Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller

Tropic of Cancer

Title: Tropic of Cancer

Author: Henry Miller

Publication Date: 1934

Pages: 318

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels

Date Completed: 11/6/16

Summary: A partially autobiographical work, the novel follows Miller's years in Paris. He struggles as a writer, but mostly he engages in all sorts of lascivious behavior.

What I Thought: Where to even begin?

My experience with this book reminded me so much of my experience with Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint. I did not enjoy either at all. 

Historically, I can see the literary value in this book. It broke down a lot of barriers regarding erotic content in literature and what should or should not be banned. Whether or not those barriers were worth breaking down is a completely different discussion. I just want to focus on the book itself. 

Take Tuesday: Dust

Dust

Some books are just so good, you have to read them again. And some books deserve a second chance. And some books I think about and change my opinion or have more to say. Take Tuesday is a chance to do just that. 

Title: Dust

Author: Hugh Howey

Publication Date: 8/17/13

Pages: 458

Genre: Dystopian / Science Fiction / Fiction

Previous Readings: 2013

Date Completed This Time: 11/8/16

Summary: In the trilogy conclusion, work must be done across silos in order to save humanity. Characters from Silos 1, 17, and 18 join forces and defy expectations, hoping they can outwit the men who brought down the world. 

What I Thought Before: My original post about Dust is the most popular post ever on the blog. That makes me happy. Howey is still a relative unknown author and I'm glad to sing the praises of this series.

When I originally reviewed the book, I commented on how drawn out things seemed to be in this finale. I did not notice that as much this time, but maybe that's because I knew all the pieces that had to be put into place before the real ending. Overall, though, I raved about the book and encouraged everyone to go out and get a copy.

The Girl with Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee

The Girl with Seven Names

Title: The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story

Author: Hyeonseo Lee

Publication Date: 7/2/15

Pages: 304

Genre: Memoir / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: My dad actually bought it for me.

Date Completed: 11/5/16

Summary: Born and raised in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee became an accidental defector. This book tells the story of her life, including her years after leaving the country and her efforts to get her family out as well. 

What I Thought: My interest in North Korea began shortly after college. I read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (this was pre-blog) and it totally captivated me. Since then, I've read a book about the isolated country nearly every year. 

This memoir is a logical next step. It's the first book I have read written by an actual defector. My dad actually sent it to me, thinking I would enjoy it. He was right.

It's a very interesting story. Lee grew up in a relatively privileged family. In fact, her defection came about sort of accidentally. She lived on a town bordering China and decided to cross the river for just a few days, wanting to have an adventure and see what the other country was like. However, once she crossed, circumstances conspired against her and she had no choice but to flee deeper into China. So began her years in exile. She was suddenly confronted with a very different world from the one in which she had grown up. Lee is very straight forward about the pros and cons of such a drastic change.

Let's Talk About...Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Let's Talk About... is a chance for us to talk about anything and everything. It's a way for me to get some of what I am thinking and feeling out onto the page and to engage in real, honest discussion about it with you. I hope these posts can be fun, interesting, educational, and, more than anything, a chance to learn from each other. 

Welcome to my first Let's Talk About... post! This series has been months in the making. My poor husband bears the brunt of my mental ramblings, but he's not always interested in whatever happens to be weighing on my mind. Case in point: today's topic.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

How we Gilmore fans have longed for this day. It has been literally years of wishing and hoping. Now, here we are... and boy, do we have a lot to talk about.

I became a Gilmore fan in college. My best friend introduced it to me and we binge watched the early seasons together. The final seasons aired during those college years and we often watched together. When the show hit Netflix last year, I was thrilled and immediately re-watched the whole series with utter delight. When news of the revival came out, I, like thousands of others, freaked out just a little.

And now, here we are. I've seen the revival. I watched all six hours within three days despite the fact that we were on a trip to see family and enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays. Priorities, y'all.

I'm fully aware that there are already about a thousand think pieces regarding the revival out there on the interwebs. Please bear with me through one more. I have a lot to say.

(btw...there are MAJOR spoilers ahead, so if you continue reading, it's at your own peril.)

November 2016 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  

November News 

Remember last month when I was cheerfully looking forward to the end of the election cycle?

Can I take that back?

While the election was three weeks ago at this point and some of the fervor does seem to be dying down, things are so far from over. Instead of celebrating the end of the cycle and a historic milestone for the country, this month has been, for me, a time of grief. I know politics are controversial, particularly this year, and I know you, my dear readers, likely have a range of feelings on the state of American politics. I absolutely respect your views and your right to have them. I hope you can do the same for me. All I can speak to is my personal perspective and my earnest desire to understand experiences different than my own. While I have been struggling daily with my response to the election results, more than anything I am resolved to learn, to listen, and to advocate for the maligned. I'm spending a lot of time in prayer, a lot of time reading the news, and a lot of time researching how to be an even more active participant in our political process.

It's hard to pivot from the veil of political uncertainty for me right now. It's hard to think about other things. It's hard to think about a cheerful holiday season when so many in our country fear for their futures. I saw someone on social media pointing out how they want to caption all their Instagram food pictures with "Here's a picture of my lunch, but I haven't forgotten that other thing." That really nailed how I'm feeling. Life goes on. Work. Errands. Chores. We have no choice but to continue. But, the approaching changes never leave my mind. I'm constantly thinking and praying about the future of our country and how I can contribute good into our world on a daily basis.

All of this thinking (and, admittedly, stressing), has left me wanting an outlet to share my heart and thoughts. I know this blog is about books and they will always be the heartbeat. These days, though, I need it to also be a space for me to talk about other things sometimes. So, I'm introducing a new series of posts. "Let's Talk About..." posts will give me a space to share some of what's on my heart - both serious and not - and for you to join me in the discussion. I'm going to post the first one this Friday. Since we're all tired of talking about the election, it's not going to be about that. It's going to be about something way more controversial: the Gilmore Girls revival. Yep. I'm going there. I have a lot of thoughts and I need to talk them out. I'm certain that, in the future, I'll tackle some of my political feelings, but I think that day is down the road a bit. For the moment, it's going to be a place to talk about whatever happens to be dominating my head space that week. Please bear with me and give me some grace as I figure out exactly what these posts will look like. Mostly, I want them to give us all space to digest and sort through relevant topics in a thoughtful, respectful way.

Ok....let's switch gears!

The other thing which totally dominated my life this month (besides the epic, exciting World Series win by the Chicago Cubs) is NaNoWriMo. This was my second year doing the challenge and I was totally determined to scale that literary mountain. And I did!! Ok, technically I'm writing this on Monday night and I have two days and 1,786 words to go. But I'm totally going to do it. I'm so proud of myself for reaching this goal. It was so much work and I read and blogged so much less than I usually do. But, here at the end, I have about a third of a novel written (I'm a little too loquacious for my own good). It's a story I care about and which feels deeply personal. I know it won't be done any time soon. This is a book I think I could work on for ten years and continually polish and adjust. So, I'm not running off to a publisher any time soon, but the last few weeks definitely taught me that I do have time for writing if I make time for it. I was such a passionate writer as a kid and it's something I've wanted to get back to for a while, so this feels so good.

I also must give a quick shout-out to Suzanne at Tattooed Missionary. Without her, I genuinely don't think I could have met the NaNo goal. She was such an encouragement to me, especially after the election when I felt like so lost and like words would never make sense again, much less be worth writing down. Plus, she helped me look up tattoo artists near me and listened to my overly personal ramblings. What a friend! How anyone achieves NaNo without such a supportive partner, I'll never know. Thank you, Suzanne!

I have a lot more on my mind to share with you, but I've already gotten way deep and way long-winded, so I'll be saving more of these thoughts for those upcoming "Let's Talk About..." posts. For now, here's what was happening on the blog during the emotional whirlwind that was November.

Grape, Olive, Pig - Matt Goulding

Grape, Olive, Pig

Title: Grape, Olive, Pig: Deep Travels Through Spain's Food Culture

Author: Matt Goulding

Publication Date: 11/15/16

Pages: 368

Genre: Food / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I got a copy courtesy of Harper Collins and TLC Book Tours.

Date Completed: 11/26/16

Summary: Goulding takes readers on another sumptuous journey, this time all across Spain.

What I Thought: Remember a couple months ago when I read and reviewed Rice, Noodle, Fish? You may recall how I gushed over Goulding's rich descriptions of both Japanese food and culture. After that delightful experience, you can imagine how I was to read this second installation in the Roads and Kingdoms series.

Thankfully, TLC Book Tours had be covered on that front. They and Harper Collins graciously provided me an advance copy of the book to read and review. My thoughts?

Goulding's prose is as on point as ever. The magic web he weaves over Spain is enchanting and tantalizing. It may make you want to scrap planning your trip to Italy and reroute to the Spanish countryside instead....like it did for me. I think we're still going to Italy...at least until I get my husband to read the book. 

Henderson the Rain King - Saul Bellow

Henderson the Rain King

Title: Henderson the Rain King

Author: Saul Bellow

Publication Date: 1959

Pages: 352

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels

Date Completed: 10/27/16

Summary: Henderson is a rich man who travels to Africa in hopes of finding contentment or adventure or a combination of both. Though he certainly finds adventure, one can debate the success of his search for deeper meaning.

What I Thought: Though thematically this book is very similar to others on the 100 Best Novels list, it is quite different in tone and style. I really enjoyed the laid-back character of Henderson. His levity brought a fun quality to the book that many other search-for-meaning books overshadow with their serious tone. 

That is not to say that Henderson's cheerful demeanor is always fitting to his situation. He gets himself into some pretty serious scrapes in Africa. In the midst of them all, he continues to reflect back on his life and think of his wife and family. He seems to be one of those people who can charm just about anyone, yet not in a way which you resent. I found him to be a lovable character, though I do not think we would get along in practically. We are far too different. Still, I enjoyed reading about his journey.