Livin' the Moment

Okay, I despise the idea of a self-help book. But, I bought Yeah Dave's Guide to Livin' the Moment because the author, David Romanelli, is my favorite yoga teacher of all time. (By all time, I mean all of the 7 years I've been doing yoga.) When I found out he had invented workshops called Yoga & Chocolate and Yoga & Wine, I knew he was the yogi for me! With his goofy and irreverent sense of humor, this is not your typical self-help book. He described it as Eat, Pray, Love with an attitude. While the underlying message is to enjoy the present moment and to find pleasure everyday, he communicates this message through ridiculous stories about farting in yoga class, using manufactured pheromones to pick up women in a club, and--my favorite--a guru who combines all the current fitness crazes into yogaerobalatetate (pronounced yog-aroba-lahtay-tah-tay, in case you were wondering). Yes, most of this is made up. In fact, I'm surprised the book doesn't include some kind of James Frey-style disclaimer.

But, among the silly stories are gems of advice about slowing down and living a meaningful life. He includes many poignant quotes, like this one from the nineteenth-century clergyman Henry Ward Beecher: "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs--jolted by every pebble in the road." And "Being rich is a measurement of how much money you have. Being wealthy is a measurement of how much time you have." Yes, there are many books that spew similar wisdom, but Dave intersperses enough humor in the book that you can digest it without wanting to gag.

Madeleine is Sleeping

Sarah Shun-Lein Bynum's first novel Madeleine is Sleeping has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. It garnered several stellar reviews when it came out in 2004, and I have to agree: it was quite an inventive novel with a charming story. As you can probably infer from the title, Madeleine, the main character, is sleeping. The novel follows her in her dream world, and it is told in short, dream-like flashes. The beginning is a little tough to get into--the very short (less than a page) chapters are almost prose-poems, introducing each of the fanciful characters: an obese woman who sprouts wings, a musician's wife whose body turns into a cello, an obese man who performs fart concerts. You can hear these passages being read aloud in that too-serious, too-slow, too-deliberate voice that poets use at readings. But as the characters' lives become intertwined and the story picks up, it becomes quite engrossing.

The story itself is something akin to Chocolat or Audrey Niffenegger's Three Incestuous Sisters--it is set in a provincial French town in the early nineteenth century (at least from what I can tell) and there is a definite element of magic to the story. Which works, given that this is basically an extended dream sequence. At times a little earthy, it is almost like Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups. It is also a quick read, which helps on a project like mine. Of the 257 pages, I'd say fewer than half have words on the full page.

So, I'm 7 books down with 52 to go. Is it indicative of my gluttony that I'm thinking about starting a list of books to read after this is over? Near the top would be Bynum's new novel published last year: Ms. Hempel Chronicles.

Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him

There's no time like the summer for reading chick lit. Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganek--besides having a really great title--was lent to me by a friend who thought I'd like it since it's set in the art world. (I work in publishing at a prominent art museum.) It's not the best chick lit--or assistant lit, if you want to get technical--I've ever read, but it was enjoyable. Mia McMurray is a gallery girl at a mid-range Chelsea gallery. At the opening of what promises to be the most prominent show in the history of the gallery, the artist steps outside for a cigarette and is killed by an oncoming taxi. See--smoking really does kill. The rest of the book is about the ensuing scramble to snatch up the few paintings the artist had produced in his lifetime, most importantly the centerpiece of the gallery show: Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, a portrait of his niece.

The climax of the story occurs at Art Basel, an annual international art fair in Switzerland. What struck me most about the book is how similar Art Basel sounds to BookExpo, the biggest publishing industry trade show in the US. Mia remarks that gallery employees spend the majority of the fair complaining about their crappy booth positions. Same at BookExpo. Mia says not much important business happens at the show, because most of the pieces are sold before it opens. Same with BookExpo--except most of the business (ie book orders) happen after the show. Mia says despite this, you can't not go to Art Basel if you want to be taken seriously in the business. Same with BookExpo--until recently. This year, a lot of major players pulled out due to the tanking economy. I feel like the big companies can get away with this--what bookstore isn't going to see what Random House is publishing in the fall? It's trickier for the little guys, who might go unnoticed. It will be interesting to see if the show retains its importance moving forward.

Keeping in the spirit of summer is for chick lit, I just started Petite Anglaise by Catherine Sanderson as my gym book. Well, I thought it was chick lit, but turns out it's more of a memoir about a Brit who moved to Paris, fell in love, and had French exploits. But the pink cover is totally chick lit. I'll let you know how it goes . . .

The God of Animals

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle was a freebie I acquired through one publishing event or another. It has been my most recent gym book, but I finished it up today when we were sent home from work due to a brush fire. I love LA! This book was a surprise--I didn't expect much, but it turned out to be a beautifully written, multi-layered story. Set on a horse farm in the desert, it is narrated by 12-year-old Alice Winston. Her family has fallen on hard times, with her father trying to rustle up new riding students to make ends meet. He finally signs up privileged Sheila Altman, whose mother's checks far outweigh her show potential.

Perceptions play an important part in this book. The characters try to hide the truth, but others are not as naive as they appear: from twelve-year-old Alice to the sheltered housewife to Alice's shut-in mother. When Alice's grandfather visits unexpectedly and asks how things are going, she replies, "We had the barn painted. The trailer too." "I saw that," he replies. "Everything's nice and shiny, all right." Through the book, Alice learns that you can't hide things from people. Towards the end, she says, "I wondered how I could have ever believed that I was protecting anyone from anything. The world was what it was. There were no secrets. There were only things that went unsaid."

Never having gone through the ubiquitous horse phase most girls seem to have, I didn't think I would relate to this world of riding lessons, grooming, and horse shows. But the writing was engaging and just about anyone can relate to what Alice is experiencing, from her school life to realizing her parents aren't perfect. I would recommend this coming-of-age tale to anyone looking for an easy but not frivolous read.

The Left Hand of Darkness

I received The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin as a birthday gift from one of my best friends from college. Another friend of ours absolutely raved about it. I, however, do not share their enthusiasm. Of course, I'm not a sci-fi fan, so I'm not really the right audience for this book. I was convinced to read it, however, when the friend who gave it to me reminded me that it was a favorite book of the cute guy in The Jane Austen Book Club.

The book is about an envoy to a distant planet where the people are ambisexual: they are asexual most of the time, only taking on gender for a few days each month. They do not always take the same gender, and they are free to mate with different people, or swear a partnership with one person. Now, I appreciate the talent and imagination it takes to create these alternate worlds. I don't doubt LeGuin's genius--or that of Tolkein and the other sci-fi/fantasy greats. I'm just not a fan myself . . . Harry Potter being the obvious exception. I read an article once on the difference between sci-fi and fantasy. Sci-fi is based on fact: set in this world and using technology that exists or is possible. In fantasy, as the name suggests, anything goes; it does not rely on the rules of this world. With this ambisexual race, I would put Left Hand in the fantasy category, although it is packaged as sci-fi.

I probably would have stopped reading this halfway through, but my friends' enthusiasm for the book and the love story mentioned in the jacket copy made me keep going. At least I thought the jacket copy mentioned a love story. I reread the blurb when I was 2/3 of the way through the book and still no romance. What it actually says is "in the course of a long journey across the ice he reaches an understanding with one of the Gethenians--it might even be a kind of love . . . " Well, it might be a kind of love does not a love story make. So, chalk this one up to literature appreciation. Now that I'm headed to Vegas for the weekend, I'm looking forward to some utterly trashy chick lit!

For those keeping count: 4 down, 55 to go!