Reading Matters: August 2013

Books Purchased:

Time Warped by Claudia Hammond

Redemption by Bryan Clay

Inferno by Dan Brown (Kindle edition)

The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale

Books Read:

Redemption

Inferno

The Polysyllabic Spree

The Works by P.G. Wodehouse (Kindle edition)  (ongoing)

Beowulf Translated by John McNamara

        Let me be up front about it: I am stealing the format for my book posts, from here on, from Nick Hornby. His regular column “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” from The Believer Magazine (an advertising-free collection of interviews, essays, and reviews) was the fuel for his book The Polysyllabic Spree. His wit, humor, intelligence, and literacy make for great reading and have inspired me to rethink how I am handling book reviews here on my blog and elsewhere.  I particularly loved the fact that he is up front that he doesn’t read every book he buys; he “panic” shops when a new child is born to him and his partner; he is a reader of nuance and has valuable opinions about successive works by the same author; and he is doggone delightful to read.

        I don’t even remember where I came across the title for his book, but the subtitle- “A Hilarious and True Account of One Man’s Struggle with the Monthly Tide of the Books He’s Bought and the Books He’s Been Meaning to Read”- made me put the book on my Amazon wish list. Over this summer, I rededicated myself to reading more, lots more, just to spite my more-than-busy schedule this semester. As soon as my teaching money started to come in, I honored my commitment and bought a bunch of books (see above).

        Beowulf is for my British Literature Class. No matter how many times I have read it nor the detailed notes I have taken, I still have to read the book before I teach it. I wish I had a memory for plot details instead of themes and overtones, but alas, I don’t and at this late stage in the game, don’t think it will ever develop. So read, and reread, is part of my job. That said, this translation by John McNamara for The Barnes and Noble Classic Edition is great. Both lively and vivid, McNamara renders this classic of British Literature enjoyable for me as a teacher and for my students coming to it for the first time.

        Redemption is the story of Bryan Clay, 2 time Olympic medalist in the decathalon (Silver in 2008, Gold in 2010). His memoir, co-written by Joel Kilpatrick, chronicles his transformation from a rebellious party animal with good athletic skills to a world-class athlete. Along the way, Clay learns to commit to his sport and his wife, and most importantly to God. His message becomes “Do your best, and let God do the rest.” That may seem like wimping out, but I think it is just the recognition we all gain as we grow up that we are not really in control of much, so we need to relax and trust in our training and abilities.

        Another one of the things I really enjoyed about Hornby’s book—I keep coming back to him, I see. I guess that makes his work the most-influential of the month—were his frequent references to P.G. Wodehouse. I picked up The Works because I have always loved the Wooster and Jeeves stories, especially the adaptations starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry that aired on PBS. I knew that Wodehouse had written about much more than the befuddled Bertie Wooster and his Man Extraordinaire, but I didn’t realize the spread of his stories. I am finding stories set in France and New York alongside those in London (and nearby suburb). There’s even a few with a dog as the protagonist. Always the humorist, Wodehouse manages to portray the humanity of his characters as they struggle with everything from being downtrodden to rising on the social ladder. Love, relationships, friendship, and family are the stuff of all the stories. And the wit and jokes! Come for the jokes and stay for the humanity. Wodehouse is perfect for dipping into when I need a little levity. Read too many in a row and they all start to sound the same.

        Now, the only other book I read that I haven’t talked about is Dan Brown’s Inferno. Let me insert my Amazon.com book review here because I have already done the work and don’t plan on losing any sleep over writing a different review here: Dan Brown's novel Inferno is infused with the beauty of Venice and Florence. I loved all the references to the art and architecture and with a little bit of research, was able to run alongside the characters and "see" the sights for myself.

Like all Dan Brown books, this one has the usual cryptic messages and clues that leave our hero and his requisite tag-along girl running from location to location, chased by various characters. Brown includes the usual plot twists and the "is he or isn't he?" a bad guy that is supposed to leave you guessing until the end for the big reveal.

My only criticism of the novel is that the characters are unnecessarily dense at times. You would think that lead character Robert Langdon would remember his past brushes with cryptology and be a bit quicker at solving the clues. I had no advanced knowledge of the subject matter or setting of the book, and even I was able to figure out some things more quickly than the characters. I don't know that Brown dumbed-down his protagonist, but let's just say I wasn't that impressed with Langdon's supposed genius at times.

If you read travel guides for fun, enjoy Italian art and architecture, and are interested in the question of population growth, you will probably like this book.