Book Buzz

Edited by  DAN SAVAGE, TERRY MILLER

Savage and Miller are the married couple (they got married in Canada) who started the IT GETS BETTER video campaign on You Tube as a result of a slate of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered teens who committed suicide due to bullying. They were hoping for one hundred, maybe two hundred at best, after they publish their video on You Tube. With in a week there were over one thousand videos. These vignettes are taken from the videos. They are all sad tales when they describe the bullying but all uplifting as writer after writer talks about finding his or her acceptance with friends and family. The first message in the book is from President Obama.

Now the videos will have their own web site so that young people who need to hear these messages in five, ten or twenty years will be able to. Power to the people. Good on Dan and Terry.

www.itgetsbetter.org

SARAH ADDISON ALLEN

When her mother died, Emily went to her grandfather’s house in Mullaby. She had never been in Mullaby before; she had never met her grandfather. She soon found out that Mullaby is a town where strange things happen. The wallpaper in her room changes depending on her mood and on what is happening in her life. At night strange lights haunt the town. Some people are quiet friendly but other are quiet hostile. Hostile people tell horrible stories about her wonderful mother. What is going on?

If you like magic realism this is a good book for you.

MITCH ALBOM

I must be the last person in the world to have read this book. And it is delightful. The author reconnects with a former prof who is dying of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. What an awful way to leave the body. Morrie helps Mitch to embrace life and live it to the fullest. The visit every Tuesday for fourteen weeks until Morrie dies. The story is full of love and light.

DEEPAK CHOPRA

This is the first Chopra  book that I have actually been able to read! Laughing is a fable about Mickey Fellows, a successful  comedian whose father’s death sets him on a path of spiritual seeking. He meets Francisco, a wise stranger whose riddles help Mickey uncover aspects of his own life and the true nature of reality that he has not considered before. Possibly it was the fable aspect that allowed me to penetrate Chopra’s work.

“Fear tells many lies but is always believed
If the worst happens, fear will be greatly relieved
On the day you were born fear poisoned your heart
Fear will still be there on the day you depart.”

Which reminds me of Dune, “Fear is the mind killer.” And also of a self help book, “Feel the Fear but Do It Anyway” Both books I would highly recommend.

Chopra concludes his parable with ten reasons to take the road of joy and spiritual optimism. Here are a few:

• The healthiest response to life is laughter.
• You belong in the scheme of the universe and there’s nothing to be afraid of.
• Ecstasy is the energy of the spirit.
• Obstacles are opportunities in disguise.
• Freedom is letting go.

Laughing speaks the truth.

AMY BRONWEN ZEMSER

Elaine desperately  wants to fade in the background. She does this well; she doesn’t have a single friend. That is until she meets Lucida Sans (she named herself after the font) who makes sure that she is the centre of attention. She wants more than anything to be famous. Elaine is a superb cook. Julia child is her hero. Unfortunately Elaine’s mom, a congresswoman, wants Elaine to choose a career other than cooking. She views work in the home to be demeaning for women. Elaine must choose a career that a feminist would be proud of.

This Young Adult novel is a feel good book with extraordinary characters. Lucinda has two moms. Elaine’s brother Chris would like to be a girl so he always wears a dress or a frilly nightgown. Elaine’s dad doesn’t work. He stays home doing yoga. When someone asks Elaine if Chris is her brother or her sister she replies with a shrug.

A fun quick read.

MICHAEL ZADOORIAN

Seeker is a road book. We often hear about road movies but rarely if ever road books. John and Ella are in their eightys. John’s Alzheimer’s dementia is getting worse. He has good moments and bad moments. Ella, dieing of cancer, has decided to stop treatment. They decide to have one more road trip exploring Route 66 which stretches across the states to California. They want to see the ocean and go to Disneyland. Their children are horrified. They even threaten to call the police. They want their Mom to continue treatment for the cancer and they want to see Dad in a home where he can’t wander off. Seeker is a touching tale of adventure and self realization.

A good read.

MARLO MORGAN

Mutant Message is a follow up to the bestselling Mutant Message Down Under. It is a tale of  self-enlightenment based on aboriginal lifestyle and philosophy. The novel is  about aboriginal twins separated at birth and the search for roots that reunites them from opposite sides of the globe. Message from Forever is an incredibly moving story in which the power of purity, acceptance, and openness transcends injustice and degradation. At times I thought that the aboriginal people of Australia were treated worse than the first nations people of the Americas but the I remembered the slaughter in central and south America and the blankets infected with small pox in North America. The book is didactic in the extreme combined with simple writing but still worth reading.

Vikas Swarup

This is the book that the movie Slumdog Millionaire was based on. And the book is completely different than the movie except for the basic theme and structure. Ram Mohammad Thomas is a contestant for a billion rupees. The book highlights an excerpt from his life that explains how he knew the answer. And what a life! Poverty, desertion, murder, prostitution, abuse, it is all in his life. But there was always some fascit that mattered most. I find it astounding, and if it’s typical of the things she’s asked, no wte of his life that he remembered thas that mattered most. I find it astounding, and if it’s typical of the things she’s asked, no ws that mattered most. I find it astounding, and if it’s typical of the things she’s asked, no wt provided an answer. The neighbour naming the pet Pluto because the kitten is tiny and Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system. Despite the torture and abuse it is aThis is the book that the movie Slumdog Millionaire was based on. And the book is completely different than the movie except for the basic theme and structure. Ram Mohammad Thomas is a contestant for a billion rupees. The book highlights an excerpt from his life that explains how he knew the answer. And what a life! Poverty, desertion, murder, prostitution, abuse, it is all in his life. But there was always some fascite of his life that he remembered that provided an answer. The neighbour naming the pet Pluto because the kitten is tiny and Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system. Despite the torture and abuse it is actually a light read. Fun. Now I would like to revisit the DVD.ctually a light read. Fun. Now I would like to revisit the DVD.

RUPERT EVERETT

Everett’s autobiography is surprisingly well written for a Hollywood gossip rag. Having previously publish two or three novels he most certainly does have a way with words. His start was in an upper middle class English family which of course led to the brutality of boarding school. It was there Rupert got his first acting experience and made plans to attend acting school. He ended up being kicked out of acting school for being unruly. But that certainly has not hurt his career at all. Rupert is a shameless name dropper. It seems that he knows everyone in Hollywood. Light fare. I actually listened to an audio version that was abridged to 4.5 hours. At the time I was quite sick so listening was the best way to appreciate this book.

THOMAS FOX AVERILL

A book for food lovers, especially lovers the spice and heat of latin cooking. The name Tsil comes from the god-avatar of the chili pepper in the ceremonial dances of the Hopi. The story and recipes are loaded with chillies one of the true North American foods. Native north Americans had domesticated the chilli long before the arrival of the europeans.

I read this book some years back so my remembrance of plot is sketchy but what I remember is loving the mix of story and food fact and restaurant lore. Not great literature but a great read.

PETER MAYLE

I was in the mood for something light; I had already discarded several books as being unreadable when Pastis appeared. Pastis is an anise flavoured alcohol associated with Provence a southern area of France. A poor little rich CEO, driven ad executive wants to get out of the fast lane. Simon had just completed divorcing “the bitch”.  He does it by creating a hotel in a village of Provence with encouragement and help from his romantic interest.

The most interesting character, Ernest, his valet extrodinaire, obviously gay, has kept his home and executive life in order for years. Superb organizer, Ernest sets up and runs the hotel. His dream job and in the sunny south of France. The best part of the book is the fun of  creating the hotel. The subplot of thieves and kidnapping is poorly handled. But then again it is light reading fun.

RANDY PAUSCH

AKA The Song of the Eternal Optimist

Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less time than you think. – Randy Pausch

Pausch’s lecture ”Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” was every bit as upbeat and inspirational as the man himself. Rather than focusing on dying, it was a speech about living, about achieving one’s dreams and enabling the dreams of others, about truly living each day as though it were your last. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three to six months to live.

The book THE LAST LECTURE elaborates on the processes of writing the lecture, of his life and loves, of his out look on life and death.

It is a truly inspirering book.

A NOVEL OF LOVE, MARY POPPINS & FENWAY PARK

STEVE KLUGER

A sweet, positive, feel good book about teens and for teens but worth reading by adults. But it is a world to good to be true. The two main characters TC and Augie decided that they were brothers at an early age and for years have had beds and dressers in each others bedrooms. TC is into baseball big time. Augie is into Broadway musicals big time. Throw into the mix a beautiful girl, a hot guy and a high school musical. It’s a fun uplifting read. Interestingly it is written as letters, texting, e-mails etc.

RICHARD WAGAMESE

This is a grand book on the meaning of love, friendship and community. The main characters of this novel are street people. Four homeless friends who start going to the movies as a way of staying warm in the freezing Canadian winter. However they find they love movies and continue going even when the weather warms. They make a friend with a man that they meet at the movies. Their stories of what took them down to the level of living on the streets are gradually revealed. Well worth the read.

Bob Morris

A wonderful memoir of a man’s frustration of taking care of his 84 year old dad after Mom has died. His dad who he never got along all that well with before but who now needs him. Bob thinks that he has never gotten along with his dad because they are such opposites. But when he finally relaxes to the point that he can attract and maintain a lover his lover tells him that when I got you I knew I was getting your Dad. Well written and touching especially at the end. This one is an easy read. Enjoy.

WILLIAM SUTCLIFFE

This comic novel would make a great movie. Three mothers of thirty something bachelors desire to be grandmothers. Their plan is to descend upon their son’s unannounced for a week’s stay to observe and manipulate. One son is the editor of “Balls” magazine with a corresponding party lifestyle. Hiding from a failed relationship in Edinborough is another son. The last son has not come out to his mother. He lives in what she calls a “gay commune.” Funny and touching. A light read.

Jill Bolte Taylor

A young brain scientist has a devastating stroke but decides to use that stroke as an opportunity to learn more about how the brain learns and heals. She describes the event and her subsequent lengthy recovery from a clinical and very personal point of view. What surprised me the most was the spiritual nature of the book. Her stroke damage the left side of the brain leaving the right side of the brain to flourish which left her in a state of spiritual bliss.
Jill Taylor credits her mother for her complete recovery, which took eight years, noting that stroke recovery can take much longer than we used to think was the case.

Quote:I have heard doctors say, “If you don’t have your abilities back by six months after your stroke, then you won’t get them back!” Believe me, this is not true. I noticed significant improvement in my brain’s ability to learn and function for eight full years post-stroke, at which point I decided my mind and body were totally recovered. Scientists are well aware that the brain has tremendous ability to change its connections based upon its incoming stimulation. This “plasticity” of the brain underlies its ability to recover lost function.

Very interesting, yet a light read. Highly recommended.

A Novel of the After Life

HARRY FREUND

Was it chance or was it ordained that these five souls, quite the motley crew, would end up at the pearly gates at the same time? As they compare stories they are amazed at the many intersecting lines that intersect their lives. How could this be? One character is an angry survivor of Nazi concentration camps as a boy. A young gay man who couldn’t make it as interior decorator earned an excellent living husseling his body. A rich philanderer actually believed that his wife didn’t know about all his dalliances. A woman had a lot of fun and earned money as a professional shopper. The last was a poor born again Christian who sacrificed her own children to take care of the wealth woman’s child. They all have their secrets that must be brought out into the open.

At times touching, other times hillarious. They nearly drove the care taking angels crazy! After the child soldier book I was in the mood for something light. Worth the read.

GENE WILDER

My first thought that the famous comedian would write a crazy off the wall type of novel but this is actually a sensitive, romantic easy read. Jeremy is a violinist who is sent to a Swiss resort/asylum after having a complete nervous breakdown on stage. A most public humiliation. The story is of his healing through love. Romantic through and through.

A M HOMES

The protagonist is a wealthy man who considers himself dead. He hasn’t left his LA hills house in over a month. The only people he sees is his full time housekeeper, his trainer and his nutritionalist.The story is how he comes to life again NO how he chooses LIFE.

An uplifting book.