Biittner's Book Reviews: Falling Backwards A Memoir by Jann Arden

Another month, another book review.

This month I had the pleasure of reading Jann Arden's memoir "Falling Backwards". I really enjoyed it. I love it when you feel like you are sitting down with a friend chatting about your past and sharing memories over a cup of tea, or maybe a couple of glasses of wine. This is because of the narrative style; her story is mostly told chronologically although she does tend to drift off topic (appropriately to provide context for who or what she is talking about). She describes her memories as snapshots and I'd have to agree. She certainly captures the concept of casually flipping through an old photo album, revisiting various points in the past.

There is something so lovely in how honestly and simply this memoir is written. This isn't to say that Jann Arden doesn't deal with some very difficult/tough, emotional, gooey things because she most certainly does. Her description of a sexual assault is just gut wrenching but illustrates how unfortunately common this type of experience is for many young women. Her experiences with addictions (of her own, of those around her) will likely resonate with many readers too. She blends the dark with the light allowing her sense of humour to shines through.

I've always loved Jann Arden's music but now I can say I really appreciate her as an author too. I'll definitely seek out her other written works. I would highly recommend this memoir. 

Biittner's Book Reviews: Josephine B. Trilogy by Sandra Gulland

Our August book club selection was the first book in the Josephine B. trilogy by Sandra Gulland - "The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B".  The copy I borrowed included the other two books in the series - "Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe" and "The Last Great Dance on Earth" - which means I read all three. I could not put these books down. I didn't know much about Josephine, other than she was the wife of Napoleon, before I started reading the novels. I was surprised by so many of the revelations of the novels - from her early years in Martinico through her first, turbulent marriage to her imprisonment and close brush with the guillotine. I was surprised by the fascinating life she led before she even met Napoleon. They had such an interesting love story and found the last novel to be pretty heartbreaking.

The pacing is excellent; I consumed the trilogy over a weekend. I really feel that Gulland's careful and comprehensive research allowed her to create a very detailed and realistic picture of who Josephine B was. I would highly recommend this book. It is one I'll likely add to my personal historic fiction book shelf as I'd love to get lost in Josephine's life again. 

Biittner's Book Review: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This month's book club pick was one of my own. I selected it for two reasons: first, it was on my "501 must read books" list, and second, I have been wanting to read something by Le Guin for some time now. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is the daughter of Alfred Kroeber, the first person to receive a PhD in anthropology in the U.S. and the founder of Berkeley's Department of Anthropology.To me this meant that anthropology-related themes like culture contact/conflict would be significant parts of her books/narratives. I was not disappointed. 


I really enjoyed "The Left Hand of Darkness". The world, Winter, in which this novel takes place is fascinating, and made even more so in that for the majority of the story we only get to see it through the eyes of an outsider, Genly the envoy to Winter. In what I will call the second half of the novel, we get to see Genly through the eyes of Estraven, a "traitor". The relationship of Genly and Estraven is complex, and so delicately and artfully constructed by Le Guin. The complexity comes not just from each trying to understand the nuances of each other's cultural norms but also from a basic biological difference - the people of Winter are androgynous, only becoming male or female during a period of mating called kemmer. Le Guin, therefore, constructed a unique way of dealing with the gender/sex issues; rather than having a typical "boy meets girl" scenario, we are faced with characters trying to negotiate a complex interpersonal relationship where sex is seemingly off the table. 


I would highly recommend this book. It has a great story with interesting and complex characters. The descriptions of the various peoples and Winter are so detailed and vivid. I will definitely be reading more of Le Guin's work. 

Biittner's Book Review: The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou

Our book club selection for this month was "The Bone Cage" by Angie Abdou. I was excited to have one of the Canada Reads (2011) selections on our list for this year as in past years I have tried to read all of their picks and I failed to do so in 2011.

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book. I say "unfortunately" because I always want to like an author's debut novel; I want to support any artist who creates something of their own, especially when I have no similar skill. I did like the narrative structure (dedicating each chapter to one of the two main characters Sadie and Digger). I did not like the uninspiring, almost cliché storyline and found the characters hard to like. It wasn't that the plot or character development was predictable per se just bland.  That said, I felt Abdou made a great attempt at presenting what it really is like to be an (aspiring) Olympian/athlete in Canada. Abdou also clearly shows how isolating each athlete's journey can be, and how difficult it can be to connect with people outside of, and within, your chosen sport. I think I just had a hard time connecting to the characters. For anyone involved in, or who has family members consumed by, sport then I would recommend it as I think it could be quite a poignant and/or resonant read.  All in all it was a decent freshman effort but not the right story for me.

Biittner's BC Book (& Film!) Review: Barney's Version

I must begin with an admission: I actually read this book years ago and did not re-read it for this month's book club. I did, however, catch the film adaptation (Canadian made in 2010) last month so feel I can provide a decent review. I really enjoyed both the novel and the film although each take a different narrative position. I preferred the autobiographical approach taken in the novel as I became totally immersed in the story especially Barney's attempts to rationalize/justify his actions. He is not unapologetic though; I believe this story, his version at least of the events that really directed the course of his life, really is meant as his way of acknowledging his hubris, of coming to terms with some of the horrible things he did to his loved ones over the course of his life.

In the film, Paul Giamatti does an excellent job embodying the not-quite-lovable, hard drinking, impulsive, and often immoral Barney. But by the end of the novel/film, you no longer despise Barney; you might not like all he's done or the decisions he made at various points in his life but you do feel sympathy for what he's become (it is hard to not feel for the lost man he's become and his gradual decay relating to Alzheimer's disease). I loved how you come to question Barney's recanting of the events of his life once you find out he is dealing with Alzheimer's; it takes the "murder mystery" component of the storyline to a whole new level. The ending of the book/film is heart wrenching with a clever twist.

It is a great book with a respectful-to-the-original film adaptation. I would highly recommend both. They are both great pieces by (a) Canadian author/artists and well deserving of the high praise received by critics and readers/movie-goers alike.

This will be my last book review from B.C. I'll attempt to continue to blog my book club book reviews but will make no promises (but will do my annual list of books read at the end of the year).

Facing Decisions

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way lead on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
 I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."


I know this poem is frequently cited to the point of almost being cliche but I find myself reflecting it on lately. Since finishing my PhD last June I have been faced with much uncertainty and many decisions. I have been looking for a permanent, full-time (but not necessarily tenure track) position at a university or college, and as such have been applying for a lot of positions. I scored my first interview for a term position shortly after defending, was offered the job, and chose to accept the offer. This meant I then had to obtain a leave of absence from my non-academic, full-time job and to move to B.C. for one term. Because the position is temporary and his successful, promising career is in Edmonton, my husband remained at home with our cats to hold down the fort. My fieldwork has taken me away for months before so maintaining our relationship long distance for a term seemed like a reasonable sacrifice for the important experience this position would provide.

Now my term contract is coming to an end and I find myself at a cross-roads. 

Do I pursue further opportunities in B.C. that may or may not someday in the future (2 or 3 years at least) lead to a full-time job? This would mean additional time away from my husband on and off for a couple of years while waiting for a job that may never happen. Should the full-time position come up, and should I successfully obtain that position, we'd have to bank on my husband agreeing to leave his current career path and agreeing to move our lives here permanently away from our family and friends.

Or do I pass up on these opportunities hoping that something closer to home will come along? There are so many advantages to staying home: we get to keep our house, my husband can remain on his promising career path, and we can remain close to our family and friends.

But I worry that if I turn down too many offers or pass on too many opportunities eventually I'll run out of both. I worry that I won't be happy unless I'm pursuing the career I worked so hard towards, or that I won't find something to fill the void  if I never get an academic position. In all honesty, part of me also finds the prospect of having to start over somewhere new kind of exciting too.

Although I love the idea of taking the road "less travelled by" and feel that in many ways I have always chosen the overgrown, untrodden path, I no longer have the confidence nor clarity to even identify which path is which. Worrying has led me to another quote from which I have taken great comfort and returned to contemplating many times in my life:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ― Joseph Campbell 

I think this may be the better mantra to focus on. Rather than focusing on identifying my path and worrying if I have made and will make the "right" decisions, right now I think the only decision I can and should make is this: breathe and let go. 

With every breath in, I will take in all the wonderful things I have in my life right this moment, and I will take in the life that is waiting for me. 

With every breath out I will release the anxiety and uncertainty, and I will let go of the life I had planned. 

And I will trust my gut, which has led me down so many great paths on so many great adventures, because that is the other cliche quote I should keep in mind: that it is not the destination, it is the journey.

Biittner's B.C. Book Reviews Double Feature: Kidnapped and The Lock Artist

I'm a little behind on my book reviews for my Bookies so I thought I'd cover both in one posting.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honestly it is because I really don't have much to say about our February book "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was a good read but nothing that special. I felt it was quite formulaic in that it was very similar to Stevenson's "Treasure Island". I thought it got off to a great start with much promise for adventure, but slows right down once the main character (David) escapes the pirate ship. Even though some of his escapades with Alan are interesting, I still found they did a whole lot of wandering around, laying low, and hiding. My favourite part is when they stay at Cluny's place, and the pace of the novel does pick up from there (the bagpipe "duel" is kind of ridiculous).

Would I recommend this book: Only to people who like Stevenson, or perhaps a young reader who has expressed an interest in reading some classic novels.
Purchase or borrow: Support your library and borrow this book.

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
I really enjoyed this book. Such a lovely read. I couldn't put it down, and read it in a single sitting. The story and how the narrative is constructed is just so compelling. I loved the characters (quite sympathetic for better or for worse) and I really got wrapped up in the story. It was clearly and simply written but still evocative.

Would I recommend this book: Absolutely.
Purchase or borrow: I lucked out and got an autographed copy as a fluke from Chapters. I'm glad I purchased it as I am sure I will re-read it again and will definitely lend it out as a recommended read. It's a great book to borrow though as it is a perfect holiday read.