Mary Louise Eklund

Tag: book review

Book Comments: The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman

The required US legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique

You know you are in for something different with a subtitle of Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. Actually that’s why I picked up the book, was that subtitle. You see despite all my cheery disposition I’m a cynic at heart. Actually, just like Garfield admitted to Jon he is a cynic wearing a cat suit, I’m one wearing a human suit.

I’ve not embraced my inner cynic much beyond comedic effect I thought but Burkeman taught me what I had labelled as a cynic all these years was really an ancient Stoic. No, not stoic in the modern sense of enduring things without a peep of complaint. (What why are you laughing? I don’t complain THAT much do I?) But rather as the ancient philosophy of accepting the unpleasantness of life as reality that can’t be avoided makes the pleasant things sweeter and frees us to enjoy them more.

Okay, I see you are confused. Let me use the example Burkeman does in the beginning to illustrate this concept. DO NOT THINK OF A WHITE BEAR. What’s the first thing that came to mind reading that? Yep, a white bear. Burkeman explains the psychological reason for that and why the more you try not to think of the bear more bears there are in your thoughts. But the point is the basis of positive thinking is DO NOT THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. So what comes to mind… that’s the point of the book. The more you try not to be negative, the more you check to see if you are happy, the more you notice things that make you unhappy.

Once he’s established that concept Burkeman goes through several ways and philosophies that embrace the negative aspects of life in order to enjoy life. He dedicates a chapter to the ancient Stoics and even visits some jolly modern ones. He explores how Buddhist techniques of watching thoughts go by without engaging them or why not letting what you think define you brings happiness. That the passing thoughts are ‘the noisy breather in the week long silent meditation retreat is out to get me so I’ll get him first’ doesn’t mean you are a bad person or will act on it. Yes Burkeman goes to such a retreat and has similar thoughts.

In the end when the book was over I found out I was happier for having read it. I didn’t feel the need to go DO something that wasn’t me. I’d learned my old technique of cheering myself up with “It could be worse it could be _________” and filling in the blank with the most rotten thing I could think of… was the basis of Stoic philosophy. I learned that in many ways I’m Mexican in my view of death. That the corpse meditation of Buddhism didn’t threaten me as much as other lesser phobias. I am more comfortable with death, the worst case scenario, and facing being uncomfortable than I am with positive thinking. Actually I’m happier among those things than I would be at a motivational seminars. I now know why affirmations make me feel worse not better, at times to the point of evoking anxiety. Sure life sucks sometimes but that makes the times it doesn’t that much more remarkable, sweeter, and for a Stoic (former cynic) like me happier in those moments.

If you are like me and the ‘rah-rah let’s get going to do this thing’ speeches make you roll your eyes and think PUH-leeze! Or if trying to visual success just makes you feel like you have too far to go, or affirmations just reinforce that you aren’t there yet – this book might be for you. We aren’t rainbows, glitter, and unicorn kind of people and that’s okay- we can be happy too. Burkeman just reminds us how to do it our way.

September 9, 2014
Book Comments – Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

The required US legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique

How I found this book is by a podcast from Australia. First let me confess, I love the unexplained/unsolved/mysterious of the world from tales of ghosts to UFO to unsolved murders I’m up to hear the story. One of the ways I regularly feed this is by listening to podcasts. Now, Audible Books is a sponsor of many podcasts. One particular one I enjoy regularly is Mysterious Universe. During the plug for Audible the two hosts often recommend books they have enjoyed, it was here I learned of Wicked Plants. I will never eye a plant the same again.

Wicked Plants is non-fiction that I would say falls into what I call readable non-fiction. Think of two of my favorite authors – Mary Roach and Bill Bryson – their non-fiction books are humorous, informative, and enjoyable. This one fall right in there with those and I will be looking for other titles by Amy Stewart. In this book she takes each type of ‘wicked’ plant (plants that can harm you) goes through the bad boys of that type, tells what they do to you, give you a few interesting tales to hang the facts onto in your memory, then names familiar relatives of the bad boy. For example – Poison Ivy gives you a rash. She explains how this works, why some are barely sensitive and others are ‘exquisitely” sensitive, and then names cashew nuts and mangoes as familiar family members. BUT did you know that only the nut of cashews won’t give you the rash? She explains how you get the delicious nut from a hull and plant that is wicked. Also she tells tales of the exquisitely sensitive to poison ivy that ate the mango. It’s not pretty and that cherry orange fruit and smile shaped nut will never look the same to you. I learned there are plants whose ripe seed pods explode with such force that being struck by is seed is like being shot by a .22 gun. Yes she explains how a weed killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother and just what berries look like bilberries but eating just one will kill you – imagine the family that made them into a pie!

I found myself marking passages and taking notes for use of plants in future plot lines. Oh the uses of the suicide plant in a devious murder… maybe a poison that modern investigators would not think to look for unless the death was suspicious. The story possibilities whirled in my mind. This is a book I will revisit when a wicked character has to clandestinely kill someone or a sharp detective needs a break on difficult case. Also if I’m a fretting mom about what berry did my pet just eat? I can’t tell how many times I cringed remembering my son asking if a berry of a plant I didn’t know in his grandparent’s neighbor’s yard was poisonous. I said I didn’t know. He said “I sure hope not because I just ate one on a dare.” (Yes my insides still scream at that one) Turns out it must not have been as he’s still around and doing well.

This is a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to friends who like me love information. When I closed it I knew it was one that I will always keep and enjoy reading again some day to discover another tidbit that didn’t stick this time. However my strolls through gardens or walks in the woods will never be the same as I eye the possibly wicked greenery around me. You never know when a plant might shoot you or literally hook you causing pain for life!

Until next time!

May 9, 2014
Book Comments – Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The required US legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique

I picked up Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs for three reasons. 1) I was going on vacation and wanted something to read, 2) I had heard a lot favorable talk about the book at the conference, 3) It was on sale when I passed. I can never pass up a bargain paperback that has people talking.

The story centers around Jacob who enjoys the fanciful stories his grandfather tells him as a child. When he was young Jacob believed they were true but as he grew older he doubted the stories. Then as he became a teenager he began to see, with his father’s help, that the grandfather’s stories about monsters, powerful friends, and idyllic orphans home were metaphorical for the tragic childhood he he’d had as an orphan Jewish child fleeing the Nazis. Then grandfather is killed with Jacob finding the man in his last moments. His grandfather’s words haunt him, were the stories really metaphors. Jacob goes to the island of his grandfather’s orphanage to learn the truth of the tales and just what killed his grandfather.

This is a heroic fantasy with all the traditional unknowing hero comes of age elements. I wish I could say there were surprises in the plot but there weren’t. If you’ve read comics, seen Star Wars, or brush up on the Harry Potter series you know what’s coming from the start. It’s one of the classic tales that Perseus himself tread in Greek tales. So I was disappointed in the slow pace of the novel. Every hero needs an origin story but for me the full reveal took too long and the facing the first big bad boss guy was rush as a result.

That said the concept of taking found antique photos and weaving them together to make a story was unique and intriguing. At times it feel he was working too hard to fit a favorite photo into the narrative but others it flowed nicely. Some were prefect fits for the narrative but others were a stretch. The paperback edition I had (I have linked to it in the title up there) included some images that didn’t make the cut. I was inspired to look through the old photo collection I have from genealogy research to see if there were any ‘peculiars’ in my family tree.

What I enjoyed the most about the book was the writing. Ransom Riggs can turn a phrase with a lovely modern twist. His voice as a writer was pleasant to read. I enjoyed it so much I got up from our room’s balcony over the pleasant Caribbean sea to get a highlighter to mark the ones that stood out to me as a writer. I read the rest of the book with the highlighter at hand. Despite a very familiar plot and pacing short comings I enjoyed reading merely for the voice of the writer. I haven’t had such pleasure reading the written word since I finished George R. R. Martin’s Fevre Dream (his best work IMHO).

Overall I enjoyed the book and found it perfect for the vacation read. I liked it well enough to pick up the sequel Hollow City possibly for my next vacation in July.

If you are interested in what I’m reading now or want to see what I have waiting to read you can visit my GoodReads page. If you have an account there by all means friend me! I’m new there. I didn’t even try to list the books I own or have read. (Though I did spend a fun evening reminiscing about books I have read and checking them off. I find a few I put on my to read list this way.) I just started with this one and will carry forward. If you have any suggestions of titles I might enjoy let me know.

Until next time!

May 6, 2014
Book Comments – Gulp, Adventures on The Alimentary Canal

The required US legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique

Let’s start by saying I love everyone of Mary Roach’s books. I discovered her at her second book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and have anxiously awaited the release of every one since then. Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal is her latest offering. I wasn’t so sure that it would be as interesting as her others but knowing that she can face the most uncomfortable subjects with child-like fascination asking the questions we all ponder but don’t know who to ask. Mary finds the specialist that can seriously answer those questions. Then she brings the answers down to the common man level.

Before I go on I have a confession followed by a recommendation. I have never actually READ any of Mary’s books. Instead I’ve enjoyed them on audio books. Yes I started with Stiff and went back to Spook then awaited the release on audio for all the following books. Each reader brings Roach’s every man narration to life, not overly deadpanning the funny aspects tackled in each book nor over playing the amusement. They keep in respectful but inquisitive with slight amusement that they are asking a flatulence expert if food changes the composition of farts or watching nice grandmas make sex toys.

Now to her current topic – how food makes it from mouth to anus and what happens to it on the way. Okay go ahead make the bathroom jokes, but honestly spend time with the very young or the retired elimination will be a topic of discussion. Watch tv note all the stuff hocked that addresses unpleasant passage along the alimentary canal from anti-acids to laxatives/anti-diarrhea medication. We are a society that is consumed by what happens to what we consume but embarrassed to talk about it.

What makes Roach’s books so enjoyable is the fact she’ll acknowledge societal taboos but ask the questions any way. Not only that she introduces us to quirky but delightful specialists to answer those questions. From the Italian Dr. that specializes in studying saliva and its various types – to the team that studies human poop consistency. She attends a party where all the foods are poop texture themed from chocolate covered bananas to chocolate shakes.

The humorous moments lighten the times where horrific issues are discussed. The affliction of mega-colon that can be a side effect of not being born with enough muscles to evacuate properly. Elvis was a famous person who suffered from this. Then there’s the matter of fact account of a poop transplant. Yep you read this right a poop transplant. Take a person who poops well – frequently, good evacuation, good consistency, etc. and get a sample of poop. Then there’s a person who has issues – irritable bowel, frequent going due to damage to the gut flora from say chemo. Transplant the good processed poop via a colonoscopy. Then in a few days, yes just days, the good flora from the good pooper has bloomed and the bad pooper is cured. Sometimes the simplest ideas with the least invasiveness work the best. Sure social taboos about other’s poop come into play but honestly if you have been through cancer or irritable bowl, a colonoscopy for a cure is so simple. Yet, as it stands insurance doesn’t cover it. The poop team is working to change this.

I think Roach summed it up in the start of the book. She stated she hoped your first reaction of “oooh that’s a gross subject” is quickly overcome by “oh this IS interesting!” Basically that sums up most of her career with the exception of Packing For Mars take on topics with their own taboos – death, corpses, sex – with a great scientific eye, honest curiosity, and a fantastic talent to find the right person to ask. Even in Packing For Mars she asks the questions we ponder “What if there’s a personality clash in space? Have fights happened?” or “How did astronauts poop before the space toilet installed?” and so on.

One other thing I’ll tip my hat to Mary Roach for doing – trying it herself. From the butt alignment camera on a space toilet to sex with her husband in an MRI to collecting her spit with a specialist – Mary’s game to participate in her own research. This adds great depth, insight, and humor to her own writing.

At the end of Gulp I had a new appreciation for how my own body takes food and turns it into me and getting rid of the rest. People are fascinating, awe inspiring beings from what ever makes us US and if that survives death to how our magnificent bodies function and malfunction to our aspirations to travel among the stars. When I finish one of Roach’s books I am always in awe for humanity and feel pleasantly educated about just how awesome each and every one of us is.

If you’ve not discovered her books – get thee to the library, store, or audible now! You are in for a treat!

July 24, 2013
If Brains Came With An Owners Manual – THIS Would Be It

Have you ever thought ‘why can’t I do this? it’s so simple!’ or when someone points out a simple better approach to a problem ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ or wonder why some days you can bust the problem of the day but others you are stymied by three simple problems? Well in this book David Rock explains the answers to those questions and much more.

No he doesn’t tell you how to think. Instead he takes the latest neurological understanding of how our brains operate and puts it in every day terms. He makes so we understand what the limitations and the strengths. He then takes normal every day situations and applies what science has learned. There are two takes to each scene. The first is how I’d do it if I were in that situation. No, Rock didn’t interview me but instead took the typical approach of an adult to real world situations. Then he explains what the brain was doing and why we think it works that way. Finally he redoes the scene taking the new information into account.

I was amazed at what I learned. First off just what a power (glucose) monster the brain is! Really, all these years when I’ve complained of mental fatigue I was right. Next how to approach layered problems by grouping things before approaching them. Prefrontal cortex is where we do our fresh thinking. It’s the most powerful part of the brain, the most energy hungry, and surprisingly the most limited. It’s a serial processor. He illustrates it well in the start of this talk from 2009.

Actually that talk is just a glimpse into what the book is about. I found the book more entertaining and of course more informative. No disrespect to his talk, it’s great but there is much more room in the book to go into more detail. Oh and the applying things to everyday life helped me immensely.

I always wondered how things became easier as we did them. No I get that practice makes perfect but how does it make perfect. Why is it the first time I drive to a job getting there consumes me but three months down the road I can listen to a book on tape and get there just fine without thinking about it. Or when I learn a new crochet stitch – I’m consumed in getting it right, reciting the steps as I do them but a week later I’m doing it while watching TV and chatting with Mike. What happened? Well, the short answer is the activity moved from the prefontal cortex to deeper regions of the brain that don’t require so much of the body or myself to run.

There’s a lot of information in this book. I’ve already started using some of the tips and mastering them. I know that if I read it or listen to it again (I got the audiobook version now too) I’ll pick up new steps to try. It’s the kind of book that you process in layers, and now I know why startling new things are like that.

I heartily recommend it to everyone who has a brain and wants to use it. Until next time!

April 11, 2013
Book Comments – I Love Action!

Patient Zero by Jonathan Mayberry available here

We all have our indulgences when it comes to reading and movies. There are those we enjoy but aren’t exactly proud to say we love ’em. Back in high school I was a typical girl in that I was a fan of romances. I thought the movie A Place In Time was just dreamy! The flavor I enjoyed the most was Gothic Romance or Period Romances – it they had a bit of mystery to them all the better! I read Jane Eyre multiple times. I think I went through all the Victoria Holt novels in the local library and started in on the novels under Eleanor Hibbert‘s other pen names. Her writing consistency still inspires me as a writer but I out grew my fondness for romances.

Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria hold available here

It was the 80’s and the corny action films were the hottest thing. I developed a like for them. Why I laughed my way through Expendables 2 was the fun of a time past but still celebrated. In reading I got into thrillers because I enjoyed the challenge of working out the plot before the protagonist and the action. John Grisham’s The Firm was a favorite or later add a paranormal twist to it in Dean Koontz’s The Face or Jim Butcher’s Dresden Series.

My popcorn reading and moving watching now moved from romance to action. I enjoy listening to audiobooks as I go about daily activities. I’m not as much a music person any more as a spoken word person. When searching for a new action series for my ears I stumbled upon Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry. It is full on action that’s for sure, centering around Joe Ledger a cop that comes to lead a tactical anti-terrorist team for the fictional Department of Military Science (DMS). This book centered on a threat of germ warfare – using a specially tailored disease as a zombifying weapon. The DMS rushes to stop it. There is a love interest in it that’s secondary to the main story, which I’m not averse to seeing. It’s fast paced action which is great when biking or walking the dog and fantastic to speed up house cleaning.

The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Mayberry available here.

When it was over I was please to see that it was a series centered around the missions and adventures of Joe Ledger. I moved on to the second novel The Dragon Factory which centered on genetic engineering. Yes they wanted to make super soldiers and more! Again the DMS raced to stop the threat. It was a rollicking action packed novel that I enjoyed very much.

I have to admit I’m not a one book person. Sure I’ve got an audiobook going but I also read the printed word. Usually one or two of those type novels going. This time I lagged a bit getting into the next Joe Ledger installment while I caught up on the printed side. Then I delved into the third novel King of Plagues. Again Joe & his team faced bio-terrorism but with a twist of blackmail and betrayal coupled with outright terrorism – the story opens with the bombing of the London Hospital leaving thousands dead. The book gave me what I came for – a fast pace, action, and thrills. I am looking forward to the next in the series Assassin’s Code followed by The Extinction Machine.

King of Plagues by Jonathan Mayberry is available here.

These aren’t the most beautifully written works. Though genre doesn’t block the ability to have a beautifully written piece check out George R R Martin’s Fevre Dream for horror that is beyond well written that it falls into beautiful prose (for my buck it’s his best exceeding Game of Thrones). Still Joe Ledger has plot holes – just like my favorite action flicks do from Die Hard to Skyfall but if the action is good enough I’ll forgive them to go along for the ride. BUT these aren’t hideously written like some wildly popular series I tried to read to see what the fuss was about – but my red pen itch was too much after the third page I quit. Life is too short to read bad writing that wasn’t corrected by a competent editor. If you and your editor haven’t mastered the elementary basics of English grammar, I won’t waste my time. With Jonathan Maberry you don’t have to worry about this. It’s solid, clean writing that fits the main character and makes a great foundation for page turning action.

My concern about the series it that the threats seem to all be bio-hazard related. This can become trite and overly formula that it kicks me out of the story or another aspect of the plot is brought more to the forefront to cover this fact. This is what knocked me out of the House series years before it ended. It became too formula and the romance part moved to the forefront. I’m not a romance fan any more as the main plot line. I enjoyed two to three years of House and no matter where Joe Ledger goes I’ll have enjoyed three fun action novels. All in all I can’t complain too much, but you know me I can always finding something to fret over or kvetch about.

For end we’ll all read the Legal Disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique.

Until next time!

January 1, 2013