Biittner's Book Review: Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome Jerome

A little late but better than never. November's book club pick, and our last book of the 2012 Bookies season, was "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)" by Jerome Jerome. This is another pick from the 501 Must Read Book list that One Practical Woman and I have been slowly working our way through. The title only provides a hint as to how odd this little book would be. Essentially this book describes, in ridiculous detail, a trip down the Thames by three men and their dog (Montmorency, who is by far the best character in the book). I very quickly started to feel surprise that these men are even able to get out of bed in the morning never mind plan an outing on a boat. It is almost infuriating how incompetent and self-centered they are. That said, the whole book has a very satirical tone. It can be quite witty at times, and somehow manages to not feel dated, but the dryness of the humor would not necessarily translate well for everyone. It would make a great play as it has an almost Ionesco/Theatre of the Absurd feel to it. I would recommend this book but to people I think would appreciate the humor that can be found in the mundane.

We have made most of our picks for next year; I'll post these shortly. I will also (mid-December) post my list of books read in 2012 including those books I highly recommend. 

Biittner's Book Review: My Left Foot by Christy Brown

Another month, another book review. This is the second last book of this year's book club line up and the second autobiography/memoir. I was really looking forward to reading "My Left Foot" as I clearly remember watching the movie (and Daniel Day Lewis win an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Christy) when I was a kid (I was eight when the film came out). I've always admired authors (as someone who sucks at writing) and Christy's story really made a big impression on me. That's probably what I enjoyed the most about the book: I loved reading about Christy's journey learning how to write, how to be an author. The movie and book both cover his childhood and development as an artist quite well, his struggles with his identity, capabilities, and his cerebral palsy, but the book excels in highlighting the author's journey as an author. I love the circular nature of the book (when you get to read about him writing the numerous drafts that would eventually the first two chapters of the book your are reading) and the final pages are so powerful to this end. Christy's voice is so strong that it is hard to believe that he wasn't always a great writer. There is just so much to take away from this story; the more I think about it, the more I recollect like how crazy big his family was, or what a nasty, sharp sense of humor he has. I find it is similar to Jann Arden's memoirs (Falling Backwards) in how brutally honest and self reflexive/critical it is. It is a great read. I would highly recommend that you read the book and then treat yourself to the movie.

Life Happens, Literally!

It's been said that "life is what happens when you are busy making plans". For me, life is what happened when I was busy trying to not make plans. A couple of months back I wrote about facing decisions - a discussion of some of the decisions I was facing following the completion of my PhD and starting to look at planning for my future.

I decided at that time to trust my gut, to focus on breathing, and to not stress out about all the decisions I thought I had to make. I chose to move back home to be with my husband and my family, to not apply on jobs that would move me away from them, and to continue my full-time non-academic job while still pursuing any sessional teaching positions locally that my schedule could accommodate.

Another decision that had been made months prior to the post was that my husband and I wanted to start our family. I must admit that part of my anxiety over making decisions regarding my career had to do with my uncertainty over whether or not "the baby thing" would actually happen for us. Our decision to try to have a baby was largely based on our decision to stay in Edmonton near our families and where my husband has a stable, fulfilling career. I did not talk about this in that post because it was a sensitive, private issue for me at that time. Further, many other bloggers, far more articulate and talented than I, have already addressed the issues facing female academics today including especially the decision to, or to not, have kids, when it is "best" to try to fit a kid into your career path, and what are the impacts (both positive and negative) on those who chose to have children. These were all issues that ran through my head as I wrote that post on facing decisions, but was not willing, nor able, to address at that time. Now I can admit one question, in particular, stole my sleep: what if we are not able to have children and I'd passed up applying on a great tenure-track or permanent teaching position while in the process of "trying"?

Turns out I need not have worried. I'm pregnant.

So yup, it happened for us and so far everything is going well - both in terms of the pregnancy (another post on that later...maybe...) and in terms of my career. I just had a great Summer Term contract teaching a night class on cultural anthropology, and just started another contract for Fall Term for a world prehistory course that my non-teaching job schedule and due date accommodate. I've also secured a year-long distance education tutor position for this academic year that will help support us through my maternity leave.

I realize I'm lucky for so many reasons. I'm very content with how things worked out. I now only feel twinges of anxiety when a "perfect" job posting pops up in my inbox but no longer feel like I'm missing out on opportunities. Instead I'm excited about taking on the title I've chosen for myself for the next phase of my life: "Mommy & Academic-at-Large".

Besides, if I learned anything in grad school it is this - I can be extremely productive when sleep deprived.

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.