Unsaid - Neil Abramson

There were many highlights from my experience at SIBA in Charleston this year, but one really stood out in my mind.  It was when I heard Neil Abramson speak on a panel about his new book "Unsaid".  What he had to say really got to me, and everyone else in the room.  Having loved and lost many pets, I knew this book would have the potential to bring me to my knees.  I generally avoid these types of books like the plague, but in this case, I knew I had to make an exception no matter what the result.  There was a certain kind of ethereal grace emanating from this book that I had to experience.


Synopsis:  In life, Helena was a woman who loved and cared for animals.  Her career as a veterinarian allowed her to give medical care to pets of all kinds, but also required that she help owners know when it was time to say goodbye and assist in that journey.  Helena has made mistakes though...one particular that haunts her, even now after she has passed away.  And these mistakes are keeping her earthbound.


Watching from a bird's eye view, Helena observes her husband struggle to keep his head above water, working as a high-powered attorney by day and caring for Helena's menagerie of animals by night.  She watches her mentor and vet partner struggle to keep the practice afloat.  She follows a lonely vet assistant and her young autistic son who has a special affinity with animals.  She regards her now absence from a project with a special chimp named Cindy, who is on the brink of breaking through the communication barrier between human and creature. 


When Cindy's life is threatened, it is up to her husband to save her, atone for Helena's guilt, and allow her soul to be at rest.


My opinion: There was a lot going on in this gentle book, but all of it embraced the non-verbal, the UNSAID, the spiritual connection between man and animal.  The wag of a tail, a whinny, a nudge, a whimper, eye-contact.  This is the way that animals try to communicate with us.  We just have to slow down long enough to hear them.  


It is with a quiet grace that Abramson addresses the issue, the importance, of knowing when to let go, both from the standpoint of grieving a friend/spouse/co-worker and from the standpoint of a sick pet.  This is perhaps the hardest, most painful thing in life, no?  I can't even think about it without going off the deep end.  But I never fell apart while under Abramson's spell.  He handled it all with kid gloves.  I only cried three times.


Many other issues were addressed too.  The care provided by a vet clinic, and handling it either with your heart or treating it as a business.  The challenges and blessings of raising an autistic child, and the connection such a child can have with animals (Temple Grandin is a perfect example).  Towards the end of the book, the wagons really circled around the issue of animal experimentation, and the rights of those animals, climaxing into a courtroom scene.  The overall focus of the novel, therefore, gets a bit diluted, but never loses its impact.  


If you are an animal-lover, this one is not to be missed.  The risk of tears is worth the reward of a story that will warm your heart.


4.5 out of 5 stars       




   

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

 To answer the first and most important question...no, I have not read the book.  It probably would have helped to negotiate the intricate plot and subtle nuances, but I just couldn't wait.  I've been nervously, anxiously checking my Flixter app for the exact day this movie would come to Orlando.


This had fun written all over it.  Let's start with the director, Tomas Alfredson.  This is his first blockbuster film, but probably earned his wings with his lesser-known but most excellent Swedish version of "Let the Right One In".  Throw that one on your Netflix Queue if you haven't already.  


The actors.  A whole stew of hotties that can act their little heads off.  Gary Oldman, of course, who isn't prettied up here but that is beside the point.  Even as greasy Sirius Black he was hot.  Colin Firth - no words necessary.  Tom Hardy, the man with the bod and lips.  And a couple of fairly unknown actors that have something special...Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch.  If you see the movie, just trust me and keep your eye on these two.  Call me superficial, but I'd have been plenty happy if they'd all just stood up there on the screen and smiled, danced a two-step and read the phonebook.
    

But they didn't.  They all played an important part in executing an extremely smart movie about espionage, skullduggery, murder and mayhem in the Cold War.  (The key word here is "smart". I love a good, twisty plot that challenges my brain cells, but unless you have read the book, this is going to feel like a two- or three-time rewatch kind of movie to really GET it.)

The most important thing to know is this.  Some British Intelligence spy business has gone very wrong in Budapest, and one of their own is taken down.  The head of the BI, Control (John Hurt) suspects there is a mole within the four members of the upper echelon of the organization.  Control retires, and forces his best agent, Smiley, (Gary Oldman) to step down with him.  The government asks Smiley to try to quietly determine who of the four individuals is the secret Soviet spy. 


From there it gets a little convoluted.  My advice is just to go with it.  Get the important facts straight in your head, and save the details for a later viewing.  The  ultimate evil-doer will be made clear in the end.  Then go read a detailed summary, read the book, whatever, and watch it again.      

The pacing was fast and sharp - never a dull moment.  The acting is superb.  It was almost overwhelming to have so much talent in one place.  I think what I loved most was the way it ended...with a rendition of the French song "La Mer" performed by Julio Iglesias, playing while a whole string of powerful events take place.  No dialogue, just violence, heartbreak, and bittersweet triumph while this gorgeous, groovy song is playing.  Wow.

Sunday Salon: Ramping Up

 What a great week it's been!  I can honestly say for the first time in a long time that the past seven days have been NORMAL!  Sure I've done my share of running around, supporting the kids in their various extracurricular activities, having my body abused by Andre, a meeting here and an appointment there.  But I could actually breathe, take time for a prayer group, do some proper meal planning, and go for a walk or two.  It feels good.


But in reference to this week's post title, things ARE ramping up in several areas of my life.  In two weeks, my daughter will be going through her confirmation.  Preparing for this has required attendance to 8 classes that happen every Thursday night, and it will be a blessing to reclaim those evenings again.  On top of this ongoing project, my daughter has also progressed to her next official level of horseback riding.  Now comes cantering and jumping (gulp).    


After that is finished, my daughter has expressed her desire to volunteer at an animal shelter in order to get her community service hours for high school.  Until she turns 15, however, a parent must volunteer with her.  You see where this headed, don't you?  Our training begins on February 18th, and after a few weeks of shadowing other seasoned veterans, we will have to put in our hours.  Yes it is one more "thing" we will have to do in a week's time, but I'm secretly looking forward to this because I do love animals.  The biggest issue will be not coming home with all of them.


We are also preparing feverishly for our annual Adult Literacy League "Reading Between the Wines" event on March 1st.  I am in full tilt mode for collecting signed books for the auction.  I am THRILLED that Wendy Wax has agreed to donate a package consisting not only of her signed books but the chance to win your name in her next book!  Also the lovely authors of the Southern Belle View (Lisa Wingate, Beth Webb Hart, Marybeth Whalen, Rachel Hauck and Shellie Rushing Tomlinson) have all agreed to donate their signed books with some really adorable Belle goodies.  If any of you locals are interested in attending our event, which will feature Lisa See as our guest author, check out our site here.


I have turned one eyeball to the UCF Book Festival on March 31st as well.  We have so many excellent authors showing up for this one, but hello!  Joshilyn Jackson?!  You know, the author who is way at the top of my list?  Because I have read every one of her books?  I may have to take a Prozac to keep myself calm.  Starting on Friday, February 24, and every Friday through the end of March, I will review a book from a visiting author.  Stay tuned!


I've had a pretty good reading week as a result of all this wonderful normalcy.  On audio, I finished "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman, as well as "This Beautiful Life" by Helen Schulman (both for book clubs).  I have just started "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins (a UCF Book Festival author) and am LOVING IT.


In print I am *this* close to finishing "The Baker's Wife" by Sarah McCoy, and I'll just tell you that I love this book.  LOVE IT.  I know, a lot of reading love going on this week.  After I finish it today, I am looking forward to reading Maus I and II graphic novels, then binging on Sarah Pekkanen.  


I suppose I have bored you to death at this point.  I'm feeling chatty.  Hope you all have a wonderful, blessed Sunday!

Wants and Needs - Jan/Feb Bookmarks

 

Back again with a nice long list of wants and needs from the latest edition of Bookmarks magazine (and ongoing and highly appreciated Christmas gift from my parents each year).  Fate has a way of noticing which books I mark, it seems, because a number of them have thrown themselves in my path.


The first bit of excitement when I opened the pages was a feature on Haruki Murakami.  Hey what do you know!  One of my goals this year was to read his work (my first will probably be "Kafka on the Shore") so it was a treat to learn a little more about the man.


Here are a whole long list of my Needs:    

1.  A Thousand Lives:  The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jamestown - Julia Scheeres


Nothing feeds my mind more than getting an insight to why ordinary people do horrific things, which is why I so love true crime.  To that end, I also enjoy learning why ordinary people become followers of something so outlandish like a cult.  I got this book at SIBA, so it is waiting anxiously on my bookshelves to be read.

2.  Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith


I've read both of Tom Rob Smith's books in the series prior to this one.  Child 44 I loved.  The Secret Speech not so much.  I am willing to give Smith another go however, because I love the protagonist Leo Demidov, who survived Stalinist Russia and is now involved in a Cold War-era conspiracy.  I'm on hold at the library for this audio.  

3.  Believing the Lie - Elizabeth George


George has been working on this series, involving one Inspector Lynley, for ages.  In fact, this is installment number 17.  I joined the ranks about four installments ago and have loved every one of them.  I don't even really care what the topic of the book is, I just know I'll love it.  And from my lips to Penguin Audio's ears!  I received this in the mail from them just last week.  Narrated by Davina Porter! Totally made my day.

4.  Perfect - Ellen Hopkins


One of my goals for 2012 was to read more free verse novels, and this was at the top of the list.  Apparently it is a companion novel to "Impulse" which I must get my hands on as well.  The book addresses troublesome teen issues, such as drugs, ambition, eating disorders, the works.  Those who have read it love it.  The audio landed in my lap recently, loaned to me by Heather.

5.  The Affair - Lee Child


You would think by the 16th installment of the Jack Reacher series (and I have read them all), they would start to get stale.  Well, I can feel staleness in the horizon if something doesn't change, but apparently Child has dodged that bullet for the moment by taking us back through time to when Reacher was fresh out of the military and taking on his last assignment with the Pentagon.  Hmmm, insight into the elusive Reacher?  Love it.  I just wish the library would get on with it and get it on audio...




And then there are a few wants as well:

1.  The Odds - Stewart O'Nan


This past year, I read my first O'Nan called "Emily, Alone".  It was not my favorite book for lack of plot, but O'Nan does have beautiful writing and a huge fan base.  Therefore, I'll be giving him another try with this one.  In his latest, he writes about a couple on the brink of divorce that takes a second honeymoon to Niagara Falls to give it one more shot.  

2.  The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater


Young adult dystopia, love story, flesh-eating water horses.  And because Jill loved it.

3.  The Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje


I'm strangely drawn to this one, yet know very little about it.  Ondaatje's claim to fame is winning the Booker for "The English Patient", but this novel has been universally praised for it's themes...coming-of-age, morality, physical danger.  An 11 year-old leaves Sri Lanka on a three-week trip on an ocean liner to meet his mother in England.  And as they say, it isn't about the destination, but the journey as the young man encounters all walks of life.  Hmmm...  

Anya's Ghost - Vera Brosgol

All Anya has ever wanted was a good friend.  


High school can be pretty hard for a girl who has an immigrant past, whose mother embarrasses her, who has a body image problem, and whose dream guy is in love with the school hottie.  But when Anya falls into a well while walking through the park, everything changes.


The well contains a skeleton of a young girl.  The ghost of the girl, named Emily, has been waiting for someone to find her since 1918, when she was killed.  And now someone has.


Emily attaches herself to Anya and becomes her best friend.  She helps Anya with her tests, she gives her fashion advice, and encourages her to go after the boy of her dreams.  


  

Emily tells Anya a sad story about a lost love and her untimely and unsolved murder.  But when Anya begins to research the crime in an attempt to solve it, she soon suspects Emily may not have been completely honest.  Once that cat is out of the bag,  things begin to turn sinister.

My thoughts:  I truly enjoyed this book for many reasons.  First, this ill-intentioned ghost was so much fun in a creepy kind of way - sort of how you feel when you read Neil Gaiman.  (Brosgol was a storyboard artist for Coraline, so it all makes sense.)  Brosgol does a great job in transforming the image of a sweet, victimized girl to one with a terrifying glint in her eye.  It was totally Fatal Attraction-esque.


There are also good lessons here, such as respecting your parents, loving your body the way it is, and learning that the cute boy in school may not be all that nice.  Which makes this a perfect read for girls in the 12-14 age range.  This is an excellent debut from a talented artist...I look forward to her future work!  I want to thank Heather for the Christmas gift!  Lastly, I will leave you with a very cute book trailer...


       





4 out of 5 stars

Not So Wordless Wednesday: Krakow #2

Wander down any side street in Krakow and you will find quaint little apartments and restaurants. It is the perfect place to put on your walking shoes and explore.

State of Wonder - Ann Patchett (Audio)

Years ago, a friend of mine recommended I read Ann Patchett's "Bel Canto".  I never really took her seriously and blew it off for whatever I was into at the time.  When Patchett then released "State of Wonder" in 2011, and it got better than average reviews (some complained of it being a little slow in the middle), I decided it was time to give her a try.  And if it WAS slow in the middle, audio would get me through it.


I went into it knowing very little, only that it had to do with an eccentric scientist having "gone rogue" in the Amazon.  Hmmm, whispers of "Heart of Darkness" or "Apolcalypse Now".  That was all I really needed to know.


Synopsis:  Dr. Marina Singh is a middle-aged research scientist who works for a pharmaceutical company that is financially supporting a cutting edge drug development project in the Amazon jungle.  Marina's old mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, has been working on this project for years, but is completely unreachable, having disappeared under the radar and apparently gone native.  Marina's colleague was sent down recently to determine the project's status but died of an unidentified fever.  Marina has now been asked to travel to this foreign land, locate the rogue doctor in the wild, determine when the project will be complete (thus possibly making millions for her company) and bring back the effects of her deceased colleague.  Marina couldn't be more horrified at the prospect.


Once Marina arrives, however, she is drawn into a land that could just as well have been a different plant.  She encounters vigilant hippies whose sole purpose is to protect the whereabouts of Dr. Swenson, a deaf boy whom she wants to adopt as her own, man-eating snakes, a group of natives that love to do her hair, and poison arrow-wielding cannibals.  She also finds her mentor to be a force of nature, demanding and unyielding, sacrificing her life and career for the sake of a drug that could change the world.  


Strangely, in the Amazon, Marina begins to make peace with the phantoms that have haunted her for years.  In fact, she believes that she may never be the same again.


My thoughts: Chalk it up to a phenomenal audio production, or Patchett's beautiful writing, or the subject matter, but this book blew me away.  I was never bored, but really the opposite.  I was mesmerized.  


I was completely fascinated with everything about this tribe in the Amazon...their unique biology (won't say any more), the magical vegetation, and their customs.  I felt like I was right in there with Marina, battling the insects and the snakes.  


The characters in the story were as equally as fascinating.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved them.  They were quirky and unique, Patchett unapologetic in creating their frailties.  Dr. Swenson was the dominant personality throughout, however, both when she is absent and present.  You have heard she is crazy, and when you meet her you know she is a few cards short of a deck, but only until you see the level of her dedication to the cause do you stand back (way back) and admire her begrudgingly.  Sort of like one of my old bosses.


Some of the scenes bordered on surreal!  Whether it be assisting in a native birth up in a tree hut, or a huge snake (python?  boa constrictor?  I don't remember, but something bad) almost killing a boy, or a few other things that shall remain unspoiled, I just kept shaking my head and wondering "what the hell"???


There has been some controversy over the ending Patchett chose for us.  When I was discussing it with Heather, I was really foggy on the whole thing.  (I must have been anticipating my next audio "11/22/63").  It did not end the way I expected or wanted, and honestly it felt a little too tidy for me.  But I won't let it diminish the overall wonder I felt at completion.


A few words about the audio production:  Our narrator for "State of Wonder" was Hope Davis, who is best known for her acting work in the movies.  She was truly everything you would want in a narrator.  Her pace was perfect, she displayed a wide range of accents, sexes and ages, and was extremely pleasant to listen to.  Apparently everyone else thought so too, because the audio book has garnered a list of awards and a spot on the year-end best of lists.


4.5 out of 5 stars