Author Archive
The Pinney Book Group recently read and discussed Jayber Crow by the prolific Wendell Berry. It’s the fictional narrative of Jonah Crow (eventually to be nicknamed Jayber), the barber of Port William, Kentucky. Jayber is a native of the Port William area who spends much of his early life in an orphanage (after the death of his parents and, later, the death of the kindly couple who takes him in). Feeling a “call,” he enrolls in a seminary. There, Jayber finds himself greatly unsettled by all the unanswered questions his study of religion provokes, especially the contradiction between the merciful and the destructive God.
During an epic flood, Jayber feels another “call” – this time to see his own home near Port William. It’s quite an adventure. Eventually, he seals his fate when he runs into Burley Coulter, who promptly paves the way for his employment (as the town barber) and his home (above the barbershop). Jayber’s narrative spans several decades and too many wars. The land itself commands a strong presence, and the differing treatment of the land by humans creates the book’s primary conflict.
Everyone at the discussion found Berry’s writing beautiful and the story engrossing. Several members were a bit creeped out by Jayber’s love life (in his mind, he “marries” an already-married woman and never bothers to tell her) but figured that he couldn’t form a normal male-female relationship because he had no models of such a thing as a child. We were charmed by the stories of townsfolk that Jayber heard through the grapevine. Though he didn’t mingle much in society, the men of town would lollygag and jaw in his barber shop in their free time.
After previously reading Jayber Crow, one attendee had gone on a Wendell Berry fiction kick (though he’s published essays and poetry as well). When asked if they would recommend the book to friends, people unanimously agreed that they would, but only to their friends that enjoy lovely, leisurely prose and books without a lot of driving action.
Up next month: Candice Millard’s River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey.
April 8th, 2010
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Jennifer Hull’s Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life crossed the reference desk the other day and caught my eye. “Hey,” I thought, “I have one child and no life!” Plus, two sweet-looking children were pictured on the cover, snug as bugs in what appear to be crisp, clean sheets. Remember clean sheets?
Hull has been places and done things; she worked as a reporter in Nicaragua, the Middle East, and places in between. Her articles have appeared in an impressive (to little ol’ me, anyway, who’s only been published in MADreads) array of magazines. Once, she was the mother of one daughter and now she’s the mother of two. Right around the time her family expanded, Hull realized that almost all parenting books are written for parents of one, filled with tips and tricks that just might work if the mom didn’t have a wailing baby in her arms and a screaming toddler wrapped around her ankles.
Beyond One isn’t a how-to manual, though Hull refers to many and includes a bibliography (bravo!). It reads more like the anecdotes you might hear from a neighborhood mom at the park or story time, if you were able to negotiate nap times and tantrums, bundle your children up, execute a last-minute diaper change, and actually make it to the park or library. And if your kids would leave you alone long enough to have an adult conversation.
If you’re looking for a book to help you form a family plan, this isn’t it. But if you’re a parent needing to know that growing families are survivable and enjoyable, Beyond One fits the bill.
November 7th, 2009
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A while back I read and loved 84, Charing Cross Road, a collection of letters between the witty and wonderful Helene Hanff and the staff of a London bookshop. Several times during the decades spanned by the book, Helene planned to visit London, but each time she was thwarted. Eventually, however, her dream came true and she set off for the land of Shakespeare on a tour combining publicity and pleasure. Sadly, her primary correspondent, Frank Doel, passed away before Helene was able to make the trip, but she was met at the airport by his widow, Nora, and daughter, Sheila.
Helene feels so welcomed and admired in London that she takes to calling herself “The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.” It was sweet and spooky to read about her meeting strangers - fans of her book who’d written to her, offering their services, inviting her out to meals and into their homes. For several chapters I feared it would turn into a cautionary tale for single female visitors to foreign lands. But Helene’s luck held; no one dipped her into a scalding vat of tea or smothered her in tweed.
As she so hoped it would, London enchants Helene. She writes of its bustling but comparatively quiet (to NYC) streets, “Even the sirens are quiet. The ambulance sirens go BlooOOP, blooOop, like a walrus weeping under water.” While she’s there, she finally gets to visit the now-closed Marks & Co. book shop. “I started back downstairs, my mind on the man, now dead, with whom I’d corresponded for so many years. Halfway down I put my hand on the oak railing and said to him silently: ‘How about this Frankie, I finally made it.’”
July 25th, 2009
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Poultry, pigs, and parenting. Or four p’s, if you count Perry.
You may remember Wisconsinite Michael Perry from such books as Population: 485: Meeting your Neighbors One Siren at a Time and Truck: a Love Story and habits such as Books: none shall go un-subtitled. His latest book, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting delivers what it promises as well as many other delights.
With a fair idea of the perils of rural life, Perry and his growing family move to a farm. He’s got a lot on his plate: a pregnant wife who wants a home birth, a charming young daughter to raise up right, a full-time writing career, and The World’s Most Perfect Chicken Coop to construct. Preparing for the future makes him look back on his own childhood and contemplate the progression of his faith.
Because all of Perry’s books are hilarious and sweet and peopled with relatable folks, you may encounter a bit of a wait for library copies of them. But each is well worth it (and worth purchasing, but we library types generally recommend test-driving books at your friendly lending establishment before buying).
As I type, Perry is everywhere all at once promoting Coop. And you locals can mark your calendars — he’ll be in Madison June 17th. In the meantime, keep your finger on his pulse via twitter, Facebook, and his Sneezing Cow website.
June 8th, 2009
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When Citizen Reader bids her loyal readers to pick up anything related to Great Britain, I jump. So after reading her recent review of Helene Hanff’s 84, Charing Cross Road, I clapped and squealed in happy aniticipation.
It’s a lovely and charming wee book, a collection of letters that Hanff, an author, wrote to and received from a London bookshop over the course of several decades. Mind you, this was back in the day before a gal could lounge in her jammies and buy used books from the comfort of her couch. At first, Hanff’s relationship with employee Frank Doel was all book business. It quickly blossomed into a kinship, though, and not many months passed before Hanff had the entire staff of Marks & Company eating out of her witty hand.
Hanff thoughtfully mailed care packages of hard-to-get foodstuffs and nylons to the bookstore staff to supplement post-war rations. Doel kept a perpetual eye out for volumes Hanff might love. Hanff and Doel never met; they pestered her to visit, but Hanff always declined, as she either had no work and therefore no money, or had work and money but no time.
Has anyone seen the movie based on the book? If so, how well does it stack up?
April 27th, 2009
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I cannot tell a lie. I blanched a bit when my copy of Shadow Divers, the March book for the Meadowridge Book Group, arrived. It seemed menacingly thick and blue, blue, blue, and all about diving (or so I thought). It lay, unopened, on my work shelf for several weeks. The day of the discussion drew nearer, though, so finally I held my breath and took the plunge. And, wow! I got sucked in right away. Robert Kurson vividly brought to life the rough-and-tumble characters of deep sea diving.
John Chatterton and Richie Kohler were deep sea wreck diving rivals: Chatterton was methodical and meticulous, and Kohler was a member of the rowdy and irreverent Atlantic Wreck Divers gang (yes, a gang, complete with leather jackets!). Chatterton was the first man to dive what appeared to be a World War II era German U-boat (dubbed the “U-Who), and when Kohler got involved in subsequent expeditions tensions between the two men ran high.
What on earth was a German sub doing off the coast of New Jersey when all historical records deemed it impossible? Which sub was it? How was it sunk without the knowledge of American forces? Kurson beautifully weaves the historical mystery and the saga of Chatterton and Kohler’s growing friendship in this riveting book about how they teamed up to defy the history books and unravel the identity of the “U-Who.”
April 2nd, 2009
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60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Madison (including Dane and Surrounding Counties) is part of the American Hiking Society’s 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles series. The Madison version was researched and written by Kevin Revolinski, perhaps more familiar to you as the author of another Wisconsin-centric work, The Wisconsin Beer Guide.
60 Hikes is beautifully organized. Each county gets its own chapter, with an entire chapter devoted to Madison. Better yet are the secondary tables of contents, in which hikes are recommended not only by distance, geography, and difficulty, but also qualities such as: good for birdwatching, children, solitude, wildflowers, and hikers with doggies.
The first page of each hike entry has clear directions to trailheads, GPS coordinates, and quick info about length, difficulty, and scenery. Several pages of narrative follow.
I was tickled pink to read about two hikes in my neighborhood, nestled away in places I’d never have thought to look. Who knows what gems your own neighborhood holds? Pick up this super-handy book, grab your bug juice, and hike away.
July 10th, 2008
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It seems I’ve just fallen off the turnip truck. Thankfully, I landed near the M authors in 
our mystery section and finally picked up The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. I’ve only read the first four of nine books in this series by Alexander McCall-Smith, but found them delightful. They’re quick, entertaining novels and would make ideal summer reads. As an added bonus for those of you who like to appear dignified and book-snooty on planes, buses, and the beach (I’ve seen you, Miss War and Peace), they boast very respectable-looking covers.
Just in case there’s another human who hasn’t read any of these books, Precious Ramotswe is their charming star. She’s a “traditionally built” woman in Botswana who opened her own detective agency with the money earned from selling cattle after her loving father’s death. Many have described her as Africa’s Miss Marple. Both ladies are super-shrewd and use their superior powers of observation and keen understanding of people to solve cases. If Miss Marple had driven a tiny, always-in-need-of-repair white van, drank bush tea, and set up shop in Gabarone, she and Mma Ramotswe would have been fierce competitors.
The series has zero gore; in fact, most of the “crimes” Mma Ramotswe is hired to investigate are of a domestic nature, so these are great for those with squeamish stomachs or even the stout of heart reader who enjoys a cozy mystery every now and then. Atmosphere, relationships, and wry humor take center stage here.
June 26th, 2008
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When Gig arrived on hold for me, I thought, “Ewwwww.” It has a simple black-and-white cover and, well, it’s thick. I lugged it home, though, and dutifully commenced. Happily, Gig had me at “Wal-Mart Greeter.”
The editors of word.com dispatched interviewers to the ends of the country to discover how people really felt about their jobs. The resultant narratives are neatly categorized into fourteen chapters, and individual tales are just a few pages long. Job categories run the gamut from Sports and Gambling to Bodies and Souls. It’s perfect for willy-nilly perusal yet quite engrossing as a straight read.
I found almost all of the giggers likable, not only the Wal-Mart Greeter, but also the Transvestite Prostitute and Heavy Metal Roadie. Many of these folks have great senses of humor and speak very compellingly about their jobs and their reasons for having them. The bookie’s argument against using thugs for collection fascinated me.
One of the many narratives that stuck with me was an interview with Chris and Iasaac Mauro (Lemonade Salesmen). When explaining that they ask people to pay only what they feel like for lemonade, they revealed the dark underbelly of lemonade salesmanship:
C: Remember the one who gave me a penny, and he wanted the full glass?
I: Yeah. We just give those people a lotta ice.
[Laughter]
I: A penny, you know? That’s — sometimes you get that when you say you pick the price.
May 23rd, 2008
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Bill Heavey is known to some folks for writing the “Sportsman’s Life” column in Field & Stream. He’s unlike any outdoorsman I’ve ever known in that he, frankly and with great humor, tells the truth about his outdoor debacles. None of those “I had a eighty-pound fish on the hook but a freak earthquake tossed me a mile into the air and I lost him just before landing in Timbuktu. If it hadn’t'a been for that earthquake…” excuses for him. If You Didn’t Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat? Misadventures in Hunting, Fishing, and the Wilds of Suburbia is a collection of some of his finest tales.
Heavey obviously loves the outdoors, and he thinks it one of 
the biggest jokes of the universe that he gets paid to do what he loves best for cobbling together a short story every month about his misadventures. He’s funny, which I find hard to resist, but you’ll see he’s also got a very soft heart when you read the chapters about his infant daughter who died and about his joy in sharing the outdoors with his other daughter, Emma.
Have you ever found yourself in your tree stand of a morn, pantless and in your slippers? Bill knows your shame. Ever just plain old missed a shot? Bill’s right there with you. If you’ve ever accidentally run over a squirrel while driving, gone back, scooped the furry form off the road and driven it to the nearest vet for emergency care, this book may not be for you. But having spent my life around hunters and in hunting states, I’ve (unscientifically and undoubtedly with personal bias) divided hunters into two groups: good and and not-so-good. The not-so-good hunters can still be good people, but hunt drunk and/or kill for the sake of killing. The good hunters can still be bad people, but would wait all season for an appropriately aged and gendered animal, take very careful aim, and consume the entire animal. Bill Heavey made my good hunter and fisherman list.
March 10th, 2008
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Has anyone seen No Country for Old Men yet? Or read any of Cormac McCarthy’s books? Librarians tend to do a happy dance and shriek wildly when books and authors enjoy new or renewed popularity because a movie is released. Ah, books and movies! Such luxuries!
I’m on the waiting list for the book version of No Country for Old Men, but McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses was the November book for the fledgling Meadowridge Book Group (join today!). We’ve been sampling a variety of books to keep things spicy, and this was our first foray into Old Guy Fiction.*
John Grady Cole and his buddy Lacey as they strike off for Mexico, a place left blank on their map and, so far, in their imagination. As they make their way south through Texas, they cross paths with Jimmy Blevins, who is riding a suspiciously fine horse. John Grady and Lacey both have serious misgivings about allowing him to tag along with them into Mexico, but they’re too soft-hearted to abandon him. It’s a decision that will have grave consequences down the road.
John Grady and Lacey eventually find work on an enormous hacienda. Both are skilled with horses, but John Grady is a superstar horseman and quickly gets promoted. Just as they’re hitting their hacienda stride, they are arrested for complicity in a violent crime committed by Jimmy Blevins.
All the Pretty Horses (which was also made into a movie) is, at times, darkly funny, contemplative, insightful and philosophical. Who, if anyone, determines fate? What is the nature of good and evil? McCarthy’s passion for the land and the human soul shines throughout this first book in his Border Trilogy.
* I had always thought of westerns as, well, just westerns, until a library tour guide informed my group that only older men read westerns. And furthermore, that her library (not a library in our system, thank goodness) was only allocating one spinning rack to western paperbacks because “Everyone who reads westerns is going to be dead soon.” I bristled, and still bristle when I recall it eight years later.
January 2nd, 2008
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When I stumbled across Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library, I felt a little shiver run down my spine. Even though its author, Don Borchert, works in a suburban L.A. library and I work at the lil’ ol’ Meadowridge branch, the stories resonated with me. If you’re a person who loves libraries, flaws and all, or if you just get a kick out of people-watching, give this book a whirl.
One of my favorite tales involves two men waiting outside the library with a group of gradeschoolers: one man in spandex tights and a tutu and both drinking from a fifth of whiskey. Another anecdote that I’m unlikely to forget anytime soon describes A Horrible Item in the Bookdrop. Some of the stories are funny, others are quite poignant, but all manage to be upbeat. And each chapter could easily stand-alone, making this book perfect for frequently-interrupted holiday reading (a bathroom book, if you will…but please, don’t).
December 21st, 2007
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