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book recommendations

Book Tuesday: La Seduction

March 27, 2012 by admin

Today’s post is later than normal. Our car arrived in Tacoma! Yay! We drove to pick it up and drop off the rental car at the Seattle airport, so I’ve been in a car all day and have the sore behind to prove it. It felt so wonderful to be in our own car again! Anyway, sorry I’m late, but on to our regularly scheduled post…

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I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that truly captures the essence of France for me. I’ve read travel narratives intended to entertain that fall flat with cultural stereotypes. I’ve enjoyed the Peter Mayle books the most, because he writes about Provence with such affection and delight, but even they do not convey my experience of France. I’m always a sucker for yet another book on French culture, though, in the hopes I will find someone whose vision matches mine.

La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life by Elaine Sciolino approaches France, particularly Paris, from the “charm offensive” point of view. From dress to food, perfume, and even politics, Sciolino attempts to bridge the gap between our two cultures by explaining the French need to infuse beauty and sensuality into all aspects of life.

Whenever I read a book like this, I am interested not only in the content as it stands on its own, but its relevance to my own life. Is there information that is useful for me? To that question, I can answer yes. Over time I have learned to create a more aesthetic life, racing less from task to task and focusing more on quality of life. I’ll never dress like a sophisticated Parisian woman, though I have learned a bit more about combining scarves and hats (more on this tomorrow) with my hiking pants and sweat-wicking tops. I don’t mind the occasional vase of flowers to dress up the house, and I look for little ways to add “plaisir” (pleasure) to my day. Sometimes the small touches bring great joy!

One thing I do not learn from any of these books is what the poorer French, especially those living on the outskirts of Paris, have to say. No one seems to ask them what their lives are like. So we tend to get a distorted picture of the French from its upper crust, and this book, which details interviews the author had with high muckety mucks, including Sarkozy, is no exception.

Still, Sciolino has plenty of fun stories to tell, and she doesn’t hesitate to share her reactions to what we American women would consider sexism or even harassment. She delights in her dealings with a local butcher, learns to not run around in sweat clothes (you might bump into someone you know and have coffee), and revels in sublime French food. She reflects on changes occurring in France — fewer farms, for example, and the second highest consumption of McDonald’s hamburgers behind the U.S. (I’ve been inside a French McDonald’s, and it was so jammed that even my laid-back hubby freaked out a little.)

La Seduction seduces, to a degree. If you’re a francophile, you’ll probably enjoy it, and reading it made me a bit “homesick” for a visit. Sciolino shines best when she’s talking about her interviews over the years. Other reviewers have called her to task for describing a dinner party (they called it boring), but I loved that segment of the book. For this party, Sciolino prepared as best she could, trying to follow the intricate rules of protocol — only to find that the French themselves often broke the rules. To me, it described, in a nutshell, the impossibility, no matter how hard one tries, to truly understand French culture.

Filed Under: books, travel Tagged With: book recommendations, Elaine Sciolino, france, francophile, french culture, joie de vivre, La Seduction, travel

Poser by Claire Dederer

March 20, 2012 by admin

I know I’ve written a lot about yoga lately, and I promise, I’ll get on to other topics. However, I ran across a wonderful book that I couldn’t put down, so may I share just one more?

In Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses, author Claire Dederer explores her life with yoga as the backdrop. While the book at times gets heavy on yoga explanations and history, it’s more about the yoga of life. Dederer grew up in an unusual family situation, and her yoga practice helps her come to terms with how her unique upbringing affected her marriage and how she raises her children. As she examines and unwinds the knots of her earlier life, she begins to let go of her need to “grow,” to “improve,” to “get better.”

When reading Poser, there were times when I felt annoyed with Dederer for a variety of reasons. She could be, at times, pedantic, self-absorbed, spoiled. Though only a little more than a decade separates our ages, I felt the wide gulf of our different generations separating us from each other.

As a writer, though, I admire her for telling her story so honestly that I would feel these emotions and judgments. There is an element of fearless authenticity to her work that grabbed my attention. I kept finding time in my day to pick up the book and read yet another chapter. In the end, I applauded her journey. She has written about ordinary life — marriage, children, and work struggles — but in a way that never gets boring.

Whether or not you’re into yoga, if you have ever found yourself trying to be the perfect wife or mom, or perfect woman of any kind, Poser will remind you that self-acceptance, not self-improvement, brings greater peace and joy to life.

Filed Under: books, Yoga Tagged With: book recommendations, books, Claire Dederer, Poser, yoga

Homecoming: A Novel By Sue Ann Bowling

December 13, 2011 by admin

I only knew about Homecoming because its author, Sue Ann Bowling, is in my online writing group. I read it because I want to read everything my buddies are writing…but wow, what a pleasant surprise! Surprise because Homecoming falls under the category of science fiction, a genre I seldom read.

Bowling has the science chops, with degrees in physics and geophysics, but the real strength of her writing comes from her characterizations — which is the main reason I’m including it here on this blog as a recommended book. While some may be put off initially by the otherworldliness of the setting, Bowling does a good job of explaining her imaginary world, leaving us with what is simply a great story. My advice to readers: hang with it and enjoy the journey. Anything that doesn’t make sense at first will be explained! In other words, you don’t have to like sci fi to enjoy this book.

Homecoming centers around the story of Snowy, a young slave boy who has suffered unfathomable abuse at the hands of his masters. Snowy has unusual abilities and gifts that he works hard to keep a secret. As events unfold that move him toward freedo, his biggest challenge is overcoming the mental and psychological effects of the slavery. Sweet and beautiful, loyal to his friends, and yet deeply wounded, Snowy’s journey is a touching one.

Help comes in the form of unlikely heroes: Derik, who, after a wild past, still struggles with inner demons; Lai, one of the few survivors of a race of people with special gifts, whose love for, and loss of, a woman named Cloudy has left him eternally bereft; and Marna, whose identity I will keep shrouded rather than spoil too much of the story. At the same time, Snowy will have to fight for respect, and his enemies are powerful, including Lai’s son, Zhaim. It won’t be easy!

My only caution regarding this book is its scenes, though not overly graphic, of sexual abuse and violence. These are essential to the story and help the reader get into the mindset of slaves and slave owners, and so are not gratuitous in any way.

I hope that we will see much more of Snowy in the future! Bowling’s next novel, Tourist Trap, continues the saga, and I look forward to reading it as well.

For more information on Sue Ann, visit her website at http://sueannbowling.com/. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up a fan of sci fi after all.

Filed Under: books, fiction Tagged With: book recommendations, books, fiction, Homecoming, science fiction, Sue Ann Bowling

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