * 

 

It's finally late enough 

that all sounds 

are the sounds of water. 

 

If you die tonight 

I'll wash your feet. 

I'll remove the batteries 

from the clocks. 

 

And the two moths 

that drown in the lakes 

of your eyes 

will manage the rest. 

 

[Michael McGriff ‘Invocation’, from Home Burial]

creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

🎨 What’s Your Creative Spark?

 

Everyone has a hidden way their creativity shows up—

sometimes it’s bold, sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes it’s practical. 

Which spark keeps your inner fire glowing?

---

1. When inspiration strikes, you usually… 

    A) Sketch it or jot it down immediately. 

    B) Turn it into a story or joke. 

    C) Daydream about all the possibilities. 

    D) Plan how to make it real, step by step. 

 

2. Which tool calls your name? 

    A) A pencil or paintbrush. 

    B) A camera or microphone. 

    C) A notebook full of wild ideas. 

    D) A calendar or spreadsheet. 

 

3. Your creative zone is… 

    A) At a desk with art supplies. 

    B) Out with people, bouncing ideas. 

    C) Alone, drifting in thought. 

    D) In the garage, building something. 

 

4. When people praise your creativity, it’s usually because… 

    A) “You make beautiful things.” 

    B) “You make us laugh/think.” 

    C) “You think differently.”   

    D) “You get things done.” 

 

5. If creativity was a flavor, yours would be… 

    A) Rich chocolate. 

    B) Spicy salsa. 

    C) Cotton candy. 

    D) Freshly baked bread.  

 

Results in the comments!

 

[the title quotation is from Max Ernst, a German artist whose turn of phrase made me giggle] 

never had so much intelligence meant so little

Book Review 

 

Rating: * * *

 

Title:  Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA and Enemies: A History of the FBI

 

Author: Tim Weiner

 

Published: Legacy of Ashes, a nonfiction book, was published in 2007; I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Blackstone Publishing; read by Stefan Rudnicki; 22 hours) 

    Enemies, also a nonfiction book, was published in 2012; I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Random House Audio; also read by Rudnicki; 19 hours) 

 

What is the story? 

• Legacy of Ashes: For years, the CIA has managed to maintain a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, burying its blunders in top-secret archives. Its mission was to know the world. When it did not succeed, it set out to change the world. Its failures have handed us, in the words of President Eisenhower, “a legacy of ashes.”
    Here is the hidden history of the CIA: why eleven presidents and three generations of CIA officers have been unable to understand the world; why nearly every CIA director has left the agency in worse shape than he found it; and how these failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security. --from publisher's website

• Enemies: We think of the FBI as America’s police force. But secret intelligence is the Bureau’s first and foremost mission. The FBI’s secret intelligence and surveillance techniques have created a tug-of-war between national security and civil liberties, a tension that strains the very fabric of a free republic. Enemies is the story of how presidents have used the FBI to conduct political warfare—and how it has sometimes been turned against them. And it is the story of how the Bureau became the most powerful intelligence service the United States possesses. --from publisher's website

What type of language do they use—technical, complex, standard, or colloquial? standard, with a small amount of more complex terminology specific to the intelligence community

 

Does the level of language make it easy or difficult for the reader to follow? the books read smoothly, more like well-told stories than dry lectures

 

Did you like these books? I liked the way they were written, and certainly the way they were read by the outstanding Rudnicki. I was not so enamored with the smug self-assurance of the author, who clearly believes himself the most perspicacious, smartest guy in the room... every room. In sum: there have been many, many history and political science books I've enjoyed more, but they were each worth reading. 

 

If you could change something, what would it be? less reliance on words and phrases like "clearly" or "of course", more consideration of alternate conclusions.

    For instance, a common theme through both books is that the CIA has, historically, failed in its mission. However, if the books can be believed, that "mission" has been vague, confused, and even contradictory at times. It is and always has been unrealistic to believe that the same organization can be top-notch at two differently-focused tasks: gathering intelligence and performing covert operations. It's inconceivable to me that anyone could ever believe that those two very distinct jobs, which would seem to appeal to and require the skills of very different types of people, could be accomplished well under one roof, at the Agency. Covert operations is an off-the-scale Orange job—a reference to True Colors—while intelligence gathering and analysis is perfectly suited to Gold/Green folks. These contrasts are significant, and when one tries to work that far outside one's comfort zone and skill set, the results are disastrous. For example, my taco salad lunch buddy is the quintessential Gold. If she had a job that required frequent, dramatic changes or a degree of danger, she would break out in hives and be distracted by longings for her spreadsheets, and she would be an excellent intelligence analyst. On the other hand, my animal-brained lawyer is perhaps the most perfectly orange Orange I've ever known. Pen him in behind a desk with the requirement that he study something in detail, and he will start climbing the walls and creating his own drama just to keep his blood up. I wonder if maybe he's not actually a covert operator and I just don't know it yet. Hmm.

    I would have been more impressed, and would have learned more, if the books had addressed this inherent flaw in the Agency's setup. (I refer to both of them because, with their similar government-ish, political-adjacent, slightly skeevy subject matters, the books and the entities that they cover are naturally entwined. That is, in fact, part of the problem....)

 

What were your favourite parts? the political infighting, the intelligence intrigue, the name-dropping and scandals, and the stories of how (every now and then) the Agency and the Bureau got it right

 

Who stands out, among the characters? from the CIA: George H.W. Bush, of whom I had known very little substantive information before reading this book. The term 'character' is apt; I learned far more than expected about his government life before his run to the White House. And from the FBI: J. Edgar Hoover, of course. He was a complete and total lunatic, a power-broker, and probably the cause of a lot of preventable mess in our national history. 

 

What is your recommendation? these are good popular nonfiction books for people who are looking for some history, some drama, and for the author's interpretations and analyses to be presented as fact. Academics, realists, or people who prefer doing their own thinking might find different books on these topics more suitable. 

 

5 adjectives you would use to describe this text: presumptuous, engaging, opinionated, dishy, provocative

 

[book review template 5 adapted from here; the title quotation is from Legacy of Ashes]

keeping the terrible spirits at bay

How long to grieve for the aspens, how long 

for the father, half-paralyzed drugged up & pissing in 

a plastic orange juice jug, & Christ, aren't you sick 

of the endless mournful processional, the on & on song 

of the ending of everyone, can we get on the dance floor 

even if the music is tinny & wrong, & the mother took so long, 

ten years of shuffling down a corridor, pushing a walker, 

never mind, who cares, shut up, bong, bong, bong 

go the church bells, By my lively voice I drive away all harm 

was the inscription once, & in the fields the sheep 

went along baaing & banging their bronze bells in old Rome 

keeping the terrible spirits at bay, now go to sleep, 

how long for the goddamned cat, what's wrong with you? 

Just because it's night, and raining. Me too, me too. 

 

[Kim Addonizio {1954- } 'Unleaving', from Exit Opera]

now ask yourself, are you really prepared? Uh!

1. If you promised to never lie again in your lifetime, in what area would it be the hardest to uphold the promise? 

    white lies. 

 

2. If you had to name your worst character trait, what would you say it is? 

    blindness to other peoples' needs and intentions 

 

3. If after you die your spirit could protect anyone in the world, who would you pick? 

    one of my niece's children, who needs all the help they can get 

 

4. If you were to act out all of the seven deadly sins, what specific things would you do for each of them?

    that phrasing made me snort, as if it's performance art.

    • Vanity/Pride: plastic surgery, the details of which are either patently obvious or better kept as a secret

    • Sloth: finally pull the trigger on buying the couch I've had my eye on for a couple of years but is out of my price range by $2000+, pre-tariff cost. And then plant myself on said couch for the indeterminate future

    • Gluttony: I've been fantasizing about a hot fudge-mocha milkshake, typically about 1/3 of the way into a long walk in the sun

    • Lust: [redacted]

    • Avarice: why, I would sell my soul to the devil and practice law in the traditional sense, of course

    • Envy/Jealousy: pretty sure that three years with Nick satisfied any acting out in this category that could possibly be accomplished

    • Wrath/Anger: physically shove oblivious/arrogant students out of my way while walking on campus, when they take up the entire path—sometimes by LYING on the SIDEWALK. (How do these people survive in the wild? Do they drive down the middle of the road? Why are they lying on a sidewalk, for crissakes? Has no one ever told them to mind their manners? How have they never been shoved before??)

 

5. If you were to recall one situation in your experience where you would rather not have known the truth, when would it be? 

    there are many examples of my unwillingness or inability to handle the truth in romantic situations. Who likes being upset? Who seeks out harsh, sometimes unexpected realities?

    A harder example, though, was finding out that my job was being eliminated with no warning and no kindness. It felt like driving along at normal speed, only to have a wall thrown down before me. I had no choice but to hit it, head on, and it crushed me.

    I mean, the job sucked, and I had already been trying to find something else. But the way that all happened, it was a major blow, and took a long time to recover. 

 

6. If you wanted to prove your trustworthiness to someone you know, how would you do it? 

    by being trustworthy. I'm not sure there is any other way to do it, except behaving in a way that does not inspire distrust.

 

7. If a psychic offered to tell you anything you wanted to know about your life, what is the thing you would least like to know about? 

     there are plenty of subjects that would not interest me overmuch, and that I certainly would not pay to ask. What would distress me, though, or make me angry? I suppose I would least like to know about my relationships with other people. Having some knowledge of how destiny makes it all turn out would likely change how I would go on, literally creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.  

    The inverse of that is being told which lotto numbers to buy. I'm sure that wouldn't change me at all. 

 

[from If: Questions for the Soul; the title quotation is from "Don't Ask Her That" by Shaggy {feat. Nicole Scherzinger}, from Clothes Drop]