Book 92: Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou was a good book to help me feel more comfortable with my totals and with myself. It’s a quick short read filled with lots of good things to think about to improve your outlook about life and in some cases about diversity and race.

I’ve been both holding onto the Maya Angelou book and wanting to read it. It came from a mixture of knowing that it was likely to be an easy, quick read and I enjoy her. So I wanted to save it for a week for where I spent more time reading a book then I probably should have.  This week seemed as good as any (while I enjoyed  Spindle’s End, it’s just not comfortable to start a book on a Friday night).

I will have to say I misjudged Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now. I glanced at the book and just assumed that it was another poetry book by Maya Angelou since besides her autobiography I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings, she’s known for her poetry.  I wasn’t disappointed to see it was short essays filled talking about morality, manners, and even diversity.

Most the essays, I loved. It was good to see her talking about things I care about. There are many circumstances that she discussed that I thought were timeless and can help everyone just to remember the simple truths.

I’m not always a fan of using the race card. There were a few essays where Maya Angelou was great at saying we need to revel in diversity and realize that races are different but good.  As the essays when on, there were a few moments when it became a little too much about race where it becomes more of a line in the sand without true understanding.  I’m not sure if it’s because in the end I don’t see race but I do see social/cultural differences thanks to years of travel and moving or if it’s just a generational thing since Maya Angelou was raised when race was a much larger issue then it is today. In some ways, the gay/lesbian/transgender debate is replacing the race debate from previous decades.

 But overall, this book gave me some things to think about and it was fun to read. So I would recommend this book. 

Book 91: Spindle's End

I got to take a fun foray into twists upon fairy tales with the book Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley. It was a fun book which reminded me why I used to love the subsection of the genre. It was both extremely familiar and creative all at the same time. If you read a twist on one of your favorite fairy tales, it has to be done right.

Needless to say, I hate a couple books that used Snow White as a basis but the book failed. It was actually after reading a twist on Snow White that I hated so much, I stopped reading books based on fairy tales for a good long time and it’s one of the reasons I haven’t jumped at reading the third book in the Wicked series (but that’s also in part due to how I loved Wicked but disliked the second book). After some dabbling in the twisting of fairy tales in the early 2000s, I never explored my other favorite fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty (I did read a couple related to Snow White which is the traditional favorite). I’m so glad that the friend that loaned me Moon Called and Neverwhere also had this book in the collection she set aside for me. It was just a fun book.

I thought that Spindle’s End did a great job of merging the traditional elements of Sleeping Beauty, the romantic features that comes emanate from the ballet and yet it created something new. I love how McKinley set the story first. It was an inviting atmosphere and it really took you away from the world and you could just enjoy reading. It allowed for magic and fairies to exist.

 The ending made me so satisfied. I won’t spoil it for people. But given the characters of Rosie and Peony, this was the ending that made the most sense. It was great. It allowed for the traditional happily ever after but not the way you would have thought going into the book.

 The only downside to the book was it took me longer to read then I would have liked. It wasn’t a quick read. Highly enjoyable. My work schedule has gotten heavier as the holiday season starts to kick into high gear and I am working on my NaNoWriMo project as well. So my limited free time is now getting chipped away by yet another activity.

 Spindle’s End was fun book. So incredibly grateful for the loan and a chance to read it. It was a great slip into an old favorite genre that I felt like I had to give up on after a few misses. I’m glad.

Book 90: Open

 

Andre Agassi’s Open is one of the frankest and most honest memoirs related to sports. But in the end, I think it was almost too open because the phrase “you should never meet your heroes since you might not like who they really are” comes to mind.

I grew up admiring Agassi. I literally started to take tennis lessons for a while due to Andre Agassi and his wife, Steffi Graf (well Stephanie but at the time it was still Steffi and she’s always Steffi to me). So when his book made the sport news shows, I knew I really wanted to read it. I didn’t get to read it right away but I finally got a chance to read it. I wanted to learn more about an athlete that I truly admired.

Because of PTI and Around the Horn, some of the most shocking elements of the book weren’t a huge surprise. But it was still amazing to realize how early he started to use a hairpiece while playing. I loved how he played with long hair-it reminded me of the rock stars and Klingons I admired- so it was crazy to think that the majority of the time I liked his hair, it was fake.

I was also a little bit shocked how often he would say he hated tennis especially since he was the player who kept coming back, playing stronger than ever and never quitting. It seemed that he was still trying to prove that he truly hated tennis. In some ways I think it’s like my relationship with the water, love/hate. I hate swimming and I’ve quit a few times, yet there is a something that keeps pulling me back to the sport. If there was only hate for the sport, I wouldn’t keep coming back and finding some joy/solace in the water. And I think truthfully that Agassi feels the same way. I don’t doubt that he hates tennis especially when he was hurting, losing and just dealing with life. But Open also shows he’s does get a certain amount of joy from the sport.

It was fascinating to see how much he fancied his second wife throughout his whole life. It’s funny that Brooke Shields used a photo of Graf to help motivate her to lose weight for their wedding. But because he fancied her so much, you can see the love he has for her. It’s a far better and more stable relationship that he had with Brooke. The book really showed why they got divorced.

There something about the book that I didn’t fully connect with. I think so much of it was getting to see too much of a person I’ve admired over the years. This isn’t a memoire where the bad things/ideas/thoughts/actions are glossed over or in some cases almost non-existence. It’s frank. It’s truthful. I respect that. But because of the honesty, I saw things about Agassi that I didn’t always like-his attitude at times and the drug use. So there is a child in me that wants to hold him the same esteem I had him in. Although after reading it, I see how much he loves his school and foundation and how that’s been very rewarding although a bit ironic. When he talks about the school or his family, that’s where I see that Andre I’ve admired.

Oh and I love Gil. The way Andre talks about his strength coach/body guard, I just think of Alexei (my favorite ballet instructor of all time). The way Gil works is strong solid conditioning and training. I wish there are more strength coaches that work like Gil. Plus Gil just seems like an amazing person.

Open is a book I would recommend to those who enjoy tennis and sports. It’s a book that lives up to its title. You can really feel like you’ve met Agassi by reading it.

Book 89: Straying From the Path

Straying from the Path was a huge win. It’s a special edition book released in conjunction with Capclave by WSFA Press that was signed by Carrie Vaughn. It is amazing collection of non-werewolf stories that were just a thrill to read.

I’ve said this before, but I adore Carrie Vaughn. She’s writes great witty fiction that is infused with lots of great history and characters without getting dull or too overdone. It’s easy, fun to read fiction. So when I saw on her blog about this limited edition book, my interest was piqued. I was ecstatic to see that book was affordable on top of being a special edition with only 500 in print, signed, and hardback. It was on cloud nine. The only doubt at first was if I could purchase it since I wasn’t able to go to Capclave but I was able to purchase it. So I’m now proud owner of book 84 of the lot.

The stories are quite marvelous and varied in nature but all have the earmarks of Carrie Vaughn. I love how these stories each had a very different feel to them yet they were so enjoyable. There are stories about flying, fairies in space, fairytales and time travel.

My favorite story was “The Happiest Place.” It’s cool mix of a fairy tale with the classic be careful of what you wish for theme and the magical setting (although in this one it’s Disneyworld). I love how the blending of having a princess actress who gains a crown that allows her to grant wishes but then she starts to lose herself in the process. Then the layering of being the magical princess and making the happiness of sick little girls for the day but realizing how it’s just an act, just gave the story the depth to it. Like many great fairy tales, it does not have a happy ending.

Another fun story was “Swing Time”. It was fun seeing the love/hate relationship play out as they dance through time and space. When I read that Madeline had her Achilles severed, I was so sad cause I knew her adventure would have to end. But fortunately that wasn’t the end of it. One of the things I found awesome was how Vaughn was able to say how you couldn’t change events in history but no one seemed to notice if riches were lost. It had a touch of Doctor Who to it where there were just some things you couldn’t change (especially those related to your own history) and events that you could change.

One of the stories I enjoyed but misunderstood in a way was “Silence Before Starlight”. In the notes, Carrie said how it was actually a fairy as the creature calling to Barrie in the leannane sidhe sense. Well I didn’t see alien like most people but I just saw the classic siren story set in space.

I will have to say several of her stories in this collection made me think about and want to read more about military history and theory. It’s a shame you don’t always hear about the WASPs and almost never about Joseph Kittinger. But I’m glad that I read “This is the Highest Step in the World” because I learned about Kittenger and then subsequently went to find the photo to the right. Yes, he literally jumped/parachuted from space.  Then the story “Peace in Our Time” just made you think about what would happen if everyone relied on drones to fight wars.

I also loved “Real City.” It was perfect story that was so reminiscent of Singing in the Rain and yet so realistic with just a hint of futuristic. It was done at the perfect time since in a decade or so, this story would be dated. It was just a great diversion and relaxing read.

The only story I didn’t care for was “In time”. I get what she was trying to do. Show a little facet of Emily Dickenson’s life and talk about her dog. But it just didn’t hit my sweet spot for a good story, instead it was so-so. It doesn’t help that I’m not a Emily Dickenson fan.

I loved “Straying From the Path”. I was so good. It made me think, I got to learn about things while being carried away to far away lands.

Book 88: The Grays

The Grays by Whitley Strieber was an interesting story. This book is unlike many books that I’ve read lately. I enjoyed it but at the same time I felt that it was trying too hard especially towards the end.

So in all the years that I read science fiction, I’ve read relatively few stories about alien cover-ups and invasion. Normally the general population (or at least the parts that are focused on) knows about the aliens or there is one alien. The Grays is different since the majority of the population doesn’t know about the aliens that are on Earth. So it was cool to see the different perspectives of those who know nothing about the Grays, those that like the aliens and those that fear them.

The Grays is a complicated book. Set basically in our timeline (which after next year it will be slightly obsolete with the doomsday predictions) although it ties together the idea of the Roswell crash and alien abductions. You get several main characters: basically you have the child who will save the world but knows nothing until midway through the book (Conner), the military who know (Mike and Lauren), and the professors who suspect. Basically the book revolves around the idea that the Grays are on Earth and they are so old they are dying so they help to create a super genius name Conner (through the clever use of abductions and sheer luck). There are those who distrust the Grays since they believe they will turn the Human race into slaves while others believe their plans are less evil and could help save humanity. Conner has no idea about the Grays until one Triad who decide to speed along their plan by setting a fire. That fire creates a stir in the community (who are all professors to a local college).

As I said, this book was good but in the end, it had too many threads going on to make a neat bow. Instead it became a messy knot. So the ending was less than fully satisfying. It becomes like leftover gourmet cuisine.

I’m glad that my friend loaned me this book (Yes this year especially lately, I’ve had a few friends who really are helping me with this blog by not only sharing their recommendations but their books). It was a fun read and something different in a genre that I enjoy. I just wish the ending was a little tighter. But I loved the complexity to the book.

Book 87: The Long Program: Skating Toward Life's Victories

Peggy Fleming’s “The Long Program: Skating Towrd Life’s Victories” was an alright book. If it wasn’t for her spirit and personality, I think this book would have fallen flat.

I love sports memoirs especially ones related to figure skating. I’m a figure skater and a ballet dancer at heart, despite all my interests in other sports. So I’ve always been particularly drawn to reading about the champions over the years. Plus I love the fact that in many skating memoirs, there have been so many ideas for me to chew on for both the sport and the out of sport aspect.

One of the things I liked about this book was the fact that that Peggy was very introspective. She really got into it where she realized how her mindset has changed over time and how her mother’s views impacted her own. I liked that aspect.

But the book was fairly cluttered in its timeline. Stories would meld together quite frequently. At times, it worked since they would help place other stories but often the jolts in the timeline were just distracting.

Plus I hated how this book actually failed to give me much insight into figure skating itself. She would touch upon skating topics but didn’t go in depth. She kept trying to use how skating helped her off the ice to navigate life-which is a good message but at the same time, I wanted more about the sport.

Overall, the Long Program was decent. I wasn’t in love with the book since it didn’t give me as many gems and didn’t have a strong continuity. But really enjoyed seeing her insight on her own personality and how she infused that into the book.

Book 86: Neverwhere

Neverwhere was an interesting book by Neil Gaiman. It was absurd, intelligent and fun. It was the perfect book to escape from the mundane world of working over 60s hours a week.

This book is another book I’m reading that’s a loaner from a friend who also enjoys fantasy, sci-fi and bad movies. I will have to say unlike the last loaned book, I saw much more of my friend in it then I saw myself. This matches her personality where Moon Called more matched mine. But I liked that since I can see why she liked it so much.

One of the first things I saw was the Tube map. There were a few extra stops but just seeing the circle line and the layout, I went that looks like the Tube. Then I actually read the labels on the map and saw it was indeed the London subway system and it showed the old stops that are no longer in existent. I had to laugh. I’ve only been to London a handful of times. Apparently those times definitely left it’s mark on me. Then again London is one of my favorite cities in the world and I ingrain places I enjoy into my brain.

Neverwhere was an excellent bit of urban Alice in Wonderland. A man’s unwillingly fell down a hole into London’s underworld by helping the Lady Door. This world is filled with intrigue, strangeness and danger. Richard and Door team up. He is looking for his way out of London Below while the Lady Door is trying to figure out who killed her family and who is trying to kill her. So it becomes a thrilling adventure. Angels, assassins, the velvets who were a succubus/vampire like creature, rat-speakers and the Old Bailey all create an interesting world. I will have to say that due to reading this book with all it’s plot twists and interesting wording, I found a friend who came over solely to use my bathroom late at night made complete sense.

I was almost ready to get really really upset at Neil Gaiman when it seemed to end the way it did. The ending was just so unsatisfying at first until the very last couple of pages. Then he fixed everything and was actually able to create a stronger ending by doing it the way he did. It worked much better since it allowed for the end of the quest but at the same time gave the readers what they want and tied in the prologue better.

The characters I’m a little meh on. They were both virbrant and had so many different layers to them yet they could be two dimensional all at the same time.

All in all, it was an absurd adventure that was well written and a fun read. It had so many plot turns and you could never be bored while reading the book. I’m really glad that Neverwhere was loaned to me.