Vacation Photos

If you are interested, I've posted photos of our recent vacation at my personal blog. You can find them by clicking here!

Review: Lottery by Patricia Wood

Title: Lottery
Author: Patricia Wood
ISBN: 978-0-399-15449-2
Published By: Berkley Books, 2007
Book Specs: 313 pages
Book Category: Fiction

A Basic Overview
This book tells the story of Perry L. Crandall. (His grandmother tells him the L stands for "Lucky.") Perry has an IQ of 76 -- but he'll be the first to tell you that he "is not retarded." However, much of the world treats his as such. Most of his family has abandoned him except for his grandparents, who raise him. After the death of his grandfather, Perry lives with his grandmother, who does her best to teach him ways to protect himself--spend half, save half; write things down; learn your words; and trust only certain people. Perry has a job and a good friend Keith, who accepts him as he is. He fancies a girl named Cherry who works at the local mini-mart. But things take a turn for the worse when his grandmother dies -- leaving Perry to fend for himself. His family members swoop in and quickly ransack his life and essentially sell his home out from under him -- leaving him on his own to cope. Only Keith and his boss are willing to help Perry rebuild his life, and his family abandons him again. Then one day, Perry wins $12 million in the Washington State Lottery. Suddenly, his family is back -- circling like vultures. But his grandmother has taught him well, and Perry teaches them an important lesson: "Never underestimate Perry L. Crandall."

My Thoughts
I think writing a book from the perspective of a mentally challenged person is difficult. Besides telling the story, the author faces the additional challenge of being true to the narrator's voice. I thought the author did a good job of balancing the childlike qualities inherent in Perry with the narrative elements needed to keep the story moving. For example, because Perry is treated as a simpleton by his family, they speak freely in front of him -- allowing him to recount their conversations and reveal their plans to the reader without Perry understanding what is going on. This device is used throughout the book, and I thought it was effective.

In addition, having the grandmother teach Perry to write things down is another device that allows the author to reveal critical information to the reader. Perry often reads the journals of his life that his grandmother created for him -- allowing the reader to get a glimpse of the family dynamics.

However, for the most part, the book is Perry's account of his life before and after his grandmother's death. As soon as he wins the lottery, I began feeling a sort of dread for him -- knowing that his family would be brutal in their attempts to wrest control of the lottery winnings away from him. One of my only quibbles with the book is that I felt the family members were just a little too black and white (with the possible exception of David who was a bit on the gray side) in their greed and evilness. And the sympathetic characters -- Keith, Cherry and Gary -- are perhaps a bit too nice and good (although the author gives Keith some definite issues to deal with). However, these are relatively minor issues overall.

I liked the choices the author made in the book. I felt she stayed true to Perry's character, and I was happy with the ways she chose to wrap up the story. The quote by Oscar Wilde that she uses at the start of the book -- "Ordinary riches can be stolen: real riches cannot" -- are perhaps the best summary of the basic message of this book. I think most readers will come away from this book feeling uplifted and satisfied.
About The Author
This was Patricia Wood's first novel. She is a Ph.D. student at the University of Hawaii, focusing on education, disability, and diversity. Her work inspired this novel -- as well as events in her life, including her father winning the Washington State Lottery. She lives with her husband on board a sailboat moored in Hawaii. (taken from the author's bio)

I was interested to read that the author's father had won the Washington State Lottery. This helped me to be more accepting of some of the details that happen when Perry wins the lottery, as I imagine many of them were taken from her father's experiences. Also, it makes sense that she lives on a sailboat as Perry works in a marine supply store and Keith lives on a sailboat. I always enjoy seeing the connections between an author's real life and their fiction. In addition, her son lives in Everett, Washington, which is the setting for the book.

Funny Little Side Note
The very day I started this book, I happened to get a comment on my post about book lights from Patricia Wood herself! Isn't that funny? I didn't make the connection until I visited her blog to thank her for her book light recommendation and read her day's post, which was about Lottery being released in the U.K. and some funny photos of her cat. It was such a strange coincidence! I must say, I've never started a book and then been contacted by the author on the same day to provide me with advice on what kind of book light she finds worthwhile. Kind of gave me a thrill. If you are interested, her blog can be found at http://pkwood.blogspot.com.

Vacation Reading Update

Well, I'm back from vacation. I had a lovely time. If you are interested in hearing a little bit about my trip, I wrote about it on my personal blog. From a reading perspective, the trip was wonderful! I was able to read all the books I brought with me, and I read my first great book of the year -- I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. Actually, all the books were good reads, but this book was pretty much perfect. I don't think there was a page in there that didn't give me a giggle. If you are looking for a comedic coming-of-age story, this book is a must. I'll be writing a full review about it soon -- along with all the other books I completed.

The other discovery was the book light I ended up purchasing -- the Fulcrum Multi Flex LED Book Light. It ended up being just perfect! It has a very strong clip (was able to clip to the back cover only of a softcover book and held tightly), and the light was bright enough to illuminate both pages of the book. There was no flicker in the LED light (a problem with my previous book light), and I liked that you could position the neck of the night to shine where you wanted it. It was very lightweight and worked well whether laying down to read or sitting up. Also, I like that it can stand alone if needed. It takes three AAA batteries, and the reviews I've read say that they last quite a long time. So I was quite thrilled with this book light. Finally, a book light that works as advertised! And, best of all, it only cost $10.99 at Amazon! Thanks to everyone who made suggestions regarding book lights; I looked at all of them and ones suggested at LibraryThing and at Paperback Swap before settling on this one.

So I'm trying to catch on housework, laundry, blogging and everything else so that is all I'm going to write today, but I've got seven books reviews to write in the next few weeks so keep checking back for them. Plus some of them I'll be giving away! Woo hoo!

What Is The Most Important Part of Packing For Vacation?

The answer to the question in my header is (of course) what books to pack! I bring this up because I am leaving on vacation tomorrow and won't blogging for the next week or so. But I'll be catching up on my reading (I hope) so I should come home rested, refreshed and ready to write lots of books reviews!

Here is what I'm taking with me. I wanted a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction and light books and heavy books. You never know what will mood you will be in! Plus I needed everything to be a relatively light and easy to pack softcover. My husband would be mad if I lugged heavy hardcover books with me! I'll see how far I get with them all!

Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris. This is my "airplane" book as it is light and short and can be picked up and down fairly often. Since I am flying with a 4-year-old, I almost never get to read on the plane but one can always hope. This is the only book I've not read of Mr. Sedaris. I just love his stuff and after this one, I guess I'll just have to wait for the next!

The Sister by Poppy Adams. I actually just got this one from Paperback Swap and I'm really excited about it. It is a debut novel, and it just sounds fantastic. Here is the blurb from Paperback Swap: "This lyrical and haunting story of two sisters, their troubling past, and the terrible secrets they each want buried will stay with you long after you close the book. A wonderful book loaded with twists and turns that come straight from the heart. From her lookout in the crumbling mansion that was her childhood home, Ginny watches and waits for her younger sister to arrive. Vivien has not set foot in the house since she left nearly fifty years ago; the reclusive Ginny has rarely ventured out, retreating into the precise routines that define her days, carrying on her father's solitary work studying moths. As the sisters revisit their shared past, they realize that their recollections differ in essential and unsettling ways. Before long, the deeply buried resentments that have shaped both their lives rise to the surface, and Vivien's presence threatens to disrupt Ginny's carefully ordered world.Told in Ginny's unforgettable voice, this subtle and chilling debut novel tells an extraordinary story of how families are capable of undoing themselves - especially in the name of love."

The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel. I've written about this one a few times already, and I'm almost done. This is my December LibraryThing Early Reviewer book and it is a goodie! I'm really wanting to find out what happened!

I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. This is a humorous coming-of-age story written by a former writer of the Simpsons. It just looks like fun, and I think it will be a perfect vacation book.

Wallflower At The Orgy by Nora Ephron. I really enjoy reading Nora Ephron's books, and this is one of the last one of her essay collections that I have left to read. Another one that will taken on the airplane as it can be picked up and put down easily.

The Memoirs of A Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux. I wrote about this book in an earlier post so I won't go over it again. But memoirs are one of my favorite type books to read so I would be remiss not to take one with me on vacation.

And I've left a list of "fun things to do while I'm on vacation" post over at my personal blog if you are interested! Check it out!

Fired! Book Giveaway Winner

The winner of the book Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed by Annabelle Gurwitch is Karin! You were the lucky winner as determined by the random number generator at Random.org. E-mail me your address and I'll get the book in the mail to you! Thanks for everyone who participating, and I'll be doing more book giveaways in the future!

Bookshelf Meme

I was so excited to be tagged for this meme by Sherry at NiteSwimming. I have totally enjoyed reading other people's posts with this meme -- they have all been so interesting. So, without further ado, here is my Bookshelf Meme.

Tell me about the book that has been on your shelves the longest:

It is probably my copy of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. I got this as a child for Christmas 1971. I would have been about 4 years old. There is an inscription inside the front cover that says "Dear Jennifer: A wise horse in this story tells the secret of becoming real. It seems to me that you are well on your way to learning his secret. Thank you for sharing your realness with me. Much love, Denise."

I have no idea who this Denise is or what role she played in my life, but I have always kept this book with me and revisit it every so often. I'm chomping at the bit to share this book with my son, but I think I'll wait until he is a bit older. The book itself is in pretty good shape -- although the pages are a bit yellowed. And did you know the title reads The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real. I never knew this until looking at the title page just now.

Tell me about a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (i.e., a person, a place, a time, etc.):

My copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style was given to me by my father when I headed off to college in 1985. I was going to Journalism School, and my dad gave me this book and inscribed it "To Jen: Rule #1. Be concise. Dad" And damned if he wasn't right. And damned if I still haven't learned that lesson to this day. (I think I'm a very wordy writer.) So this book always reminds me of my dad and leaving home for the first time with my dreams of being a big-time journalist. Twenty-some years later, I'm still trying to follow Rule #1, and I still think this book is one of the best books on writing you can find.



Tell me about a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used book store, prize, etc.):

In college when things were sometimes difficult, I used to read a poster that I had found somewhere called "Desiderata." It had all these wonderful things to say about life. It starts: "Go placidly amid the noise & the haste & remember what peace there may be in silence." I always read this poster when I needed to remind myself about what was important in life. Eventually, the poster got very ripped up and fell apart. As I was moving out of the house I had been living in (the house was going to be condemned -- it was college after all), I found a copy of Desiderata in a little book. I took it with me when I left and have it still. I always felt it was a bit of "someone from above" looking out for me and giving me a less destructible form of this philosophical statement.

Tell me about the most recent addition to your shelves:

The most recent addition to my bookshelves is my LibraryThing Early Reviewer copy of The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel. This particular addition was extra exciting for me as it is my first "Advance Uncorrected Galley." I'd never got a book like this before so I was really thrilled. I've already started it, and I'm hooked. The book is about a married couple (Joshua and Nathalie) whose 14-year-old son disappears one afternoon. The book is about the couple's reactions and investigation into what happened to their son. I'm really liking this book so far (even though it is my worst nightmare), and I can't wait to see where it is going to go. I believe the book will be going on sale in February 2009. (I mentioned all this in my most recent Mailbox Monday post.)

Tell me about a book that has been with you to the most places:
This is a hard question to answer as I rarely travel with the same book twice. And I guess it might be The Velveteen Rabbit again as I've pretty much had it in my possession wherever I've lived since I got it in 1971.

Tell me about a bonus book that doesn't fit any of the above questions:

In college, I took a class called "African-American Poetry." It was a fantastic class, and the highlight was having Rita Dove come in to read her poems to the class. Her book of poems, Thomas and Beulah, won the 1987 Pulitzer Price for Poetry. It was a thrill to hear a real live poet read their poems out loud to us. I'd never heard a poetry reading before. After the class, Ms. Dove was available to sign our copies of her book (another first for me). I had her sign my favorite poem in the book, "Daystar." I'd like to share it with you here because I think it so lovely, and I often think of it (especially after becoming a mother).

Daystar

She wanted a little room for thinking:
but she saw diapers steaming on the line,
a doll slumped behind the door.

So she lugged a chair behind the garage
to sit out the children's naps.

Sometimes there were things to watch --
the pinched armor of a vanished cricket,
a floating maple leaf. Other days
she stared until she was assured
when she closed her eyes
she'd see only her own vivid blood.

She had an hour, at best, before Liza appeared
pouting from the top of the stairs.
And just what was mother doing
out back with the field mice? Why,

building a palace. Later
that night, when Thomas rolled over and
lurched into her, she would open her eyes
and think of the place that was hers
for an hour -- where
she was nothing,
pure nothing, in the middle of the day.

The Rules

1. 1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

I am going to reach out of the book blog world a little bit because I think most of the book blogs I read have been tagged with this meme already. I am going to tag a few bloggers that I know like to read, and I hope they find this meme as interesting as I have. So you are it Diane, Motherhood for the Weak, LegalMist Heather, and Kel. Hope you have fun with it, but if you have no interest or time for this, I understand!

Mailbox Monday - January 12, 2009

Here is what I got this week:

This week I got my second LibraryThing Early Reviewer book -- The Disappearanceby Efrem Sigel. This was particularly exciting for me as it is my first "Advance Uncorrected Galley." I'd never got a book like this before so I was super excited. (I'm sure you veteran book bloggers are getting a good chuckle from this!). I've already started it, and I'm hooked. The book is about a married couple (Joshua and Nathalie) whose 14-year-old son disappears one afternoon. The book is about the couple's reactions and investigation into what happened to their son. I'm really liking this book so far (even though it is my worst nightmare), and I can't wait to see where it is going to go. I believe the book will be going on sale in February 2009. Look for my complete review soon.

From Paperback Swap, I got another book from my Wish List --The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig. Here is the description from Paperback Swap that made me want to read this book in the first place: "Eleven-year-old Philip Noble has a big problem: His dad, who was killed in a car accident, appears as a bloodstained ghost at his own funeral and introduces Philip to the Dead Fathers Club. The club, whose members were all murdered, gathers outside the Castle and Falcon, the local pub that Philip's family owns and lives above. Philip's father tells him that Uncle Alan killed him and he must avenge his death. When Philip realizes that Uncle Alan has designs on his mom and the family pub, Philip decides that something must be done. But it's a much bigger job than he anticipated, especially when he is caught up by the usual distractions of childhood—a pretty girl, wayward friends, school bullies, and his own self-doubt. The Dead Fathers Club is a riveting, imaginative, and quirky update of Shakespeare's great tragedy that will establish Matt Haig as a young writer of great talent and imagination." Doesn't that sound great? I'm really excited to start this one!

My third book was my own purchase from a book outlet -- Stephen King's Lisey's Story. I think Stephen King is very underrated and doesn't get the respect he deserves. I don't know any other popular author who tries so many different things and is so prolific. I don't always follow him on his journey but this book caught my eye (again with interesting covers!). And there was a blurb by no less than Michael Chabon on the back cover. This book seems a bit personal for King based on the inside front cover blurb: "What begins as a widow's efforts to sort through the papers of her celebrated (author) husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited. Lisey's Story is about the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love." I loved King's Bag of Bones (also about a widower) and this seems to be in the same vein so I'm excited to reat this.

If you've read any of these books and have any thoughts you can share, I would love to hear them. And to check out more Mailbox Monday posts (hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page), click here!

Review: Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed

Title: Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, and Dismissed

ISBN: 978-0-7432-8985-6
Written and edited by: Annabelle Gurwitch
Published By: Touchstone, January 2007
Book Specs: 256 pages
Book Category: Humor

Some books are a like a fine four-course meal. You take your time. You appreciate every bite. You savor each delectable mouthful. When it is over, you feel like you've had an experience.

Some books are like comfort food. They fill you up and make you feel good inside. You crave more, and they make you feel better when you are feeling down.

Some books are like candy bars. They are sweet, easy to eat and gone in no time.

This book was a candy bar.

Now don't get me wrong -- I LOVE candy bars. (I love them a lot.) I gobbled this book up in record time and felt a little guilty about it because it wasn't real "good" for me -- just like when I eat a candy bar. These are the type of books I read after "coming down" from a four-course meal book like The Economist Book of Obituaries.

Now I know the title may sound a bit ominous or depressing. "A book about people losing their jobs. In this economy. I don't think so. That sounds like the last thing I want to think about." But you should know that the people who lost their jobs in this book are some of the best comedy writers, comedians and actors/actresses in the business. So their tales of losing their jobs are just downright funny and amusing. Did I mention that some of the contributors include Tim Allen, Andy Borowitz, Bill Maher, Bob Saget, D.L. Hughley, Harry Shearer, David Cross, Morgan Spurlock, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Heaton, Anne Meara, Judd Apatow, Andy Dick, Matt Walsh, Jeff Garlin, Paul F. Tompkins, Tate Donovan? I'm sure you've seen some of these names somewhere. The ones you might not be familiar with write for, act in or produce such little shows like The Simpsons, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The book is broken up into five sections:

1. The Job So Terrible You Can Only Hope to Be Fired
2. The Firing You Didn't See Coming
3. The Time You Deserved To Be Fired
4. The Time Getting Fired Leads You To Something Better
5. The Time You Had To Fire Yourself.

Each "chapter" has about 10 or 12 mini-essays or interviews. And not all the contributions are about being fired from jobs; the essay by Rob Cohen called "Attractive In A Bad Way" is about how he needs to fire himself from dating because he is "that guy....the one responsible for all those late-night crying jags" and he dates women "...who are incredibly appealing on the outside, but soooooo not on the inside. Like a Godiva's chocolate...full of scorpions with diarrhea."

Here are some other lines in the book that gave me a chuckle.

From Annabelle Gurwitch's essay "Crimes and Mythdemeanors": I just couldn't believe Woody Allen was ruining my Woody Allen experience.

From Bruce Cameron's contribution "Remodels Your Redundancy": My friends have said I have a "dark gift," because instead of getting angry, most of the people I fired seemed worried for me.

From Dana Gould's "Jimmy the Idiot": I figured I'd become a movie star and use it as a springboard to writing. Is there not a more difficult route? It was as if I wanted to be a pastry chef and entered politics to do it. After all, once I'm president of the United States, I can bake anything I want.

From Maxine Lapiduss's essay "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service": ...and I didn't make a million bucks or become an instant hit on Letterman. But foolishly that wasn't what I had asked God to do for me. I'd asked for a below-minimum-wage job and some costume assistance, and that's exactly what I got. Next time, I'll be more specific.

About The Author/Editor
The book was edited by Annabelle Gurwitch -- an actress who had the distinction of being fired by her idol Woody Allen (a story she includes in the book). After that experience, she began gathering stories about being fired from her friends (and she's got some funny friends). The stories turned into a contributions on Day to Day on NPR, a show, a documentary, and a web site. She is perhaps best know as the cohost of the cult TV hit Dinner and a Movie on TBS. She is currently working on a book about marriage with her husband called You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up.

Final Opinion and Giveaway
This was a fun, easy book to read. It was pretty humorous, and I enjoyed it.
And if you would like to enjoy it too, leave me comment on this post mentioning that you would like to read this book. All comments that indicate interest will be entered in a giveaway of my copy of the book. This giveaway will close on Monday, January 12th and a winner will be picked on January 13th.

Can Anyone Recommend A Good Book Light?

I am going on vacation soon and am looking for a good book light so I can read in the hotel room once my child goes to bed. I've tried a little LED clip on light and didn't really like it. It fell off and the light only hit one page so I was constantly having to move it. Plus there was a lot of flicker and I got a headache. If you have a good book light that you've used and can recommend it, please let me know what the name is and where I could find it. Thanks so much!!!

Mailbox Monday - January 5, 2009

This was a slower week than last week, but I still got three wishes granted at Paperback Swap. If you've read any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren

I'm not sure why I originally put this on my wish list -- though the cover is very appealing. I think I had seen it in the Quality Paperback Book Swap monthly newsletter and it looked interesting. Plus it is set in Oregon, where I went to college. From the book jacket: "Deep in Oregon farm country, Edith and Earl McRae are looking down the barrel of their fiftieth anniversary with none of the joy such a milestone should hold. Instead, they are stuck in a past that holds them to heartbreak and tragedy. Enter the mysterious and ever-so-slightly magical Mara O'Shaunessey who appears on their ranch with the power to mend long broken fences and show them how to recognize the enchantment of their everyday lives. Gracefully capturing the strange alchemy of people and places, Kaya McLaren's story of redemption and rediscovery will inspire readers to find the magic and power in every day shared with the people they love." I have a soft spot in my heart for this type of "magical realism" (I'm thinking Alice Hoffman here) so I hope this is along those lines.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

I'm sure this is going to be a bit of a depressing book but one of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott, writes on the back cover: "This is a brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hard-fought wisdom. This book will save a lot of lives and help heal a lot of hearts. I absolutely could not put it down." I'm very fascinated by books by people who have overcome addictions (James Frey's A Million Little Pieces and Augusten Burrough's Dry come to mind), so I thought a book that looks at addiction from a father's perspective might be interesting. It is something that I am terrified of as a parent (my son is only 4 so I don't have to worry about this now but I often worry about things that might occur far in the future) so I thought I would check this out.

Lottery by Patricia Wood

This was chosen as one of the Washington Post Book World's Best Books of the Year, and I was very attracted to the cover. (Sometimes I do, truly, just get a book based on the cover. Sometimes it surprises me how often this works out.) The book description on Paperback Swap reads: "Perry's IQ is only 76, but he's not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And, most important, she taught him whom to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of thirty-one. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery ticket wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with. Peopled with characters both wicked and heroic who leap off the pages, Lottery is a deeply satisfying, gorgeously rendered novel about trust, loyalty, and what distinguishes us as capable." It sounds like it might be an interesting and fun read.

To check out more Mailbox Monday posts, click here!

Review: The Economist Book of Obituaries

Title: The Economist Book of Obituaries (ISBN: 978-1-57660-326-0)
Written by: Keith Colquhoun and Ann Wroe
Published By: Bloomberg Press, November 2008
Book Specs: Hardcover, 416 pages, 6 1/8" x 9 1/4" 200 photos
Price: $29.95 US/$34.95 CAN

My Overall Opinion of the Book
This book was fascinating, educational, funny, political, and judgmental. It is almost never sad. A collection of 200 obituaries written between 1994 to 2008 (each one two pages long), The Economist Book of Obituaries is oddly enjoyable and fascinating. It may sound a strange book to read, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Even if you are not a fan of obituaries (and there are many obituary fans out there), I think you could enjoy this book purely from an entertainment and educational perspective.

Why I Read the Book
I became interested in this book after reading Marilyn Johnson's The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries. Johnson's book documents her love of obituaries and some of the great writers of the genre. While reading her book, I learned the difference between American and British obituaries (the British are not afraid to "tell it like they see it") and joined Johnson on her visit to some of the leading obituary writers of the world. The Dead Beat was a pretty fun book to read, and I found myself wanting to read the type of obituaries that got Johnson so excited. So when LibraryThing listed The Economist Book of Obituaries in its Early Reviewer books for November, I jumped at the chance to get it. I was thrilled when I was lucky enough to receive a review copy.

The Basic Structure of the Book
This is not a book you need to read straight-through. It is ideal for picking up and putting down at will. Each obituary is two pages long and includes a relevant black and white photo. The obituaries are listed in alphabetical order, and there is a Table of Contents to let you pick which ones you might want to read. (I read the book straight through since I was reviewing it, but I could definitely view this more as a book to peruse at your leisure.) Each obituary starts with a single sentence that tells the name of the deceased, their basic "claim to fame," their date of death and their age at the time of death. Other than these basic structural elements, each obituary is wildly different in style, tone and purpose.

Who Is Covered In the Book
The obituaries in the book include 199 people and one parrot (Alex the African Grey -- billed as "science's best-known parrot"). The famous (Princess Diana, Bob Hope, John Paul II, Julia Child, Norman Mailer) and the not-so-famous (the inventor of the Cup of Noodles, the inventor of frozen non-dairy topping, America's King of the Hobos, Japan's royal tutor, one of the founders of Mensa). The subjects are from a wide variety of countries and from all walks of life -- scientists, musicians, writers, social activists, criminals, royalty. What makes this book great is that it doesn't matter what you know about the subject (half of the people in the book I'd never heard of), you will learn about them, their importance in the world, and their contributions to their chosen field. Each obituary is not so much about the individual person and their life story, but more about what their life meant to the world they lived in.

For example, the obituary of Sue Sumii--a champion of Japan's untouchables -- is clearly meant as a way to highlight this little discussed aspect of Japanese society. The obituary of Yasser Talal al-Zahrani -- a prisoner in Guantanamo who died at the age of 21 -- is meant to be a statement of the wrongness of Guantanamo. This particular obituary ends like this:

"As he had hoped, his death led voices around the world to demand that the camp be closed. One senior American official, immovable, called his suicide 'a good PR move.' She may have been right; Guantanamo, alas, remains, wrong."

Not all the obituaries are of a political nature. Some are sly social commentary--such as the joint obituary of Brooke Astor and Leona Helmsley (both "grandes dames of New York") that compares the two ladies radically different approaches to life by comparing everything from their dogs to their real estate holdings.

Other obituaries are very educational on a particular topic to which the person being written about contributed -- such as cricket, beekeeping, auto racing, container ships, aviation safety, surrogate parenting law, to name just a few.

Perhaps the most creatively written obituary is the joint obituary of Robert Brooks (one of the founders of Hooters) and Mickey Spillane (creator of Mike Hammer), which is written as a short story that has Mike Hammer going to Hooters. That this obituary manages to tie two such disparate people together as "suppliers of fantasies to American males" and be written in a story format while still managing to pay homage to both subjects is just pure genius.

The Style of the Book
What makes these obituaries such a pleasure to read is the style in which they are written. The authors are not afraid to be irreverent, and they do not shy away from taking a detour away from the main story to make an important point. In short, the obituaries are very well-written, which is why it didn't always matter to me who they were writing about. I marked some of the my particular favorites to give you a sense of what makes these obituaries such a pleasure to read.

From the obituary of Jeanne Calment (the world's oldest person): "Perhaps it does not matter. For most people, the interest in Mrs. Calment was her durability."

From the obituary of Barbara Cartland: "She was worried about her prospects for immortality, as indeed she had reason to be."

From the obituary of Estee Lauder: "Time, however, also trailed her, with his ghastly wrinkled face and his sallow hue that coordinated with no bathrooms."

From the obituary of Stanley Marcus (founder of Neiman-Marcus): "There comes a time in the life of the average billionaire when money ceases to be important. Suddenly it no longer seems to make the world go round; it has become quite boring. Stanley Marcus was sympathetic to the problem and sought to rekindle interest in possessions among those who wanted for nothing."

From the obituary of Dr Spock: "It was, on the face of it, an odd book to have become one of the bestsellers of the century. The one endeavour the human race was used to, and indeed had become quite good at, was having babies and bringing them to adulthood."

Wrap-Up
I hope this review has conveyed what a unique and fascinating book this is. It certainly made me understand why Marilyn Johnson and so many others enjoy reading obituaries on a regular basis. I suspect that this book contains the creme de la creme of obituary writing, and I hope to see another edition in the future!

One final note: The book itself has a very rich feel to it. The paper has a nice sheen to it, and the book feels very weighty and solid. I appreciated that feeling and find it appropriate for a book that contains the story of 199 human lives and 1 parrot.

My Completed Challenges

Here are links to the challenges I have completed. Why you care about this, I don't know but I'm doing it anyway -- mostly because I like the sense of satisfaction I get from completing a challenge.

• 2009 E-Book Reading Challenge
• 2009 A to Z Reading Challenge - Titles
• 2009 Summer Vacation Reading Challenge
• 2009 Spring Reading Thing Challenge
  
• 2009 Fall Into Reading Challenge