Non-Sequitur Libris.

These three books seem like they're totally unrelated to one another. But looking at them in a heap, I see that they're all about women and their lives. This is sort of refreshingly unintentional. What is odd, however, is that all three of these books-about-women... are written by men. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.


The Painted Veil
By W. Somerset Maugham

In this short novel, an English woman living in Hong Kong in the 1920's--Kitty Fane--cheats on her husband, Walter Fane. Walter is the colonial bacteriologist (apparently that's a thing), and in retaliation he removes her to the heart of cholera-stricken China. Although it looks, on the surface, like a novel about a couple in turmoil, this is a story about self-discovery and growth.  It's almost a bildungsroman for the stifled 1920's housewife.

The writing is beautiful. The book is immanently quotable:

“I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.” 

In the moments when it slips into philosophical observation, it is a wonderful book. The story is also enchanting and exotic. The threat of death hangs in the air and the characters live in an unfamiliar world.  However, those characters are a little flat, but in a forgivable way. Kitty herself is slightly obnoxious. She is supposed to be a flighty, stupid character, but her flightiness and stupidity at first make it hard not to be frustrated with her. If you're alright with not being able to totally sink your teeth into the characters, the book is worth reading for its apt observations of human character.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
By Stieg Larsson

The second of three books in Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy," this book is difficult to put down. After four hours you wonder how you got tricked into reading Larsson's short little sentences so voraciously. Especially since it's not really all that good. Where the first book is cohesive, the second book is oddly all over the map. And the main theme--the illegal sex trade--never really shows up except as something that puts the plot in motion.

It seems, at times, like the book is mainly a platform for Larsson's two obsessions: women's rights and describing in minute detail everything that Lisbeth Salander eats and wears. The odd thing is that these painful details (she eats a lot of apples and Billy's Pan Pizza; she wears a lot of fluffy sweaters and black t-shirts) are sort of fascinating. Salander is abnormal but wonderfully sympathetic, so anything she does is intriguing, even, somehow, after 600 pages.

Added bonus: there are many fewer scenes in this second novel that burn your eyeballs while you're reading them.

She's Come Undone
By Wally Lamb

Oh Oprah, why must your book club be replete with books that are so pointlessly nauseating?

This is the story of Dolores, whose name means "sadness." Nothing good happens to Dolores. Ever. In fact, Dolores's whole life rolls out like one looooong series of pamphlets designed to help teenagers cope with every possible trauma in life. Without giving anything away, among Dolores' many problems is that she is fat and unpopular, and from this, the book seems to say, springs all of the worthlessness of her life.

I will admit that if I had read this book when I was 12, I might have gotten more out of it. Opposing camps disagree on whether Lamb has completely bastardized the voice of the woman narrator, or whether he is pitch-perfect. I don't really care for that argument. That's the benefit of being an author, you can make your characters think and feel whatever you want. However, I don't have to like the fact that Dolores is obsessive, weak, and vaguely homophobic. She doesn't strike me as a hero of self-enlightenment. She strikes me as a perpetual victim, someone immature and not remotely to be admired. She's frankly rude to everyone in the book, which makes her hard to care for. You're not supposed to say that about people who have awful things happen to them, but after reading 400 pages of her thoughts and feelings, it seems self-evident.

Even though I wasn't too fond of Kitty from The Painted Veil, her journey is much more... genuine?

Mind-Bogglingly Delicious Black Bean Soup

It's good for you. It's easy to make. And it's ridiculously delicious. The only problem is that it practically disappeared before I could get a picture.

Black Bean Soup

1 Onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Butter
salt
2 tbsp Paprika
2 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
2 cloves Garlic
1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 16 oz can Black Beans
1 12 oz can Fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 quart Chicken broth

Stupid easy.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. When hot, add diced pepper and onion and sauté for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into small pieces. Add cut-up chicken to onions and peppers and stir in all dry spices. When chicken is opaque on all sides (about five minutes), add crushed, fresh garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent.

Stir in tomatoes, black beans, and chicken broth (using all the liquid from the cans). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes (the longer the better).

Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

Good, Dirty, Fun.

I love my job. But the fact of the matter is that it simply doesn't pay enough to feed my raging book addiction. Hence, I'm seeking alternate employment, which is one of the most painful and degrading tasks know to human-kind.  I'm ridiculously good at an obscene number of things. But do I have a Library Science degree? No. Do I have five-years of experience in Web Development? No. The experience that I DO have could fill a hefty tome, but it never seems to translate to resumé paper. Can't I just have potential employers call all my old bosses and ask them how far above-and-beyond I go?

No.

So. Here's a book review instead. Because even if the job search is always and by definition a shit sandwich, books are always wonderful.

Forrest Gump
By Winston Groom

"Let me say this: bein a idiot is no box of chocolates."

Oh Forrest Gump. The film that launched a thousand over-priced, unimpressive shrimp restaurants.  Is there anyone left on earth who hasn't seen this film? If so, I pity them because it clearly means they live in a war-torn wasteland somewhere without televisions.

I was surprised, considering the popularity of the film, that this book isn't more widely read. Of all of the ridiculous schlock they sell in the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. gift store, the book is conspicuously absent. I know because I've checked.

It's less surprising after you actually read the book. I suspect the reason that it's not featured in the BGSC, alongside smiley-face mugs and t-shirts that say things like "Stupid is as Stupid Does" is because the book isn't really family-friendly. The film is, in fact, only a distorted shadow of the book. Like trying to see your reflection in a puddle.

Groom's Forrest is built like a brick house. He's a big man, a football player, and although he is stupid, he is far from innocent. The book is narrated by Forrest, using a sort of "idiot-dialect" and through him, the grim humor of the book comes through. All of the familiar characters are there, but they are darker, their faults are more prominent. This version of Forrest is more honest.  When asked before an audience of potential recruits what he thinks of the Vietnam war, he answers, "It is a bunch of shit."  There are many genuinely funny moments in the book, but it's no light read. It's most definitely more difficult to digest than the film, and will be forever doomed to unfair comparisons.

The Bluest Eye
By Toni Morrison

How do you write about beauty and self-worth and race and their problematic relationship without completely breaking down? I have no idea how this novel was written. I've been waiting to read this book for years and I don't know what I expected, but I got something completely different. Though I should have known, being familiar with Morrison.

This is the story of a little black girl who wishes that she had beautiful blue eyes. The point of view shifts and changes, and we encounter all of the people around her and come to understand where that desire might come from. But because it's written by Toni Morrison, it's almost emotionally overwhelming. The writing is beautiful, the characters are vivid, but the book is unforgivingly brutal.

This is one of those books I feel everyone should be required to read, but am glad to same I'm done reading it. It's one of Morrison's first, and she has claimed that she feels it's badly written, amateurish. Maybe in places. But the story itself is one I'm glad someone (more intelligent and emotional mature than me) had the chutzpah to tell.

The Changeling Bride
By Lisa Cach

Here's something completely different.  Please observe the two covers at left. The top is the cover accompanying my Kindle edition of The Changeling Bride. The bottom is the trade paperback cover. Had I seen the trade paperback cover, I probably never would have first purchased and then DEVOURED this book.  Yes, that means I'm judgmental and snobby, and in this case I'm sorry for it.

This is the story of a young woman who receives a coupon good for "one free husband." In a moment of frustration, she jokingly attempts to cash in the coupon and is promptly swallowed by a mud slide that takes her into the past. The 1780's, to be exact. Upon arriving, she discovers that in one day she will be married as part of an arranged union. Will she be able to get out of it? Will she be able to get home? Will she... fall in love?

This book is infinitely silly. It's concerned with all the same things I would be concerned with if I were in such a ridiculous situation, such as: where does one pee? Do people really eat meat puddings every. single. day? Why are the clothes so uncomfortable? Time travel? What?

Make no mistake about it, this is a romance novel. It is, in actual fact, the first and only romance novel I've ever read, thanks to false advertising. But I'll admit that I didn't find any of the gross, sexist, "wilting female" tropes I expected to find. It was just good, dirty fun from beginning to end.

Pasta Primavera

Tim and I went a little nuts and bought into one of those "buy ten boxes of pasta for $10" deals at the grocery store. Needless to say, we've been eating a lot of pasta. I get tired of tomato sauce, so this is what I came up with last night.

Pasta Primavera, y'all!

• Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta)
• 1 large chicken breast, cubed
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• ½ Onion, sliced thin
• 1 bell pepper (yellow or red), sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 Tbsp olive Oil
• Herbs de Provence (any Italian herb are good; Rosemary, Oregano, etc.)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup white wine and 1 cup chicken broth (2 cups chicken broth may be substituted)
• Optional: 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Set a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta when ready.

Meanwhile, in a dutch oven or wok warm olive oil over med-high heat. Add cubed chicken and all herbs and spiced EXCEPT fresh basil. Sauté until the chicken is opaque on all sides.

Add all vegetables EXCEPT garlic and sauté for 7-8 minutes or until veggies start to soften. Add garlic and basil and sauté two more minutes. Add wine, or if not using, 1 cup broth.  Simmer veggies in broth for 3-4 minutes, then add second cup of broth. When pasta is ready, drain and stir into vegetable mix, tossing to coat all pasta with sauce. 

If using tomatoes, add with the pasta.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.