Tag: what I’ve been reading

What I’ve Been Reading

The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins.  I’m going to be honest.  I bought the book only because the movie was coming out and sometimes that’s convincing enough to get me to purchase a book.  It was pretty well worth it.  You probably don’t need a summary of what the book’s about.  It’s “every man for himself” if “man” means boy and girl teenagers.  I was a little surprised that it took so long to get to the actual games, but I guess some of the romance and fashion stuff was geared toward appealing to girls.  I just wanted to get to the competition.

In the President’s Secret Service  by Ronald Kessler.  I’m a bit of a history nerd, so I thought this book was pretty interesting, even though it wasn’t the most well written book.  By the end I was growing tired of Kessler’s theme that the Secret Service is underfunded (I get it – agents don’t get paid enough and their guns aren’t state-of-the-art), but the anecdotal tidbits were fun.  For example, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, the Secret Service only sent two agents ahead to scope out the parade route.  And despite my history nerdiness, I had not read the story of the assassination attempt on Harry Truman; a couple Puerto Rican nationalists made a pretty bold attempt to just walk into Blair House with guns blazing.

The Walking Dead  by Robert Kirkman.  I got into the series through a friend of mine who wouldn’t stop talking about it and eventually let me borrow the books.  Basically, a rapidly spreading disease is turning everyone in the United States into zombies, and the story follows the few remaining survivors as they look for sanctuary.  The graphic novels are completely different than the TV series on AMC, with many of the same characters but lots of different story lines.  The two constants seem to be that a) nobody wants to lead but they all hate the way Rick leads and b) Lori is extremely annoying.  I hate Lori.  I wish she would die, but she’s pregnant so she probably won’t.

A Game of Thrones  by George R.R. Martin.  This book hooked me from the opening chapter.  There was a little bit of a lull about one-third of the way in, but after that it took off like a rocket.  At times Martin gets a little wordy – it seems every character, no matter how minor, needs a full physical description – but the story arcs and the way they intersect with each other are amazing.  I don’t know how Martin keeps all of his characters straight.  His writing room must be filled with interwoven family trees of Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens.  I expected a little more of the supernatural to be involved, but other than some strange creatures beyond the wall and an interesting scene involving some dragon eggs at the end, it’s mostly just a big, violent political drama.

Season of Life  by Jeffrey Marx.  This is the story of former Baltimore Colt defensive end Joe Ehrmann, who is a minister and used to serve as the defensive coordinator at the Gilman School in Baltimore.  That is, of course, the same school that 2013 defensive tackle Henry Poggi attends, and where Henry’s father Biff is the head coach.  The author was a former ball boy for the Colts and met up with Ehrmann to get a peek inside the football program, where he and Poggi attempt to change the lives of their football players.  The story is a little bit cheesy, but it’s a good overall message and there are some lessons to take away from it as a football coach.

What I’ve Been Reading

The Magician King  by Lev Grossman is a must read for fantasy nerds who enjoy pop culture references.

Bossypants  by Tiny Fey.  I’m not embarrassed to admit that I love Tina Fey.  The sarcastic and self-deprecating humor that was her forte on Saturday Night Live  and remains on 30 Rock  is apparent in her memoir.  She’s just a genuinely funny writer and performer without the vulgarity of Sarah Silverman or the quirkiness of Maria Bamford.  And she doesn’t make me think “How the hell did this woman get famous?” like I do when I see Kathy Griffin.  If you didn’t enjoy Fey’s turn as anchor on “Weekend Update,” then Bossypants  isn’t for you . . . but if you enjoy her humor and want more, then it’s worth the read.

The Magician King  by Lev Grossman.  This is the sequel to a book I reviewed in 2010 called The Magicians.  It continues the story of Quentin Coldwater, a modern-day Harry Potter . . . minus the whole “Chosen One” theme.  Quentin is just one of many magicians who matriculate through Brakebills, a Hogwarts-style boarding school for magicians.  He starts off this novel as one of the four rulers of Fillory, a Narnia-like alternate universe.  He takes on an adventure through worlds and time, mostly because he’s bored . . . but his adventure turns into a quest to save magic throughout the entire universe.  I thoroughly enjoy Grossman’s writing, but unlike the initial volume in this series, he intertwines the story of Julia, a queen of Fillory who took a different path to royalty than Quentin did.  Julia’s story, which takes up probably 25% of the novel, is largely boring and seemingly unrelated until the very end.  Grossman has a way of mixing a fun and exciting fantasy story with gruesome details that make it exciting to see what physical or emotional torment he’ll come up with next.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Stieg Larsson.  Okay, I’m a follower.  A few months ago, when I was vacationing in the Caribbean, every third person lounging on the beach or around the pool was reading this book.  I had heard bits and pieces about the plot and wasn’t impressed, but I thought to myself, “I must be missing something.”  After football season I snagged a copy and burned through the 640+ pages in about a week.  I normally like to learn new words or laugh during my reading, but I did neither for this one.  Well, I did learn a few new words, but they’ll only ever do me any good if I take a class in Swedish Geography.  I did enjoy the plot and the three-mysteries-in-one nature of the book, but the hype was a little much.  Here’s a brief plot synopsis: A disgraced journalist gets hired to investigate the 1966 disappearance of a millionaire’s grandniece, and in the process of the investigation, an alternative rock girl is hired to help him out with some computer sleuthing.  Then everyone dies.  (Just kidding about that last part.  Or am I?  I’m not.)

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk  by David Sedaris.  Acclaimed essayist Sedaris writes a series of stories involving hypocritical animals.  Yes, wild animals and barnyard animals are the vehicles for telling morality tales, using some generally accepted stereotypes about each species.  Some of the stories seem a little forced, and as the book goes along, Sedaris seems to run out of gas.  But the first few tales are worth reading, especially “The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck,” which made me laugh out loud.  I wouldn’t buy this book if I were you, but if you see it sitting on someone’s coffee table or have a couple minutes while browsing at Borders Barnes and Noble, it’s worth the five minutes to read a couple tales.

What I’ve Been Reading . . .

Jon Krakauer, a recently discovered favorite.

As I was reading my latest undertaking – Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven – I started to come across the names of some places that had just recently entered my awareness, due to Michigan’s recruitment of Salt Lake City (UT) Highland fullback Sione Houma.  The book is mostly about the history of the Mormon religion, Mormon Fundamentalism, and the things people do for their religion.  One of the proposed names for Utah Territory before it was established was “Deseret,” which means “honeybee” in The Book of Mormon.  TTB Andrew and I mined the Deseret News  for weekly updates on Houma during his senior season; the paper happens to be owned by the church of the Latter-Day Saints.

Under the Banner of Heaven  by Jon Krakauer.  The frame for the book comes from the 1984 murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, the wife and 15-month-old daughter of Allen Lafferty.  Brenda and Erica were murdered by Allen’s older brothers, whose polygamy and extreme Fundamentalist views were threatening the relationships and physical safety of many women and children in the Lafferty family.  Krakauer reveals the run-up to the murders while simultaneously explaining the origins of the Mormon religion, beginning with the “prophet” Joseph Smith in the early 19th century.  Having known very little about about Mormonism prior to picking up the book, I have found myself fascinated by how quickly and dangerously this off-shoot of Christianity has spread.

Three and Out  by John U. Bacon.  Everybody and his brother has offered his thoughts on Three and Out, which is why I haven’t posted in depth on my response to the book.  Bacon follows Rich Rodriguez throughout his three years at Michigan, while also detailing some interviews with others inside the program.  There’s not much that gets revealed that devout Michigan fans didn’t know already, but it’s nice to get confirmation on some things that were thought to possibly just be internet rumors.  It’s clear that Rodriguez was playing catch-up from the time he was hired and had a snowball’s chance in Hell to be successful.  Rodriguez was somewhat guilty of failing to endear himself to Michigan people, especially with the way he got rid of so many Michigan staffers; rather than making appointments, workers who wanted to stay at Michigan had to wait in line to interview for a chance to keep their positions.  It was a great book for a Michigan fan to read, but only if you like torturing yourself.

The Neverending Story  by Michael Ende.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I still read children’s books.  I watched the movie as a kid but never realized back then that The Neverending Story was actually a book.  It was surprisingly long and convoluted for a children’s book, but it was pleasant nonetheless.  It’s the story of a world that is slowly disintegrating because nobody reads the book anymore.  The only person who can save Fantastica is a fat, nerdy bookworm . . . like Manny from Modern Family.  Or me.

The Silence of the Lambs  by Thomas Harris.  This is an older book, but I was immediately transfixed by Anthony Hopkins’ performance when I saw the film several years ago.  Unfortunately, I never got around to reading any of the books by Harris, but this past summer, I read Hannibal  and couldn’t get enough.  True crime has always been interesting to me, and while I’m not particularly fond of fictionalized crime novels, the Hannibal Lecter series has me enthralled.  In case you’re unfamiliar, a pathological serial killer in the form of Lecter helps a young FBI trainee find a fellow serial killer from behind bars.

The Death of Bunny Munro  by Nick Cave.  I’ve always been a fan of Cave’s music (Murder Ballads, anyone?), but I was unimpressed by this literary effort.  I kept waiting for the story to go into overdrive because I admire Cave’s lyrics, but the story just kind of floated along until the anti-climactic ending.  On the plus side, Cave did write the screenplay and soundtrack for The Proposition.  Maybe I’ll just stick to watching his movies and listening to his songs about death.