Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia

I first heard Mike Birbiglia while listening to This American Life in my car and have been a fan ever since.  He describes himself as a comedian, but I just think of him as a storyteller and I love a good story.  Sleepwalk With Me did not disappoint.  I literally laughed out loud while reading this book.  Many of the stories in this book will be familiar to those who have heard Birbiglia on This American Life, The Moth or any of the other shows he’s been on.  Despite being familiar with the stories I still laughed the second time around. Even when he is describing an awkward, dangerous or emotionally difficult situation, Birbiglia manages to make it funny.  So if you’re in the mood for a good laugh, pick this up.

Talking About Detective Fiction by P. D. James

P. D. James is one of my favorite authors.  I was introduced to her work by Masterpiece Theater on PBS, which many years ago broadcast the film version of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.  I loved the film and when I found it was based on book, ran out and got the book.  (I don't mind reading book even I already know the ending.  For me it's more about the journey, and how the author gets me from the beginning to the end.)  After reading that first book, I was hooked and made a point to read all of James's fiction.

This is the first of James's nonfiction works that I've read.  It is not a definitive book on the subject of detective fiction, but is rather like a love letter to the genre.  She introduces some of the key writers in the field and the detectives they created, and also provides a bit of insight into her own writing process.  For anyone who is a fan of James's work or of detective fiction, this short read is definitely worthwhile.

P. D. James has written several novels.  Her most famous detective is Adam Dalgliesh who finds time to write poetry in between solving murder cases.  Although I love the Dalgliesh books, I am more partial to Cordelia Gray, an amateur private detective.  Unfortunately Gray is featured in only two of James's work: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and The Skull Beneath the Skin.  Other favorites include Original Sin, The Children of Men and The Private Patient. 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches centers around Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch.  Following the death of her parents, Diana, the last in a long line of powerful witches, has avoided using her powers, preferring to live a solely human life devoid of magic.  She has made a career as a science historian, with a particular interest in alchemy and seems to spend much of her time researching old books in beautiful libraries, like the Bodleian Library at Oxford.  In the course of her research she comes across a mysterious book that attracts witches, vampires and demons (or daemons as they are referred to in the book).  For some reason they all want this book, a book that no one has seen for centuries until Diana came along and unintentionally unlocked the magic that had kept it hidden for centuries.  It as the Bodleian that Diana meets the vampire Matthew Clairmont.  At first wary of him, Diana quickly falls under his spell or maybe it's the other way around.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book when Diana is at the Bodleian the most.  (As a librarian and book lover I hope to visit this amazing library someday.)  I also liked reading about the differences between the vampires, witches and demons.  Where the book lost me was the romance between Diana and Matthew.  The last two-thirds of A Discovery of Witches reminded me of the Twilight series only with adults but oddly just as chaste.  I means there's a girl/woman and the vampire she falls in love with about five seconds after he walks into her life.  Before she and Matthew became a serious item, Diana seemed to be a strong and independent woman with interests and hobbies of her own.  With Matthew she quickly becomes the damsel in distress in need of constant rescue.  She is a powerful of witch but denies who and what she is, and it is only with Matthew's help (or one might say at his command) that she begins to explore her own power.  My irritation with the central characters grew and their romance blossomed.

This book has a lot going on, in addition to the romance.  Diana it seems is a very special witch, but it isn't clear why.  Nor is is clear why the mysterious book Diana found is so important or why witch, vampire and demon are all so desperate to get their hands on it.  A Discovery of Witches is the first in a planned trilogy.  I'm not quite sure yet if I'm intrigued enough by the other plot threads to get past the romance and continue the trilogy.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the third in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy about humans who shapeshift into wolves. I suppose most would place this series in the paranormal/werewolf category.  Including it in the werefolf category doesn't seem quite right, however.  There are no human-wolf monsters anywhere in these books.  The shapeshifter turn into full blown wolves, indistinguishable (for the most part) from natural born wolves.  And the full moon has nothing to do with it.  Instead temperature is the catalyst.  During the cold winters of Minnesota the shapeshifters become wolves, and in the summer sun they once again resume their human forms.  During the fluctuating temperatures of spring and fall, shapeshifters shift between their human and wolf forms involuntarily.

Although the wolf story is important, at heart this is a teenage love story, with Sam and Grace at its center.  It is difficult to discuss this installment in the trilogy without giving away too much.  It cannot be read alone; it really is necessary to read the first two books in the series, Shiver and Linger.  One needs to know the history of Sam and Grace, how their roles have flipped, and about their parents and friends in order for Forever to make any sense.  I will say Ms. Stiefvater has delivered a satisfactory ending to the trilogy, giving the characters and reads a happy, but not perfect ending.

Before I read any of the books I was attracted to the look of the books.  Each book  has a theme color, soft blue for Shiver, green for Linger and red for Forever.  On the inside the fonts are in the same corresponding color.  I was worried that the red font of Forever would be difficult to read, but it was a soft red and I forgot about the color pretty quickly.  Someone spent a lot of time thinking about the presentation of this book, to good effect.

 

Savages by Don Winslow

Savages is the story of two friends, Ben and Chon, and their (shared) girl, O.  Ben studied botany and business in college, while Chon went into the military and became a Navy Seal.  After college and tours in the Middle East, the two friends started a successful marijuana business and enjoyed life with O.  All was good until one of the Mexican cartels decided Ben and Chon should work for the cartel.  Ben and Chon declined the offer of employment, so the cartel added an incentive to the job offer by kidnapping O.  We (the readers) then get to see how far the boys are willing to go to get their girl back.

I cannot say this book is for everyone.  It's violent and vulgar at times.  On the other hand, it is a page turner, largely because of the voice and language.  Overall I would say this book is about how no matter how much we try, in the end we are all savages, willing to go to great lengths to protect our own or get what we want. 

Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords

First off, this is not directly related to the Song of Ice and Fire book series or the television series.  That being said, the various authors use the book and television series to explore issues of philosophy.  With the disclaimer that I do not have an extensive background in philosophy, I found this to be an entertaining (re)introduction to the subject.  Over the course of twenty chapters, the various authors tackle topics like the search for happiness, whether one should be good or moral even if one has absolute (or nearly absolute) power, feminism, living an authentic life, idealism, fatalism and more.  For those who are fans of the books and television series, this is a really fun read as the authors interpret and explore the characters and their actions.  For those who are not familiar with the series, this might be less fun but it is still a worthwhile exploration of philosophy and life.

This is not a book that one must read from beginning to end.  It is made for jumping around from chapter to chapter.  I, however, was hooked from page one.  Some of my favorite chapters were Maester Hobbes Goes to King's Landing, Playing the Game of Thrones: Some Lessons from Machiavelli, "You Know Nothing, Jon Snow": Epistemic Humility Beyond the Wall, No One Dances the Water Dance, The Death of Lord Stark: The Perils of Idealism and It Would be a Mercy: Choosing Life or Death in Westeros and Beyond the Narrow Sea.

This is part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series.  Other entries in this series I've enjoyed are True Blood and Philosophy and Batman and Philosophy.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

In Quiet Susan Cain explores the different ways introverts and extroverts relate to the world. She distinguishes shyness from introversion and demonstrates how both introverts and extroverts can be leaders. Most importantly, she de-stigmatizes and legitimizes introversion. In a time when children are criticized for not being outgoing enough and we are all told that we must continually sell ourselves, Ms. Cain reminds us that wanting a bit of time to one’s self is not a pathology that needs treatment. She explains that introverts are not necessarily shy. Shyness, according to Ms. Cain is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, and both introverts and extroverts can be shy.  Introversion and extroversion is more about how one draws energy. Extroverts are energized by and crave stimulation from others. They thrive in environments where there are lots of other people to talk to, even if it is just small talk. Introverts can be social to, but too many people for too long can be overwhelming. Introverts tend to have rich inner lives and recharge their batteries by taking some quiet time to themselves when they can let their thoughts and imaginations flow.  They tend to think, really think, before they speak.  It is not that one or the other is better; both types of people are needed in the world.  And introversion does not mean one is destined to be always be a follower instead of a leader. Ms. Cain gives several examples of introverted leaders, like Gandhi and Rosa Parks, whose understated style inspired the masses. She notes that a bold and aggressive stances can come across as reasonable when presented by a mild mannered, understated personality.  Closer to (my) home, she tells the story of an attorney, who contrary to the stereotypes was not prone to making grandiose speeches and yelling.  In negotiations over a loan, this attorney sat across a table facing bankers and their more stereotypical aggressive lawyers across the table.  Instead of responding their speech making in kind, she took the time to listen and respond thoughtfully to the points posed by the opposing attorney and their clients. In the end, she not only successfully renegotiated a loan for her client, but received praise for keeping her cool throughout the negotiations and received  job offers from both opposing counsel and their client!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are an introvert, read this book and you’ll realize, if you haven’t already, that there is nothing wrong about wanting and needing quiet time. If you are an extrovert, read this book and you’ll understand that quiet people are not being rude or standoffish, they simply relate to the world in a different way. If you’re a parent, particularly a parent of a quieter child, please read this book. One of the most touching stories Ms. Cain tells is about an outgoing mother and her introverted daughter. The mother was worried when she saw her daughter playing alone at the end of the school day, but it turned out that the daughter was just fine. She had friends and generally enjoyed school, but at the end of day was a bit tired of the constant social stimulation and that alone time at the end of school was her way of de-stressing. The daughter did not perceive being alone at the end of the school day as a problem but looked forward to that time. As an introvert myself, I can totally relate.