No Dragon Tattoos Here-- THE ICE PRINCESS

THE ICE PRINCESS-- Camilla Lackberg

As is apparently everyone and their mother (except MY mother who would HATE them!) I am a huge fan of the Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson.  I loved the characters, was enthralled by the drama, and found myself constantly trying to solve the mysteries-- though usually inaccurately, as I decided that Larsson had thrown us off and that Berger was the real bad guy!  (And, no, that is NOT a spoiler alert...)  The problem with a great series is that it must come to an end.  As with The Spellman Books, I really hate saying goodbye to my new BFFs, or, in the case of Salander, to the crazy chick that kinda scares me!

To that end, I was thrilled to discover Camilla Lackberg's The Ice Princess.  Lackberg is also a Swedish crime novelist.  So, just as all American authors of the same genre write the same stories (I often confuse the works of Louisa May Alcott and Danielle Steele, don't you??) I figured this book would easily fill the void left by Salander's departure.

Obviously, I was wrong.  Lackberg isn't Danielle Steele, but she writes a much less enthralling story than does Larsson.  To put it in context, my mother could read this book.  She's also not quite as strong of a writer as Larsson.  That said, I really enjoyed this book and was very happy with the follow up, The Preacher, as well.  Her mysteries are solvable, but interesting.  Her story lines are well plotted and her characters are well developed.  

The title character in the first book is a woman named Alex who is found dead (and, as you'd expect, frozen) in her small town on the Swedish coast.  The book attempts to find out who killed her and why.  Much of the story actually focuses on Alex's childhood best friend, Erica, who is kind, generous, and good.  She is an infinitely more likable character  than Salander, though not nearly as interesting.

I'll leave the plot there for you to discover on your own.  This book and it's companion aren't going to change your world, make you laugh or become classics.  But, they're good and hearty, will fill you up and satisfy.  Much like a Swedish meatball...

Sarah Silverman writes a book and I'm not in it...

THE BEDWETTER: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee-- Sarah Silverman

This past summer, our dear friends got married in Nantucket.  While wandering around the island the morning of the wedding, we ran into Sarah Silverman.  In fact, I showed her where to get coffee (yeah, I'm just that cool...)  She was kind, personable and very self-deprecating.  I totally wanted to be her BFF!

So, I was so excited to read her memoir, The Bedwetter.  Given what I knew of her, I was fully prepared for a book fully of references to bathroom habits, funny noises and dirty jokes.  What I got instead was an honest and fulfilling review of Sarah's youth and a commentary on the major events that have taken place in her life to date.

Don't get me wrong- the book was hilarious!  She begins with a foreward written by, yup, Sarah Silverman. She states how honored she was when she asked herself to write the foreward of her book.  She says she's always been a fan of her work and was so excited to be a part of her own book.  I laughed out loud throughout.

More than that, though, I got to learn more about what made Sarah into the witty, sharp and pottymouthed woman she is.  She focused on many childhood issues that most of us would still be too embarrassed to talk about.  For example, she wet the bed. It was an issue she struggled with until she was a teenager.  But, rather than allow the incident to define who she was, she chose to make it only a part of her.  Obviously, it's hard to be social when you fear you'll have an accident any time there's a sleep-over party.  It's challenging to make friends when you're carrying an embarrassing secret.  But, Sarah's humor wasn't a defense mechanism; she was funny before she had a secret.  As a result, her humor is, I think, deeper and more thoughtful.  Sarah's humor doesn't try to hide facets of her being, but instead illuminates aspects of her life-- and ours-- that are silly or inexplicable.

Because many comedians turn to comedy as a means of coping, it's assumed that they develop fairly thick skin. And, frankly, I've come to believe that many are kind of mean-- the world's been unkind to them, so they're unkind in return.  Sarah's memoir reminds us that she doesn't have the layer of armor that many of her peers do, probably because she has enjoyed a fairly normal, stable and, usually, a happy life.  While that makes her fabulous and a great candidate for a BFF, it also means that the cruelties that can accompany fame hit her harder than some.  Because Sarah doesn't aim to be mean or to hurt anyone, she has a fairly deep reaction when someone is offended by her acts.  It's not that she's weak, she simply comes to comedy from a different perspective.

Sarah doesn't aim to be a role model and she didn't write the book to boast about all that's she's accomplished.  In many ways, I think she wrote the book as an explanation-- this is what I am and this is why I've done what I've done.  She writes about her highs and lows, her disappointments, and her proudest achievements.  Hers is an immensely fun and readable story from a truly funny person... who really should be my BFF!

Death by Disease and Indecision: NEMESIS- Philip Roth

NEMESIS -- Philip Roth

I get a flu shot every year and I'm addicted to hand sanitizer.  I never share drinks or eat off someone else's plate and I keep my house clean.  But, what if that weren't enough?  What if I could get sick just by walking outside?  What if I didn't know where the threats were and how to avoid them?  Can you imagine how terrifying life would be if we weren't able to protect ourselves from invisible, microbiotic killers?

Philip Roth could.  In his latest novel, he imagines what would have happened if there had been a Polio outbreak in Newark during the Summer of 1944.  Roth has an interesting set of writing habits.  He often writes from the perspective of the same omniscient protagonist, Nathan Zuckerman, and always writes about Jewish communities, typically in New Jersey.  Though Zuckerman doesn't make an appearance in this book, the Jewish section of Newark is the epicenter of the story.  This time, the protagonist is a student at the Weequahic Middle School who, along with many of his playmates, contracts polio.

The story focuses on the gym teacher, Mr. Cantor, and his experiences that summer.  Mr. Cantor has terrible vision and, therefore, wasn't able to head off to the war.  He berates himself for his imperfections and feels considerable guilt at not joining his peers in fighting for his country.  He's further tormented by the polio outbreak and his inability to save his students.

To me, the book's title reflects not only the polio virus, but also our own internal enemies.  We all have visions for ourselves, goals, expectations that are sometimes too high to achieve.  We can put such pressure on ourselves that we lose sight of reality and of who we are.  We become so bogged down in evaluating our past decisions that we can lose sight of what's ahead.  In fact, our whole future can be redirected because we lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

There are some inevitable facts in life.  There will be diseases.  People will get sick.  Good people will be taken from us much too soon.  But, we cannot allow our fear of sickness to prevent us from living our lives to the fullest.  We cannot spend more time reviewing our past than living in our present.  We all make choices that we regret later.  But, if we don't accept our mistakes and move forward, we will ruin ourselves.  We will become our own nemesis.

A Book For Fa To Read: Indignation- Philip Roth

INDIGNATION -- Philip Roth

Many years ago, I read Philip Roth's delicious novel, The Human Stain.  I loved everything about it, the premise, the writing, the characters, the twists, everything.  Since then, I've found myself diving head first into multiple Roth novels, only to discover the water too shallow for me to immerse myself completely.  That is- no other Roth novel has captured me like The Human Stain.

My Fa says that I don't write about books that appeal to him, so I decided to give Roth another try.  This time, I chose Indignation.  Marcus is a kosher butcher's son from Jersey who leaves home for a small midwest college.  The story chronicles his year at the school.

All Roth books deal with some heavy concepts.  This one studied the fears an American young man faced during the Korean war.  It was a fairly simple choice-- go to college or go to war.  But, for Marcus, there were other issues at play.  Like all of us, Marcus was learning about himself through his interactions with others.  Like all of us, Marcus found college to be an awakening; the world was so much more than he'd ever imagined in his Newark neighborhood.

Of course, discovering the world can be a bit daunting and, sadly, can often be quite disappointing.  The crux of the novel focuses on that disappointment.  I won't give away details, but suffice it to say the novel doesn't end happily.

I can't say I loved this book.  I can't even say I liked it.  It was one of those books that leaves a feeling of discomfort in the pit of your stomach.  It's heavy and challenging and more realistic in its evaluation of life and personality.  But, I think sometimes its good to read a book that will push me out of my comfort zone.  Such novels make me question myself-- do I have as much conviction as someone like Marcus?  Do I want to have as much passion, however misguided Marcus may be, for certain issues?   I honestly don't know.  But, that's why I keep reading Roth's books.

Little Bee

LITTLE BEE: A Novel -- Chris Cleave

I had a bad day on Wednesday.  Someone was mean to me and it hurt my feelings.  I wanted to wallow in self-pity and self-doubt and lament over how terrible life was.  I climbed into bed early that evening and picked up my new book, Little Bee.  I decided a story about a Nigerian girl and the British couple she met on the beach would be a nice escape for the misery that was my life.


Two days later, I am ashamed at how selfish and self-centered I am.  After reading Little Bee's story, I am reminded about the real horrors of life and, more importantly, the true heros whose stories we may never know.  We've been taught to believe that a hero must be larger than life; he must save the world in some outrageous gesture that lands him on the cover of People Magazine.  To us, heros are people who end up with book deals, Dateline specials and a reality show (not to mention a Lifetime movie...)  We reward heros, we laud their moment of action and grace, we place them on pedestals as an example of what we all should aspire to be.

Little Bee will never be a cover model.  She will never be the Emcee of an awards show, she'll never walk the Red Carpet at the Espys.  (I should probably point out that, yes, I realize that she is a fictional character.  But, she represents so many nameless refugees whose stories have yet to be discovered.)  Yet, Little Bee is a heroine.  I don't want to give you any details of the story because I really want you to read the book with an open mind, as I did.  But, I will say this- there are those who look at their situation and become overwhelmed.  They turn in on themselves and allow whatever hardships face them to defeat them.  Then there are those who accept the challenge their struggles present, who rise to face them head on, who survive.  Little Bee survives.

If Little Bee and I were to trade places, I know I would not survive.  And, I know, too, that Little Bee would look at my Wednesday and be grateful for all that she has- a wonderful husband who loves her, great friends, the world's best dog.  It's so easy to look at all the negative in life, to focus on the mean people and the rainy weather.  Little Bee doesn't ignore these facets of life, she simply chooses to accept them for what they are and to move on.  Her strength comes from this acceptance and from her ability to make her own choices.  Little Bee creates her fate instead of allowing others to do so.  In that way, she teaches us what it truly means to live.

The Book That Changed My Life-- GREEN CHIC

GREEN CHIC: Saving the Earth in Style -- Christie Matheson

Nobody wakes up in the morning and says “I think I’ll harm the environment.”  But, for most of us, it’s enough just to get out the door in the morning without factoring in how our actions affect the earth.  Plus, let’s face it, until recently, eco-friendly was synonymous with hideous or tasteless. Of course, we’ve all heard enough about Global Warming that it really would be nice to become eco-friendly, but not at the expense of fashion or ease.  Thus, Christie Matheson’s book was a Godsend for me—she taught me how to be green and fabulous at the same time.

Green Chic is a really fun book.  Matheson doesn’t lecture, she talks to her readers like a friend.  Her writing style makes me want to call her up and ask her to take me shopping, which we can because she helps her readers learn where they can shop and how to find chic stuff and even provides brands and websites to help make the search easier. 

Matheson filled 212 pages with lessons about how to be green easily.  But, more than that, she illustrated how to be healthier and happier without harming the planet.  She changed my entire mindset simply by pointing out what exists all around me.  I don’t want to ingest harsh chemicals or dyes if I don’t have to.  I don’t want to breathe in pollutants that can make me sick.  Ignoring the environmental effects our everyday actions can have, the physical effects they have on our bodies are quite astonishing.

Of course, you may be thinking “whatever, I don’t care whether my food comes from a farm locally or some mega-farm.  Seriously, you’re just making a big deal out of nothing.”  There was a time I’d have agreed with you.  But, look, the fact is, we don’t know why someone gets cancer without any precipitating genetic factors.  If aluminum soda cans or PVC are known carcinogens, do I really want to put those in or near my body?  If eating meat from mega-farms increases my risk of ingesting diseases from the by-products the animal ingested, why would I subject myself to that? 

Today I went to Whole Foods.  I spent the majority of my visit in the fruits and veggies section and purchased only organic and/or locally grown items.  Before I read Matheson’s book, my main fruit source was the cherry flavoring in a lollypop!

Shopping has taken on a whole new meaning for me.  I consider each item I purchase and ask myself “do I need this and what effect will it have on my health and the environment?”  It’s a quick question and it’s helped me save a ton of money.  Now, that’s a green movement I can get behind.

What Street Do I Live On? -- THE BIG SHORT, Michael Lewis

THE BIG SHORT -- Michael Lewis

Everyone is looking for a villain to blame for the recent financial crisis.  The banks, who held the mortgages and traded them as fictitious assets, are a good target.  We, the innocent mortgage holders, can then assume the role of David to the fat cat bankers' Goliath.  


I won't deny that many people were taken advantage of.  But, my very handsome husband works for one of those supposedly greedy banks so it's hard for me to consider him to be Goliath.  Though he works in Commercial Finance, not mortgages or bonds trading, I can say with certainty that Husband works hard and ensures fair deals that will help both his company and the company receiving the loan.  


Thus, I've found myself torn these past few years; I feel almost as if I live at the intersection of "Main Street" and "Wall Street."  I wanted to learn more about the financial systems and what the heck happened  so I turned to Michael Lewis' The Big Short.   Who better to parse out the details of the banking industry than the man who took us behind the scenes of Major League Baseball in Moneyball? 


I was curious about the people who foresaw the collapse.  What did they know and how did they know it?  More importantly, I couldn't figure out why they didn't warn the authorities, even though I couldn't say with certainty who those authorities were.  The financial world, one that affects every person on this earth, is very closed and confusing.  I was counting on Lewis to break it down for me.


In the book, Lewis profiled several investors who realized early on that the rising housing prices were bound to level off.  These men realized that the system was broken and that there was a major loophole to be exploited.  What I found most interesting was the reaction they received from friends and colleagues.  One investor, who is now a multi-millionaire as a result of his foresight, lost the majority of his clients long before the market turned.  I'd say he's laughing all the way to the bank, but I'd really not be surprised if he keeps his money in the mattress!


What was most astonishing to me, though, wasn't the small number of people who predicted the bursting housing bubble, but rather the lack of attention they received when they tried to alert others. They were laughed at and belittled for mistrusting the system which was, in the end, proven to be broken.  That said, I'd like to believe that the majority of those involved in the banking crisis did not maliciously look to exploit the so-called "residents of Main Street."  (Ugh, how I hate that phrase!)  Rather, I believe they were simply so caught up in the pressure to move the financial markets forward that they didn't take the time to review all the facts.


Even after reading the book, there's still a lot I don't understand.  The whole Lehmann Brothers issue, the AIG stuff, and the intricacies of the financial system still confuse me.  But, what The Big Short did succeed in teaching me is that Goliath and David aren't at war in this crisis.  Rather, myriad mistakes were made by the various stakeholders involved.  Globally, we are all forced to put our faith in the financial systems because the very nature of our survival is tied into the success of the banking industry.  But, we also need to rely on ourselves.  We need to understand the systems in which we are involved.  We, as the consumer, need the Gordon Gekkos of the world to stay greedy.  But, we also have a responsibility to keep Gordon ethical. 


So, after all that, do I still live on the corner of two streets?  Honestly, I've come to believe there isn't a corner at all.  Rather, I see it more as one of those horribly confusing rotaries; the two worlds are much too interrelated.  We need to just find a way to peacefully merge together.