Big Book Read #8

Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry

436 Pages

To me Stephen Fry (Jeeves & Wooster, Wilde, A Bit of Fry and Laurie) has always seemed like an astoundingly intelligent, witty man, the product no doubt of a well-to-do family and a very expensive Oxbridge education, nothing that I could relate to. What I did not know about Fry is that his childhood, though decades before my own, seemed awfully familiar; full of the ups and downs of navigating a school’s social hierarchy, making trouble (in his case A LOT of trouble), angsty arguments with parents and first loves.

In this memoir, Fry chronicles his first twenty years in a very honest way. Most of the memoir discusses his years in boarding school and the hilarity and heartbreak that made him the person he is today. Knowing from an early age that he was gay made for some rather poignant and emotional stories as he struggled to fit in. He was not a model child as the tales of the strap, other punishments and a stint in prison at the age of eighteen will attest.

Fry writes just as he speaks, which means that this book is absolutely charming. If you don’t mind the odd naughty word or some frank discussions of sex you will really enjoy this book. I was quite disappointed at the end when I realized I had run out of pages. If only he’d write another about the next twenty years!

Big Book Read #7

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson

348 Pages

Fans of The Late Late Show will know that recently Scottish-born host Craig Ferguson became an American citizen; a moment he says was many years in the making. American on Purpose is a memoir of Ferguson’s life leading up to his naturalization. I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a funny, brutally honest memoir.

Ferguson writes about his childhood growing up in Glasgow, Scotland; a city he describes as both beautiful and hard. The stories from his childhood are both amusing and painfully awkward; stories which I know most readers can identify with in some way. He also describes the night that, as a teenager, he got drunk for the first time, resulting in him waking up with a black eye and a very angry mother. This story also foreshadows a good portion of the rest of the book.

Alcohol played a big part of Ferguson’s life from his late teens until he was nearly thirty. As the grip of chronic alcoholism took hold of his life he drifted from one job to another and one girl to another. He very funnily and painfully describes how his life unraveled and how he was helpless to stop it. Ultimately, alcohol cost him friends, two marriages and his sanity.

I’m surprised Ferguson was able to remember so many events from his life while drinking so much. Despite his alcoholism he managed to develop a respected stand-up career and grab small acting jobs in television and film though he is very quick to give his supportive friends the credit for most of these opportunities.

The last part of the book follows Ferguson as he comes back to the US to look for work and fulfill his dream of living in the States. It’s the story of how he cleaned up and made something of himself, but not without failing a million times before. He wanted his own “American dream”; to find success through hard work and determination in the only place in the world where he knew that was possible. And as we all know, that dream came true.

Big Book Read #6

Big Book Read #6

Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind

785 Pages

Whew! I made it through another book in the Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind. The sixth book of the series, Faith of the Fallen begins right where Soul of the Fire left off; with Richard and Cara taken a seriously wounded Kahlan into Richard’s home of Westland to heal in secret. Meanwhile, Jagang and his Imperial Order are running wild through the Midlands.

Richard is quickly captured and it looks as if he and Kahlan will never see each other again. He is taken off “into oblivion” and held prisoner by an old enemy while Kahlan is left to lead the D’Haran troops in defending the people off the Midlands against a must larger and must stronger Order.

Goodkind gets a bit preachy for my taste in Faith of the Fallen. Throughout the long book, and especially in the last third, he hammers his philosophy of reason over faith into the reader. The world under the Imperial Order in Goodkind’s work appears to be some really screwed up mixture of Communism and religious fundamentalism. It’s a world where everyone must be equal and no one can work too hard for fear of outshining someone less able. You’re hit with several images of bread lines, rampant unemployment, political purges and torture. Additionally, the “Brothers of the Order” are skulking about reminding the people that they are worthless creatures and can only be saved in the afterlife by suffering in the present and only through despair can they live fully in the light of their creator after death. It’s all very depressing.

The good bits of the book, in my opinion, are those concerning Kahlan. She has been separated from Richard and is now left to lead the people of the Midlands in his place while knowing full well that it’s a futile effort. Despite her sadness and the hard living and violence of traveling with the army she shows herself to be a strong and capable leader and a fierce warrior in her own right. It’s nice to come across a female character that has to go rescue the man for a change.

This wasn’t my favorite book of the series but I enjoyed the greater focus on the two main characters in contrast to Soul of the Fire, which focused on too many characters. It was exciting, emotional and violent; a big old adventure that was a pleasure to read.

Big Book Read #5

The F-Word by Jesse Sheidlower

270 Pages

Jesse Sheidlower is the Editor-At-Large of the Oxford English Dictionary, what one would assume to be a very serious position. What some may not know about Mr. Sheidlower is that he is also one of the foremost authorities on obscenity in English. Now, to me this is much more exciting than working with the boring OED.

This book was given to me for my 29th birthday by my friend Lynda. I’m assuming she gave it to me, not because of my interest in the etymology of a word but because I am well known (among my friends) for my frequent and hearty swearing. In my opinion, there is nothing quite as satisfying as a well-placed f-bomb when the situation requires it.

Mr. Sheidlower begins The F-Word with a brief etymological discussion of the world “fuck”. Is it an acronym? No. Is it from the Latin? Probably not. It’s early history is in fact, rather boring. It’s when Sheidlower gets into the word’s use in literature, music and film that it gets a bit more fun.

The rest of the The F-Word is a dictionary. Sheidlower lists most of the variations and uses of our most beloved swear word, and I thank him for it. While reading it I smiled at my favorites and laughed out loud at some completely absurd variations. Who wouldn’t let out a giggle after coming across “fiddlefuck’?

Because it’s a dictionary, The F-Word can be a bit tedious to read at times. But, I had fun anyway. It’s not everyday that you get to read a book chock full of your favorite naughty word. Do I recommend it? Absofuckinglutely.

Big Book Read #4

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Pages 333

Stardust is the story of Tristran Thorn and his adventures from the small town of Wall through the land of Faerie and back again. Tristan left on a quest to recover a fallen star for his true love but didn’t quite get what he had expected. Gaiman has turned the traditional fairy tale on its head with a word and what follows is something both familiar yet entirely unique.

For any one familiar with Gaiman’s work you will know that he’s a writer with seemingly limitless imagination and a great sense of humor. This story doesn’t disappoint. Tristran’s journey through Faerie is full of adventure, danger and fun. Along the way he meets his fallen star, a unicorn, an evil witch and a sky captain who fishes for lightening, just to name a few. Ultimately, this story is about the pursuit of love. It is a fairy tale for grown-ups and its well...magical!

This book could easily be finished in one sitting and I recommend you do. I found that as soon as I picked it up I was hesitant to put it back down again. The characters are so well done that you feel as if you can hear them speaking to you from the pages and Gaiman has created the world of Faerie in such a way that you can smell the air and feel the wind on your face. You are completely drawn into the world he has created.

Big Book Read #3

SOUL OF THE FIRE by Terry Goodkind

788 Pages

Soul of the Fire is the fifth book in the eleven book Sword of Truth series by fantasy writer Terry Goodkind. The book continues the story of Richard Rahl, Seeker of Truth, War Wizard and now leader of the D’Haran Empire and his new wife, Kahlan Amnell, The Mother Confessor. The previous books have chronicled Richard’s journey from humble woods guide to Seeker of Truth bound to rid the world of evil.

The fifth book begins with Richard finally marrying the love of his life, Kahlan Amnell, his companion and protector throughout the first books of the series. Soon after their wedding however, Richard’s grandfather, First Wizard Zedd realizes that Kahlan has accidentally, in order to save Richard’s life, set “The Chimes” loose in the world. This is bad. This is very bad. The Chimes are after Richard’s soul and as they hunt for him they rid the world of all its magic, leaving Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and many others without their powers. Meanwhile the evil Emperor Jagang has amassed a massive army to take over all the Midlands. Did I mention this is bad?

I wasn’t aware until recently of Goodkind’s belief in Objectivism. As an Objectivist he is a devotee to the work of Ayn Rand (insert my husband’s eye roll here). I’m not very familiar with Ayn Rand and Objectivism but can see its influence on Goodkind’s characters. There are themes such as “people will believe what they want or fear to be true” and the rule of unintended consequences throughout the series. In Soul of the Fire Goodkind’s character Jagang can invade people’s minds as a “dreamwalker” and can force them to do things, which they would not normally do. He and his Imperial Order then subjugate the conquered using a form of religion. Looking up a bit of info on Rand shows that this is alluding to the Objectivist idea that faith and force act as destroyers of the world.

Now, even if you think this particular philosophy is complete bunk it shouldn’t diminish your enjoyment of this book, or the entire series if you are a fan of the fantasy genre. I went through four books before realizing their Objectivist undertones and it didn’t matter a whit to me. Goodkind has created a complex fantasy world with noble yet flawed heroes and some really frightening baddies. Expect six more Goodkind reviews to come. I intend to finish all eleven of these.

Big Book Read #2

HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR by Thomas C. Foster

299 Pages

For me How To Read Literature Like A Professor takes off where my first read, How To Read A Book, began. Although the first book was helpful, it mostly dealt with Non-Fiction reading. Foster’s book deals only with fiction and poetry and that’s just what I was looking for.

Foster has been teaching literature and writing at the University of Michigan – Flint for the past twenty years. He has written a very interesting, and at time humorous, book about major themes and symbols in literature. For example, he explains that sharing a meal can symbolize communion (but perhaps not in the traditional sense), a journey can symbolize a quest, and how when in doubt, it’s probably from Shakespeare.

As I was reading I began to wonder if reading so much into a novel would affect my enjoyment of the story in a negative way. If I’m so busy wondering if the rain the characters are walking through is symbolic or if the main character is a Christ figure am I giving up on reading for pure enjoyment? In the end, I don’t believe so. If anything I’ll find more enjoyment from the story because of the added thinking and wondering. I’ve already begun to identify certain themes in another book I am reading and I’m enjoying that part of reading quite a bit.

Foster’s book is both chock full of good information and easy to read which is a perfect combination for someone like me who never made it past Intro To Literature in college. It’s obvious he loves what he does and that makes reading his book all the more fun. He takes examples from epic poems, Shakespeare, Hemingway, Eliot and Joyce to name just a few to show that these themes and symbols can be found anywhere, as long as you know what to look for.