Day 170: The Wave

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey  ISBN: 9780767928847 (Bound Galley).

The next time I really got tossed on my ass by a wave was in Hawaii.  I can't remember which island we were on at the time, because I've visited two.  I'm fairly certain we were on Hawaii (the Big Island) at the time.  It was the last real family vacation I ever went on, and we had both sets of grandparents along with us.  About a year later, my parents would be embroiled in divorce proceedings and my brother's drug problems and violence towards me would escalate.  But for the time, we were all happy and having a wonderful tropical vacation.

It was near the end of the vacation, and we had already packed in quite a bit.  We visited old lava flows and the petroglyphs and black sand beaches.  There was snorkeling and lots of time spent out in the sun, with all of the grandparents in full wide-brim hats and zinc on their noses to protect paper thin skin.  It was just me, my brother, and my parents out on the beach at that point.  The grandparents were tired, but my brother and I wanted to continue body surfing.  The tide was just starting to turn and the waves alternated between gentle swells and what seemed like giants.

I didn't have my back turned this time, so much as I picked the wrong part of the wave to ride.  For those of you who haven't been body surfing, you have to choose the exact right part of the wave.  You want to surf the top near the crest of the wave, but not so close that you'll end up in the whitewater (the part that crashes - either onto land or more water depending on how far out you are).  If you catch it too far back you won't go very far and it makes for a disappointing wave, whereas if you catch it too early...

This is what happened to me that day.  I jumped with the wave a little too early, and it decided to pipeline.  I was caught in a sort of horizontal water tornado.  It brought me up and up, and then I lost all sense of direction as it flipped me over.  At some point my head hit the bottom of the ocean, bruising my forehead.  Luckily we were on a soft sand beach (fine grains, with little to no rocks), but it was still enough force to make me dizzy.  When I finally found my footing I headed back for shore as quickly as possible, afraid that I might lose consciousness in the ocean.  My brother mocked me, but having previous experience with the ocean's moods, I knew better than to risk it.

You don't have to be a surfer to die in the surf.  You don't even have to be out in twenty, thirty, fifty, or eighty foot swells.  You can die just as easily on an eight foot wave.  Sharks are less likely to kill you than the ocean itself, but it's too hard to make a monster out of something so transient and ever-changing.  It's why we keep getting back in the water, and why it keeps reminding us that doing so, even in the calmest situations, is not always safe.  But then that's life.

My review can be found on Goodreads.

Day 169: The Wave

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey.  ISBN: 9780767928847 (Bound Galley).

I might have been six.  It was an overcast day, chilly, but not too cold.  One of those California days where a windbreaker isn't a bad idea, and it was the early 90's or late 80's when windbreakers were "cool."  The entire family was out on the beach for the day, probably in addition to a trip to one of the more interesting coastal towns.

I was wading in the water, enjoying the feel of fine sand between my toes, and the push and pull of the water.  I looked back to watch my family walk further up the beach, away from the surf.  My dad cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled at me,

"Don't turn your back on the ocean."

And as I turn around, a wave knocks me off my feet and takes me out to sea.  I felt it suck me back as I gulped sea water, my eyes burning from the salt.  My head broke the surface some seconds later and I coughed the water back out and tried to orient myself before the wave pushed me back under.  I was actually more calm under the water than above.  Underneath I knew the wave would have its way with me, and there was not much I could do but wait for my next breath.  The calm I felt was uncanny, as if it would be okay if I just let go and let the ocean have me.  The wave finally let me go, pushing me out of the surf and onto the sandy beach.  I scrambled up before another wave could take me.  And I never turned my back again.

But it wasn't the last time the ocean tossed me around like a toy.  Read more tomorrow.

This is a good overview of what's in the book, if not an actual review.

Day 168: The Witch of Hebron

The Witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler.  ISBN: 9780802116912 (uncorrected proof - published September 7, 2010).

 Kunstler mentions the "soporific effects" of reading.  You would think that a book that puts you to sleep has no value as literature, but hey, some of us have trouble sleeping.  There were definitely moments in this book where I hit the snooze button, but then the switching back and forth between characters and very short chapter length probably led to some lack of inattention on my part.  It's hard to keep track of everyone or become invested early on in the book when you only read 5 pages for each POV.

When I was young I sometimes had trouble sleeping (and still do).  I would always go into my mom's room and whine at her.  She would tell me to just go to my room and read for awhile or lay in the dark with my eyes closed.  Neither of these really seemed to work, but reading especially didn't help.  I would get too wrapped up in the characters and find myself still awake at 2AM.  Nowadays reading does tend to help more often than not.  Maybe it's because I've read it all before.  There's not much new out there to keep my attention late into the night unless it's particularly well written.  Maybe adult literature is just more boring (the books I have stayed up for, even now, tend to be YA).

Or maybe I trained myself to fall asleep when I read.  There were hours I spent doing reading homework because I would take naps between chapters in college and high school.  Does anyone else out there read to help them sleep?  Are there specific books you use?  Was there a book that made you fall asleep so often that you couldn't finish it or it took you ages to finish it?

My review can be found on Goodreads.

Day 167: The Witch of Hebron

The Witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler.  ISBN: 9780802116912 (uncorrected proof - published September 7, 2010).

There would be quite a few benefits to living in a world without electricity or oil.  We would automatically lead healthier lives with the necessity of traveling by foot or horseback.  We would probably eat heartier, but all of the food would be natural, with no chemical additives.  I imagine butter and bacon grease isn't so bad for us if you take away the preservatives and the leisurely lifestyle.

We would once again be force to rely on each other in a cooperative manner rather than a server-and-served capacity.  It's hard to treat someone as subservient or disrespectfully when you will rely on them to doctor your animals or your children, when you might rely on them to grow poppies for your laudanum supply since there are no longer more reliable anesthesia methods available.  At the very least you rely on them to help watch your property and protect your family from wild animals and outsiders.

We could see the stars again.  Bright.  Luminous.  More awe-inspiring because we have no hopes of reaching them again.

I had the privilege and misfortune of living without electricity for four months.  It was not a complete lack, we did have solar panels, which were used sparingly, and of course there were battery powered flashlights for trips to the bathroom and to light the kerosene lamps.  We were in an isolated area, the nearest neighbor was about a mile and a half and there was no light pollution to speak of.

It was not an easy adjustment for me.  There were moments when I sought refuge in the comforts of electric lights and hot running water and central heat.  But there was also a pleasure in learning to build a fire in the wood stove.  There was a romance in writing letters to friends by kerosene lantern or reading the works of Dumas, who probably wrote his work in similarly dim and cold surroundings.

I don't know that I want to go back to a life without electricity or automobiles, but I think I would be prepared to see the good, to revert back to a life where knowing my neighbor is a necessity rather than a pleasantry.

My review can be found on Goodreads.

Day 166: Adaptations

"Rear Window" by Cornell Woolrich in Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen.*
ISBN: 97814000053148.

The premise of this short story is that a nosey neighbor with a broken leg and too much time on his hands witnesses suspicious behavior in the building next to him.  He suspects murder and calls the cops.  The question is, how morally responsible are we for reporting suspicious behavior?

This is such a tricky question for me.  As a librarian I unequivocally believe in every citizens' right to privacy.  But if someone's life is in danger or has been taken, don't I also have a responsibility, as a social being and a community member, to prevent harm?  These are the ethical dilemmas of both my profession and my own moral compass.  I am actually not so frightened of the people who come to the library and check out books about bomb making or euthanasia; these are people who act openly even if only in front of their circulation clerk.  I'm more concerned about the people who hide in their homes and do research solely on the internet.  Not that I think their actions should be monitored either, but there is something to the "I'm not doing anything wrong so I have nothing to hide" mentality.

But what if I did observe this behavior in a setting I was not meant to observe?  If I viewed suspicious behavior in someone else's home, I honestly don't know how I would react.  It's likely not a decision I would make on my own.  I would probably discuss it closely with family or friends to determine the best reaction.  I certainly wouldn't rely solely on my own speculations and paranoia to make the best judgment.  But I think perhaps the best I can hope for is to never have to make that decision.


*Film adaptation is Rear Window (1954).  Short story was originally titled "It Had to be Murder."
**Post originally written August 14th, 2010.  I'm a little behind on my reading.

Day 165: Breaking Night

Breaking Night by Liz Murray. ISBN: 9780786868919 (ARC - publishes Sept 7, 2010).

Early in the book Murray talks about her dad going through the trash.  Man, oh man, do I love dumpster diving.  I've never really been brave enough to actually dig through dumpsters, but I've always been fond of trash.  In fact, my first forays into dumpster diving were around the age of 8 or so. 

We were station in Altus, Oklahoma at the time, and there just wasn't a whole lot to do in the neighborhood.  I sometimes made extra cash by picking up aluminum cans and having my dad take them to the recycling center for me.  I usually got about three to four dollars from a 12 gallon trash bag of cans (crushed of course).  But I also picked out small appliances and took them apart.  I remember finding a rotatory dial telephone once and spending the evening removing the casing and separating the parts.  I kept the bell for awhile, and stuck the magnet on the fridge, I saved all the screws and placed them in my mom's tool box.

But I've also picked up furniture on the side of the road.  One of my favorite tables I picked up while walking back to my dorm room one day.  It wasn't in very good condition, but it had that amazing kidney shape and was fairly tall, with a drawer.  In order to cover the poor condition of the table top I wrapped it up in a piece of green fabric and it looked passable in my last dorm room and first apartment.  It worked quite well for dropping mail.

I'm not opposed to going through trash for something usable.  I'm not quite ambitious enough to dig through the really nasty stuff, but I will definitely pick up things on the top that aren't touching questionable substances.  We throw away so much in this country, but then it seems no one has time to try to fix anything or find it a better home.  Some of us have to be proactive about find those throwaways new places to live.

My review can be found over at Goodreads.com.

Day 164: Breaking Night

Breaking Night by Liz Murray. ISBN: 9780786868919 (ARC - publishes Sept 7, 2010).

I don't have a whole lot in common with Murray.  I certainly didn't have parents who did coke (to my knowledge, anyway) and I don't recall ever going hungry even if I didn't get everything I ever wanted.  I did skip school.  It wasn't so much that I wasn't motivated to go, or that I spent the day hanging out with my friends.  Usually I took the day off because I didn't have any friends, and was often actively antagonized by my classmates.

With so little to look forward to in my day, and what seemed like mostly pointless classes, I just stayed home.  I think my mother knew that most of the time I was faking illness, and then there were the times were she left for work before I was even awake and told her I didn't go because "I wasn't feeling well."  It was true, for three out of four years the idea of going to school filled me with a dread that curled up in my stomach and stayed there all day. 

I didn't do much with my days.  I actually usually just did homework or read ahead in my textbooks.  I watched Ricki Lake and The Price is Right.  I napped a lot.  I just enjoyed the lack of pressure of staying home.  I didn't have to work hard to be invisible or quiet, to try and go unnoticed.  A good day at school was one where no one talked to me or about me or pointed at me and laughed.  A good day off from school was one where I was able to do whatever I wanted, no one missed me, and I could breathe.  If I had been able to go to high school where I could just focus on my classes and be left alone, I would have been fine.  Instead I took the maximum number of health days from class I could without failing or getting my mother in trouble.

In contrast I hardly ever missed a class at Antioch.

My review can be found over at Goodreads.com.

Day 163: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  ISBN: 9780439023511.

Collins' take on the role of media in this book is absolutely fabulous.  In fact, I think someone could write a very well written college-level paper about the Media as Character and manage to astound their professor if they were ambitious enough.  With three books' worth of material you could easily write about 15 pages and include an analysis of the personalities of different news and "news" shows.

I'm actually very happy that there as no internet in the Districts or the Capitol.  It would have made the dumb complacency of the Capitol highly unbelievable.  With a tightly controlled televised media, it's easy to pipe whatever thoughts you want into households and make people swallow it.  Since there was no communication between districts, you had to accept the information as true, or know that it was fabricated and altered, but not how.  No one was able to fact check, so it was nearly impossible for anyone to start a rebellion because no one really knew how bad it was except for their own little District.  Not that I think the internet would have helped form a revolution, but it would have potentially created a more informed citizenry.  Our civilization is complacent in different ways.  We seem to enjoy being uninformed and somewhat stupid, but I think that's a different topic.

I was actually surprised that the rebellion decided to use Katniss in pretty much the same way the Capitol used her during the Hunger Games.  In fact, I was surprised that Kantiss allowed this.  I suppose I shouldn't have been; by this point it probably felt natural to have cameras follow her around.  I'm not saying I didn't expect the Rebellion to use her for publicity, but sending her into combat situations with cameras seems like a very risky move to a group of people concerned with losing a sustainable population of humans.

Sure, we throw camera men, etc. in to combat situations, but we have billions of people where the world Katniss lives in probably only had thousands.  We're also not used to the idea of watching live combat situations for entertainment (unless you count boxing, a handful of other sports, and cop shows).  It seems to me that the Rebellion would want to distance itself from the Capitol as much as possible, but then when you're trying to reach an audience I suppose you work with what's best.  Kind of makes you think about the TV shows we watch and have foisted on us, not to mention the kind of news they try to feed us.

An excellent spoiler-free review can be found over at books i done read.  I have previous posts about Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  Click the shiny links.

Day 162: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  ISBN: 9780439023511.

Holy crap.  That was not the ending I was expecting, despite all the griping from other book bloggers I've been reading, or skimming really in an attempt to avoid spoilers.  It's definitely a worthy ending to the series, and I think will be appreciated much more once people calm the fuck down and get over the hype.  I will agree that the tacked on epilogue was very end-of-Harry-Potteresque and I hated them both.  They were unnecessary, the story was over, I don't need to know what happens after everything is wrapped up.  That's what fan-fiction is for.

Now I'm going to get on a soap box and start yelling at people.  Here we go.

Cut out the Team Peeta, Team Gale, Team Whatever bullshit!

Ahem.  Thank you.  Seriously, you have no idea how much this annoys me.  Sure, it's cute when they do the sketches on The Daily Show.  However, it is obnoxious and insulting when grown women (in particular) do it and not much better when teenager girls do it.  You wanna know why?  Of course you do, because I'm ragey and hatey and it makes for good blogging.  It's insulting because it assumes that (in this case) Katniss only has two options and that she can't make valid decisions for herself, so we, the audience, ought to barge in and make them for her with yelling and shouting and fan-girling all over the place.


Oh, but she's a fictional character, so it's okay to have a little bit of fun with it, etc.  Okay, so it doesn't have a direct influence on a real person's life, but I don't think this is behavior we ought to be encouraging women to participate in.  They may end up distrusting their own judgment regarding their selection of mates, and the idea of using a system as childish as Team X or Y kind of makes me sick to my stomach.  It also removes any sort of autonomy or power or even responsibility from the person in question to make her own decisions about her future.

Without giving away too much about the end, I think Katniss made the right decision for her, because it was probably the first and only decision she actually made on her own. In fact, I think Collins tried to slip in some "OMG STFU about the Team shit" herself when she has Katniss make this statement very early in the book: 

"The very notion that I'm devoting any thought to who I want presented as my lover, given our current circumstances, is demeaning."  Page 40.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.  Yes.  For the first two books Katniss was consistently told us she had no interest in getting married regardless of how she felt for anyone because she didn't want to bring children into a world with the Hunger Games.  Rather than applauding her maturity in this decision (when she seems to avoid being mature about much else, granted - teenager), people are yelling and screaming and fawning and pressing for her to choose one or the other and right now.

They're fictional characters and they're going to end up with who the author wants them to end up with, but they're also stand-ins for real human beings and we need to respect who they are and who they represent as people.  Don't get pissy when they make the "wrong" choice, it's not your decision to make and we read to grow.  Watching other people make the wrong choice is often more helpful than having them live perfect lives, and often a lot more exciting.

I am decidedly Team STFU, by the way.  And maybe a bit Team Buttercup, but who can go wrong loving a cat?

An excellent spoiler-free review can be found over at books i done read.  I have previous posts about Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  Click the shiny links.

Day 161: a general update

So...I dropped two books from my reading since the last time I made a general update.  I just could not get into Kelly Armstrong's Frostbitten and I think Bozo Sapiens was just a little too smart for me given my current level of brain activity.  I might try that one again at some point, but the nature of the writing does not make me want to read it non-stop.

Anyway, I finished Mockingjay yesterday so expect two posts about that.  You'll find out whether I'm Team Gale or Team Peeta.  I'll also be discussing the use of media in Mockingjay, which I found to be a fascinating element of the series.

I've decided to participate in Banned Book Week this year, and while I'm willing to take suggestions I've already got a tentative list that includes: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman, Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of Grapes of Wrath by Rick Wartzman, Gerald's Game by Stephen King, and maybe a few others if I have time/lack inspiration to write multiple posts on one book.  I am more than willing to have multiple posts during the week, so if you want to be a guest blogger feel free to email me with your post, or to ask for details.

I don't have plans for reading between now and Banned Book Week which is September 25-October 2 (and starts on Shel Silverstein's birthday appropriately enough).  I've pretty much decided to work on my stack of ARCs that I picked up from ALA with the occasional library book thrown in.  So from now until about the 25th, my reading will be a surprise to the both of us...unless you're watching my Goodreads account, in which case you'll at least know what I'll be posting about next.

By the way, today is Richard Wright's 102nd birthday.  His book Black Boy frequently shows up on banned book lists.