I may be a dork, but at least I'm not a dork in a costume

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

j.k. rowling

                I’m a grown up and I’m a Harry Potter fan.  Now, I’m not the kind of fan that dresses up in the outfits and waited for the books at midnight, or ran screaming to the movie theaters.  But I enjoyed all 7 of the books and  movies 1-5 (come on movie 6 left  half the important stuff out…the fight at Hogwarts, the werewolf attacking one of the Weasley boys, Ginny and harry making out…these are important things).  If you’re not a fan that’s cool, but you might want to skip this post. ..

                This is not of course the first time I have read the Deathly Hallows.  I read it when it came out several years ago, and maybe once more in the middle somewhere, but I can’t remember.  I don’t often re-read books.  A book has to be either fairly special or very confusing for me to deem a second read necessary, or else have a movie coming out.  As it turns out HP7 falls into 2 of those categories (I’ll give you a hint, it’s not that confusing).  I started re-reading on an impulse, and continued b/c I thought, hey, the movie’s coming out soon, I should read up and make sure they don’t make any mistakes.  The surprise was how I enjoyed the re-re. 

                I’ve previously stated that I’m a harry potter fan, so obviously I enjoyed the first reading of Deathly Hallows.  Although I do recall the drama being intense and loss of loveable characters crushing.  Not knowing how it was all going to work out made for a tense 759 pages.  Adding to the tension was the fact that my husband (and I preface this by saying we are still married) told me the ending of the book before I FINISHED!  The Cardinal sin of book lovers!  Ohhhh it was bad.  3 years later and if anyone mentions the phrase ‘battle at Hogwarts’  within in a 50foot radius steam comes out of my ears.  Which of course my husband finds amusing (why do people find my anger funny?  Fear my wrath mortals!). To this day, if he asks what I’m reading, my knee-jerk reaction is ‘Nothing! Why do you want to know’.             

          Anyway, back to the present,  I found this re-read very pleasant because for one, no one was able to ruin the ending for me, and two without the OMG tension I was able to enjoy the story more.  I know others have written about the holes in the plot and how everything came together too easily, and I just don’t care.  I loved re-reading HP7, remembering the characters, seeing their adventures, knowing they’ll all make it through to the other side.  All of which I kind of expected.  What I did not expect was the very poignant way the final chapters of the book touched me.  There is a beauty in J.K’s writing at the end of this young adult novel that would not be out of place in a non-fiction memoir or adult text.  The most obvious instance being when Harry goes willingly to die to save his friends, and is helped along by the ghostly imprints of his most valued but deceased role models.   There’s also of course the Malfoy family who go from something to be disliked, almost hated, to something to be pitied.  The enduring friendships of Ron, Harry, and Hermione, the idea that those who have passed on are never truly gone, and the notion that a family is what is built not defined by blood- these are all philosophical themes that are so clearly expressed in HP7.  And I am always happy for a reminder that Love is everything. 

In the end, I’ll leave with the suggestion that you return to an old favorite, give it a re-read and see where it takes you….. Oh, and I’ll leave you with what may very well be my favorite quote in the entire book:

“ Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”

               

               

The Cookbook Collector

By Allegra Goodman

                The best way to describe my feelings about this book would be to compare it to an on-again/off-again relationship.  At first I wasn’t sure, Then I liked it, Then I was bored, Then I was really considering my other options, then I liked it again, then I liked it a lot, and then it was over, leaving me with fond memories, but not necessarily with the desire to repeat the process.  No, that’s not the right comparison… ok, let me start over.  This book was like a decent movie:  It was good, had some great points, but not worth paying to see in the theater and you could cut out an hour and still have the same story.  Yep, that’s better. 

                On the whole-I liked the Cookbook Collector.  I was a little concerned at first because I normally read fluff or non-fiction and this falls somewhere in-between; it is obviously fiction, but more high-brow smarty pants fiction.  But, it had great reviews and high praise for the author.  Allegra Goodman has been called the Jane Austen of our time. I’ll tell you right now, I don’t see it. I’m really not sure where that came from at all- not even a little bit. Goodman certainly writes intelligently, and she weaves story lines together-focusing on intertwining relationships…but that could describe a million authors, so how she was bestowed that title is a mystery.  But I’m not holding it against her, she probably didn’t decide to compare herself with Jane Austen, at least I hope not.  That’s like comparing yourself to Batman or Gandhi; it’s a bad idea, you’re not them so go ahead- take off your cape and eat a burger for goodness sake.  But like I said, it’s probably not her fault.

                To the point- Yes, I did like the book-but just barely.  On a one to ten scale, I’d put this as a 5.  We’ll start at the beginning-which I liked. Goodman immediately draws you into her characters with such strong descriptions that they feel almost 3 dimensional.  Her discussion of objects, especially nature and the weather are prose like.  In fact one of the elements of this book is the use of lines of poetry and philosophy quotes. Some by names I recognize and others, not so much-and they never feel out of place, which is quite the accomplishment.  So, the start of the book introduces us to two sisters, dis-alike in every way.  It sounds a little formulaic and in some ways it is-two sisters each finding their way- One has it all: great career, money, successful boyfriend-The other: an eternal student, no serious relationship, living in a cheap apartment. Of course we know that the story is about the first sister losing it and the second sister finding her way. But as in all things-it’s the journey that counts and so I read on.

                Part two- the middle:  And here’s where I got confused.  So there are a lot of themes running through this book.  There’s probably a technical literary term –but I don’t know it, so I’ll say ‘themes’.  Two such themes dominate the middle of the book. The first is the focus on the dot.com boom of the late 1990s We see two start-up software companies and watch them go public, the founders of both become multi-millionaires overnight as people clamor to buy up stock and invest in the next ‘thing’ even if they’re not exactly sure what that is.  The second theme is Judaism.  We are introduced to several rabbis and hear multiple opinions on a particular sect.  Both of these interwoven themes confused me.  I’m still not sure what they had to do with the story itself.  As I look back at the book, it would be the same story if Goodman took out the hundreds of pages she spent following these lines of inquiry.  Parts of each theme are important or at least pertain to the story.  One character discovers that she has family she didn’t know existed (who happen to be Jewish). Another character uses information he obtained in less than honest ways to promote his company.  But those points could be made without all the detail and technical points, which is what confused me.   

                And now part 3-The end.  The final third of the book was written more like the beginning.  Or at least it seemed that way to me.  Perhaps I was less confused, or maybe I just knew it was ending, but for whatever reason, it was easier to read.  The entire book has been following these characters and the chapters are dated.  So I knew what was coming, but nevertheless forgot until all of a sudden is was September 11, 2001 and the boyfriend of one of the sisters was boarding a flight for the west coast, but never arrived.   

‘They didn’t know under the trees what day it was, or how the market closed, or how the

 sun rose bright on the East Coast…They didn’t know it was September 11, but no one else

did either.’

And here’s where Allegra Goodman earns her paycheck as far as I’m concerned.  She wrote beautifully and elegantly about the feeling of ‘which way is up’ and utter confusion and bewilderment.  Not just for the characters most affected, but for the country as a whole.  We watch as peripheral characters (and there are many of them) go about their daily lives and observe the minute changes in their worlds.  Again, just as in the beginning of the story, the author brings the reader into this world with her vivid descriptions and attention to detail. Through the chaos, we are still watching the sisters stories unfold as the formula reaches towards its conclusion: one sister (the eternal student) is falling in love with the man we knew she was meant for, while the other has to struggle to make sense of it all.  

                My overall thoughts on The Cookbook Collector- well, I got through it. The characters are well written, but in my opinion there was just too much: too many side characters, to many side story lines, too much to keep track of.  I know I didn’t mention the cookbooks in this review, but don’t worry; they’re barely in the book either. 

Should you read the Cookbook Collector, I guess if parts of this synopsis had you interested then sure, go for it.  Am I recommending it, eh perhaps if you have a very long flight and nothing else to read.  As for me, I’m still not seeing the Jane Austen comparison.  But I do give kudos to Allegra Goodman for what was probably my favorite part of the book, this quote from the last page:

“What do metaphorical bubbles taste like?”

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

By Michael Lewis

c. 2006

                As a rule, when a book is based on a movie, I always read the book first.  Maybe I’m just literary inclined, but 99% of the time, the book is just better.  Reading the book first lets your imagination really picture the characters, before seeing Hollywood’s interpretation (did anyone really think that’s what Edward looked like—I did not).  Plus there’s the added bonus of being informed enough to educate your friends on how wrong the movie got it wrong (ahem, Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter 6).  

                So, I always read the book before I watch the movie, unless of course I didn’t know there Was a book.  This was the case with The Blind Side.  I love a happy movie, and I enjoy football, so naturally I headed off to the theater and sat down with my popcorn (I love popcorn almost as much as happy endings).  The movie was great, just delightful –for a short time my new aspiration was to be just like Sandra Bullock in that movie.  And as the end credits rolled I saw ‘Based on a book by Michael Lewis’.  A book!  Fantastic!   So to the library I went, it took a while, I was not the only person who thought to read The Blind Side, in fact I believe I was number 47 on the list, But eventually I settled down for a good read. 

                The Blind Side is not solely confined to the story of football player and success story Michael Oher.  The author Michael Lewis also examines some of the history of football, specifically the growing importance of the Left Guard position.  Apparently Left Guards protect the quarterbacks Blind Side.  The importance of the position became clear after Lawrence Taylor (the original LT) sacked Joe Theismann, breaking his leg in two places. When a right-handed quarterback throws the ball, his raised arm causes him to have a blind side, which LT exploited.  The Left Guard is the defensive position assigned to protect the quarter back from the offensive right tackle and thus protect the quarterback’s blind side.  This is what I learned from The Blind Side.  There’s quite a bit more football theory in this book, if the name Bill Walsh means something to you, then you’re ahead of me.  Anyway, I tended to skip some (ok most) of the theory.  Luckily for me, Lewis splits the two parts into separate chapters, so it’s easy to skim the theory, and focus on the story, if that’s your desire. 

                As far as the story, the author does a very good job of showing us a window into the lives of the Touhey family and Michael Oher’s journey.  Some of the anecdotes are recognizable in the movie, but the book also dives into a couple darker episodes in Oher’s life including a disagreement with a teammate that turned violent.   But that does not change the overall feel of the book as a story of triumph over circumstances, and a story of good people doing their best. 

                You should read this book if:

                                You like a feel good story-You enjoyed the movie-

                                You're looking to brush up on your football history

                You should not read this book if:

                                Your heart is made of stone and you like it that way-

                                You hate football