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Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

For our discussion on October 14, 2015, the Classics Books Club selected Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. We usually select a scarier book for October. This one is a science fiction thriller originally published in the 1950's. Not long after that it was made into a movie directed by Don Siegel and starring Kevin McCarthy. I had seen the movie many years ago. I had also seen the version made in 1978 with Donald Sutherland, Veronica Cartright, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy. I expected a pulp fiction sci fi thriller and was pleasantly surprised to find a deeper and more complex narrative that explores questions of science and psychology. The story is told from the first person perspective of Dr. Miles Bennell in the small town of Mill Valley, California in Marin County near San Francisco. Jack Finney lived in the actual Mill Valley. I had previously read two books by him: Time and Again and From Time to Time, both time-traveling fantasies. They were OK, very imaginative, but I didn't find the main character/ narrator very likable. I like Dr. Miles Bennell, though he still has his flaws. There have actually been a couple of editions of Body Snatchers. The original did not have the words "Invasion of" in the title. Finny actually mentions Time and Again in the later edition of Body Snatchers.

I listened to the unabridged Blackstone Audio version of the book. It is read by Kristoph Tabori who is the son of Don Siegel, the director of the original movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He later directed Flaming Star that stars Elvis Presley. At the end of the audiobook, Tabori talks about his father making the movie, how he shot it on a very low budget and how the studio filmed a different ending from what he wanted. The ending does differ from the book. I also learned from the audiobook that Blackstone Audio are located in Ashland, Oregon.

Though the book I listened to claimed to take place in the 1970's, it was clearly set in the 1950's. They used dial phones and reminisced to when there was a manual switchboard. They have cars with bench seats in which three people can sit in the front. Then there's the treatment of women by the book. At one point a male character says something like, "I feel like breakfast. Let's see what the girls have made for us." In another scene the "two women began turning on gas jets, getting pans, opening cupboards, and the refrigerator. While we three (men) sat down at the kitchen table."

The book had many spooky moments and psychological thrills. It generates much fear by not explaining what's going on. It also gets into science and philosophy. Miles thinks of a tabloid filled with crazy-sounding stories and wonders if all of them should be dismissed. He also ponders, "I don't know how many people still live in the town they were born in these days, but I did, and it's inexpressibly sad to see that place die. Maybe even worse than the death of a friend because you have other friends to turn to." Another friend tells him, "The function of life is to live if it can and no other motive can interfere with that."

The story explores different psychological angles. Once character describes how we see things in our minds and "The human mind searches for cause and effect, always; and we all prefer the weird and thrilling to the dull and commonplace." Dr. Miles reflects how "the human animal won't take a straight diet of any emotions: fear, happiness, honor, grief, or even contentment." He also recounts how "We thought we were thinking, but actually we moved on wild, mindless impulse."

We had a great discussion on Wednesday, October 14. They put us in a tighter corner in King's Books near the Children's Books and the Literature section. We were "Christ party of eight" with one new person. Many of the others had read an edition of the book with an introduction by Dean Kootz. It talked about how Body Snatchers reflects the decline of community and individual expression that is actually happening with new technologies and rampant commercialism. We talked about that and compared the aliens' motives to Nazi Germany. Some weren't satisfied with the ending.

The coordinator asked us to start thinking about books for the next club fiscal year of May 2016 to April 2017. Others mentioned the books Two Years before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr., August 1914 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman, and The Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. For the next month, we planned to discuss another science fiction book, The Left Hand of Darkness.

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

I first learned about Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown from someone I knew from Juneau, Lynn Shattuck. She now writes for Elephant Journal, Huffington Post and other websites. She mostly writes about parenting. Her blog is The Light Will Find You. I have recently been interested in the idea of having more courage to be myself. At the beginning of last year I first heard the song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. I found it on Freegal and downloaded it. I watched videos of Brené Brown's TED talks on vulnerability and shame and found her presentations both humorous and intriguing. Much more recently, I tried reading a book that seemed to have a similar message, How the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead. I originally couldn't find Daring Greatly on Overdrive. But when I was browsing on Hoopla I found the audiobook read by Karen White. I started streaming it and learned that the title comes from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt from his speech "Citizenship in Republic," sometimes referred to as "The Man in the Arena" speech. I soon found that Overdrive had both the Audiobook and the Epub.

Brené Brown is a researcher and research professor with a doctorate in social work. She is from Texas and teaches at the University of Houston. She gets into a few of the technical aspects of her research but mostly keeps her writing accessible and relatable. Many of her examples come from her own family life. I like that many of her examples and points refer to music. She mentions a study of number one songs that focus more on glorifying the self than uniting with others. Other songs urge self-reliance such as "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake. She quotes a lyric from a song by her favorite band, Rush: "If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice." I learned about a compilation of songs for sports when I read, "To protect ourselves from the vulnerability of giving or receiving feedback, we need to rumble (cue Jock Jams). " (p. 214) Later she writes an inadvertent reference to music: "hope is a combination of setting goals, having the tenacity and perseverance to pursue them, and believing in our abilities. Hope is plan B." (p. 78.7) While reading the book I couldn't help but think of the song "Shame is the Name" by Morrissey.

Brown includes a few other relatable references. I first heard of Paulo Freire when I took teaching classes. Brown "learned to teach by immersing myself in engaged critical pedagogy by writers like bell hooks and Paulo Freire." (p. 211) From Brown I learned the origin of the saying "Waiting for the other shoe to drop." It "originated in the early 1900's when new immigrants and people flooding to the cities were crammed into tenement housing where you could literally hear your upstairs neighbor taking off his shoes. Once you heard the first one you waited for the other shoe to drop." (p. 128)

Brown is not shy about crediting others' work. In the appendix she acknowledges "Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss for their pioneering work in qualitative research for developing grounded theory methodology." (p. 262) She mentions Dr. Kristin Neff who "has a great website where you can take a self-compassion inventory . . . The Web address is www.self-compassion.org." Brown mentions Team Red, White, and Blue (TeamRWB.org) who "believe the most effective way to impact a veteran's life is through a meaningful relationship with someone in the community." (p. 168) She also quotes the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) who defines bullying as "Repeated mistreatment, sabotage by others that prevent work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation and humiliation." (p. 201) According to the WBI, "54 million American workers (37% of the workforce) have been bullied at work." (p. 201)

Brown devotes an entire chapter to how most of us "armor" ourselves against vulnerability. One type of armor is numbing, "the embrace of whatever deadens the pain of discomfort or pain." (p. 127) I wander what deadens the pain of pain. I'm also not sure whether to care what others think or not. It turns out to be harder than expected. "When we stop caring about what people think, we lose our capacity for connection. When we become defined by what people think we lose our willingness to be vulnerable. If we dismiss all the criticism we lose out on important feedback, but if we subject ourselves to hatefulness, our spirits get crushed. It's a tightrope, shame resilience is the balance bar, and the safety net is the one or two people in our lives who can help us reality-check the criticism and the cynicism." (p. 181) By the end, Brown "can honestly say that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as believing that I'm standing on the outside of my life looking in and wondering what it would be like if I had the courage to show up and let myself be seen." (p. 260)

Topics in the book range from belonging to worthiness to parenting. Brown states, "When the culture of an organization mandates that it is more important to protect the reputation of the system and those in power than it is to protect the basic human dignity of individuals or communities you can be certain that shame is systemic and accountability is dead. This is true of all systems from corporations, nonprofits, universities, and governments, to churches, schools, families, and sports programs." (p. 207) On parenting, "In terms of teaching our children to dare greatly in the 'never enough" culture, the question isn't so much 'Are you parenting the right way?' as it is 'Are you the adult that you want your child to grow up to be?'" (p. 225) Regarding belonging, "the important thing to know about worthiness is that it doesn't have prerequisites." (p. 232) Brown explains that "fitting in and belonging are not the same thing. In fact, fitting in is one of the greatest barriers to belonging. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming what you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are." (p. 243)

I found Daring Greatly to be encouraging. Brown has many points and insights that make sense. She doesn't have all the answers but I like her perspectives. She is the first to admit that embracing vulnerability and daring greatly are not easy. She described her struggles with it. I may try reading her earlier book, The Gift of Imperfection that I think further develops the concept of authenticity. She also has a new book coming out later this year. Whatever I decide, I'll try to choose freewill.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

For the discussion on January 14, 2015, the Classics Book Club selected Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, an African American author. I had heard of the book, that it was dark and intense. It was first published in the 1950's and so successful that Ellison was set for life. He never published another novel in his lifetime. A novel in progress, Juneteenth, was edited down from his 2,000+ pages and published posthumously in 1999. That may have been where I first heard of Ellison. I saw the audiobook of Juneteenth at the Covina Public Library several years ago. Invisible Man is fairly long at about 500 pages. It is very intense and gets very dark but it also has some hilarious moments. It's about a young black man's struggle to make it in early 20^th century America, but its themes are more universal than just race. It touches on different ideologies, society, social change, and especially identity. I did not find the book easy to read, but I found the story compelling and the writing often vivid. It is not a realistic novel but the intense and extreme situations kept my interest. The first person protagonist is a young black man who never gives his name. He introduces himself as "the Invisible Man" at the beginning, invisible because people refuse to see him.

I read the book in two different media. For the first 150 or so pages I listened to the audiobook read by African American author Joe Morton. I later learned that he has been in many major motion pictures including Brother from Another Planet, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He does a great job. Thanks to his different voices I found the scene with Hally and Supercargo at the Golden Day hilarious. The book actually contains a lot of humor, as one discussion participant said, it is black humor (e.g. sarcasm.) I found some of the colorful names humorous such as Supercargo, Barrelhouse, and Ras the Exhorter/ Destroyer. I also chuckled when everyone kept mistaking the Invisible Man for the multitalented Rinehart after he put on a hat and dark glasses. I was pleasantly surprised when he "turned into a drugstore and took a seat at the counter. Several men were bent over plates of food… I could feel the odor of frying bacon reach deep into my stomach as I watched the counterman open the doors of the grill and turn the strips over…" (p 153) I want to know what drugstore serves breakfast. It's definitely not Walgreens, Bartel's, or CVS.

The book contains several relatable references. On the street, a blueprint courier gets the Invisible Man's attention by saying, "Looka-year buddy" (p. 150) just like James Brown in some of his Christmas songs. Another character asks him, "Boy, who was Brer Rabbit?" and answers his own question, "He was your mother's back-door man, I thought." (p. 198) That reminded me of a song The Doors covered, "Backdoor Man," though the Invisible Man doesn't say anything about eating more chicken any man you've seen. The Invisible Man advances because of his speaking ability, a bit like Toastmasters. He sees the Brotherhood as the only "organization in the whole country in which I could reach the very top and meant to get there. Even if it meant climbing a mountain of words." (p. 299) Later he reflects, "I've sometimes overcome with a passion to return into that 'heart of darkness' across the Mason-Dixon Line." (p. 444) I read the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad in high school.

There was one word I didn't know. In a Harlem street, "A crowd of men and women moiled like nightmare figures in the smoke green haze." (p. 376) To moil means to work hard. A couple of characters in the Brotherhood use a word I have learned but with which I still have difficulty. Brother Jack tells the others, "Brothers, come down or you'll land on your dialectics, the stage of history hasn't built that far." (p. 277) Later Brother Hambro says, "Don't stretch me on a rack of dialectic." (p. 389) I had to look up that dialectic means "of logical argumentation" and "the theory or practice of logical discussion, as of the truth of a theory or opinion." It's till deliciously bewildering.

The book does address racial issues sometimes blatantly and others subtly. The college president, Dr. Bledsoe, tells Invisible Man, "Why, the dumbest black bastard in the cotton patch knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie!" But within a few sentences he says, "this isn't the time to lie." The Invisible Man reflects how, "some of the teachers at the college, who, to avoid trouble when driving through the surrounding towns, wore chauffer caps and pretended their cars belong to white men." (p. 177) When he pays his landlady, Mary Rambo, back rent she protests, "But that's a hundred dollar bill. I take that an' try to change it and the white folk'll want to know my whole life's history." (p. 259) On the bus, "only the rear was reserved for us and there was nothing to do but move back with them." (p. 131)

Race is not the only issue addressed by the book. Dr. Bledsoe tells the Invisible Man, "But you don't even know the difference between the way things are and the way things are supposed to be." (p. 124) The Invisible Man thinks how, "Whether we liked him or not, (Dr. Bledso) was never out of our minds. That was a secret of his leadership." (p. 152) He asks, "What and how much had I lost by trying to do what was expected of me instead of what I myself wished to do." (p. 216) He also states, "I was never more hated than when I tried to be honest." (p. 438)

I believe the most important theme in the book is identity. The Invisible Man never gives his name in the book, even when he could. At the paint plant he states, "The boy read my name off a card." (p. 168) Dr. Bledsoe tells him, "You're nobody, son. You don't exist—can't you see that?" (p. 125) The Invisible Man reflects on Society that, "things are so unreal for them normally that they believe that to call a thing by name is to make it so." (p 298) About Brother Clifton he states, "The shooting was all that was left of him now, Clifton had chosen to plunge out of history and, except for the pictures it made in my mind's eye, only the plunge was recorded, and that was the only important thing." (p. 347) About the Rinehart episode he asks, "If dark glasses and a white hat could blot out my identity so quickly, who was actually who?" (p. 3i81) He comes to feel that "I was my experiences and my experiences were me." (p. 392) By the end he reflects, "Perhaps to lose a sense of where you are implies the danger of losing a sense of who you are." (p. 443)

We had a great discussion on January 14 that lasted about 80 minutes. The coordinator described how he was assembling the book list for the next term of May 2015 to April 2016. In addition to the ones mentioned at the December meeting he mentioned The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guinn, A Wrinkle in Time by Madelyn L'Engle, the plays "The Children's Hour" by Lillian Hellman and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" by Edward Albee. Another participant mentioned the book Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. Some of us liked Invisible Man while others found it difficult to read. We thought the reason the Invisible Man lived in a hole off the grid after the events of the story was to write the story and figure out who he was. Someone liked the part where the Invisible Man bought some freshly roasted yams with butter from a street vendor. We compared the shackle on Dr. Bledsoe's desk to the one given by Bother Tarp. We weren't so sure about how the novel portrayed women. But we understood that Ellison was trying to write a book in the style of improvised jazz. Many parts seemed like vignettes. We thought the factory that produced optic white paint was interesting. We felt the invisibility/ identity theme was universal. There are times when all of us feel invisible.

For the next month, February, we planned to discuss The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. One participant said he wouldn't be at that meeting but would read the book in preparation for the next Classics Book Club quiz.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

For their discussion on December 3, 2014, the Wednesday Whodunit Mystery Book Discussion group selected Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry. Bugliosi successfully prosecuted Charles Manson and several members of the "Manson Family" in the late 1960's and early 1970's for many murders, several of them high profile such as that of actress Sharon Tate, the late wife of director Roman Polanski. I had heard of the murders vaguely and of Manson. The book gave the whole story. I didn't actually read all the book that is quite long at over 660 pages. I read about half of it and listened to all of the abridged audio version that covered the major points. The print book covers everything: the false leads, incidental details of the trial, and the peripheral members of the "Manson Family." I don't feel I missed that much by not reading it all. I found some parts interesting such as how law enforcement eventually broke the case and some of the legal aspects. But overall, I can't say I completely enjoyed the book.

The book spans about three years, 1969-1971. Each chapter is named for a date or month and the chapters are grouped into large "parts" covering major events such as the murders, the investigations, and later the trial. The book gives many personal histories such as for the victims and especially for Charles Manson. I liked learning how law enforcement solved the case, but didn't like that they missed some early leads and did not cooperate with each other in the beginning. They got lucky to an extent with Susan "Sadie Mae Glutz" Atkins confessing while in jail on another charge. I also believe the prosecution got lucky with the cooperation of Linda Kasabian. I thought it was strange that Manson had her go along with the others to the Tate and LaBianca homes, even though she had spent much less time with the "Family." Was it because she still had a driver's license? I learned about the legal aspects of the case such as that people can be convicted of murder even if they didn't actually deal the fatal blows. They were still involved in the murder. The prosecution had a very difficult case to prove and had to delve into Manson's motives and the dynamics of the "Family." I understand this need but I didn't enjoy reading about it and I didn't completely understand aspects of it such as Manson's charisma. He just seems so crazy and cruel. I still don't understand how the others could follow him so blindly, but I do understand that they did. I agree with the prosecution that Manson is just as much of a murderer as those who dealt the fatal blows.

There are a couple of parallels between Helter Skelter and another true crime book we've read, The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh. The Court sentenced Manson and his followers to death but they were spared from execution because on February 18, 1972, "the California Supreme Court announced it had voted 6-1 to abolish the death penalty in the State of California." (p. 633-634) The decision also spared Greg Powell, the murderer in The Onion Field from execution. Manson eventually retained "professional obstructionist" lawyer Irving Kanarek who also defended Jimmy Smith who was with Powell in the onion field.

Helter Skelter mentions many places in the L.A. area that are familiar to me. I hadn't heard of Cielo Drive, Benedict Canyon, or Waverly Drive. But I have heard of El Monte, of course, where victim Steven Parent went to Arroyo High School. After finding the house of his parents, the Labiancas, suspiciously quiet, Frank Struthers "walked to the closest pay phone, which was a hamburger stand at Hyperion and Rowena." (p. 68) That sounds like Silverlake. Leno Labianca attended the University of Southern California and Buglisoi attended UCLA law school. He describes Encino as "a town near Los Angeles." (p. 176) It's actually part of the city of L.A. To get to Spahn Ranch, they go north on Topanga Canyon Blvd past Devonshire for two miles. The Hall of Justice where the trial took place is located at Broadway and Temple in downtown L.A.

Surprisingly, the book also contains a few references to the Pacific Northwest. When she was 16, Sharon Tate was named Miss Richland, Washington. In July 1961, Manson was "sent to the United States Penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington." (p. 200) As of 1994, Linda Kasabian was living with her family in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure she has changed her name.

There are many references to the Beatles for whom Manson had an obsession since 1964 when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became the number one song in the U.S. charts. The book mentions many other songs by the Beatles: "I Will," "Honey Pie," "Don't Pass Me By," "Yer Blues," "Blue Jay Way," "Sexy Sadie," "Rocky Raccoon," "Happiness is a Warm Gun," "Blackbird," Piggies," "Revolution 1," "Revolution 9," and, of course, "Helter Skelter." I didn't enjoy reading Manson's interpretations of the songs though I understand Bugliosi's need to include them. I'm glad he also mentions that "helter skelter" is actually just another name in England for a slide at an amusement park. Coincidentally, an issue of Life magazine with an article on the Manson jury also contained the article "Paul McCartney on the Beatles Breakup." McCartney said that troubles within the band became apparent "while they were making the 'White Album.'" (p. 593-594) Manson obsessed most over the "White Album."

I found one minor part of the story humorous. The detectives thought Al Springer of the Straight Satans motorcycle gang seemed very clean for a biker. It turned out that Springer "prided himself on his cleanliness." (p. 131) Later Springer mentioned his wife and child. "The clean, neat, monogamous Springer didn't conform to their stereotype of a biker. As one detective remarked, 'You're going to give the motorcycle gang a whole new image in the world.'" (p. 137)

While I found parts of Helter Skelter interesting, I kind of wish there wasn't so much fascination with Manson and the murders. The fame seems to be what he wants, what gives him power to attract others. I usually don't like true crime books because the murderers seem much crazier than in fictional mysteries. I did like In Cold Blood by Truman Capote for the writing. Helter Skelter focuses too much on Manson. He still makes headlines. November 12 was his 80^th birthday and he was recently granted a marriage license. I look forward to when he stops making headlines.

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø

To continue the Harry Hole saga I listened to The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø, translated by Dan Bartlett, and read by John Lee. It is the book between The Devil's Star and The Snowman. Like the others it is dark and complex but not without a bit of humor. It involves the Norwegian Salvation Army, Croatian refugees and nationals, drug addicts, some returning characters such as Halvorsen and Beate Lonn and some new characters. It talks place in the week before Christmas 2003, a dark and snowy time in Norway. Most of the action takes place in Oslo along with scenes in Bergen, Norway, the Norwegian countryside, and Croatia. It is separated into five parts with religious-themed names and over 30 chapters subtitled by the date. There are some flashbacks. Like others in the series it has many references to music and I enjoyed it.

John Lee reads with what sounds like a Scottish accent. He pronounces Harry's last name like the English word "hole" rather than what I've heard is the Norwegian "Hula." Aside from that he does a decent job giving slightly different voices to the characters. The Croatians speak in accented English. Other than Harry's last name, Lee pronounces the other characters' names, Norwegian and Croatian place names fairly well. Beate's name is pronounced Bee-ah-tah.

Despite the narration, I enjoyed reading the book. It has plenty of suspense, vivid description of Christmas in Oslo, humor, and excellent character development. I like how Nesbø brings in minor characters by saying a bit about their backgrounds and personalities. Harry remains quite likable despite his many flaws. On the one hand he seems like a gifted detective. He tells Halvorsen, "What separates a good detective from a mediocre one is the ability to forget." On the other hand Harry misses many opportunities to catch the murderer. His personal life is in shambles and he even falls off the wagon of his alcoholism for a stretch. I found some parts tragic and felt like I suffered along with Harry. The title has many meanings. The Salvation Army worships Christ the Redeemer but He isn't the only redeemer. At a later point in the book, the words, "He was resurrected on the third day," have a different meaning from the religious.

I didn't learn much more about Harry's background other than his eclectic taste in music. He thinks of a song called "Anything Can Be Repaired" when he takes his grandfather's watch to the shop. The first four chords of "London Calling" by The Clash reverberate along the corridor of the hospital. Someone with painted red lips and makeup around the eyes reminds Harry of Robert Smith, the singer with The Cure. He reflects that The Beatles' indisputable masterpiece, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" has gotten old, too. He puts on Jim Starks' debut record, hears his morning (mourning?) song and later hears Tom Waits singing about Alice. In a hotel in Croatia, a pianist plays the theme to Dr. Zhivago.

Given the setting and Beatles reference you'd think Nesbø would mention "Norwegian Wood." He doesn't. While out in the snowy countryside, "in the middle of the field, shimmering so bewitchingly and so white in the moonlight that (Harry) was dazzled, he saw a fox running towards the woods." Nesbø describes some grass on the side of the road as looking like a "combover." The energy plant is located in a part of Oslo that sounded like "Montebello." Halvorsen plans to take Beate out to try Lutefisk and another character pronounces the "n" with "the tip of her tongue against her teeth as is often the case when adults learn Norwegian later in life."

I'm four books into the Harry Hole series and I've yet to be disappointed. The next one, The Snowman, is supposed to be one of the best. But I'll be satisfied if it's as good as The Redeemer.

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

For their discussion on Tuesday, September 23, 2014, the YA or Not book club at King's Books selected two books: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Powerful Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. I had read The Book Thief back in April for the Banned Book Club. I decided to also read Bomb and visit the YA or Not book club. Rather than read Bomb, I listened to the audiobook read by American Roy Samuelson. It's about the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and the network of Soviet agents who stole the secrets of how to make the bomb. It's probably the first non-fiction young adult book I've read. It was very thorough with its facts while still fairly entertaining. The only simplification I found was that it referred to the Soviet secret police as the KGB. I know from studying Russian history that the secret police was the NKVD during World War II. The KGB didn't form until the 1950's. But there really wasn't much difference.

Bomb contains a few relatable references. The British used security questions to confirm communications with the local resistance in German-occupied Norway. One of their questions was, "What did you see walking down the Strand in the early hours of January 1, 1941?" The correct answer that confirmed the resistance's identity was, "three pink elephants." When Blur sang "Let's All Go Down the Strand," "All" must have included the pink elephants. Part three of the book is called "How to Build the Atomic Bomb" that sounds similar to the U2 album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The parts of the first atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan were brought to the South Pacific by the cruiser USS Indianapolis. I read about the later sinking of the Indianapolis in the book In Harms Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianopolis by Doug Stanton.

I learned a lot from the book. One of the main characters is the director of the Manhattan Project, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, PhD. He stood nearly six feet tall and weighed 128 pounds. The scientific work on the atomic bomb took place in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Most of the uranium and plutonium was manufactured elsewhere. Much of the uranium-235 came from Oak Ridge, Tennessee and much of the plutonium was manufactured in Hanford in Washington State. A few people involved in the project passed along secrets to the Soviets. One of them felt that if the U.S.A. was the only country with the bomb, it would be dangerous for the rest of the world. If another country also had the bomb, they would deter the U.S. from using their bombs. The end of the book goes over the development of atomic bombs all over the world, the great dangers from nuclear weapons, and the reduction of weapons that did not begin until the 1980's. There are still enough bombs in the world to cause great destruction.

Three others participated in the discussion on Tuesday, September 23. The coordinator used to work at King's Books and now teaches middle school English. The two other young women attended the book club for the first time. The coordinator said that the regulars were two 12-year-olds. The two others had only read The Book Thief. We only discussed that book. We all liked it and found it quite deep and profound. After 45 minutes of discussion we discussed the book for the next month. It was very helpful that our discussion was located in the young adult section of the book store. They considered the rather long book, Wildwood by Colin Meloy who is also the lead singer of the indy folk rock band The Decemberists. They chose the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I didn't read it but I continue to check their future choices.

The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall

The Wednesday Whodunit Mystery book discussion group selected The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall for their August 6, 2014 discussion. It is part of the series starring the detective / protagonist Vish Puri, India's Most Private Investigator. It is the first in the series and was first published in 2008. Hall is English but has lived abroad for most of his life and currently lives in India. Since I was still busy moving and unpacking during most of July, I didn't actually read the book but listened to the unabridged audio version read by Indian-born British actor Sam Dastor. I enjoyed the book. It seemed a bit lighter than some of the books we've read despite involving murder and suspense. I liked that it told a lot about life in present day India, though not always in a favorable light.

Vish Puri, known as "Chubby" to his family and friends and "boss" to his subordinates is India's greatest detective. I liked how he used different detecting methods such as having people followed, planting bugs, and wearing disguises such his employee "Face Cream" infiltrating his client's household. I also liked that the book didn't take itself too seriously. Some scenes got pretty heavy such as the murder of one character but there was still a lot of humor and lighter moments. The book reminded me of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency, though a bit darker. Missing Servant actually has three cases. One is the main case of the missing servant. Another is the attempted murder of Puri and the third is checking on the suitor of that famous general's granddaughter. I thought the scenes with the old general were hilarious such as when Puri tries to keep up with him on his daily walk. I also liked Puri's interactions with his mother. The main mystery was fairly intriguing and sufficiently complex. It had the complications of the court case, the police inspector, and his client's defense attorney.

I think Sam Dastor does a great job reading the book. He narrates in an English accent and speaks in Indian accents of very degrees for each character. The book is fairly short and separated into many chapters. I liked how Hall developed the characters even giving detailed backgrounds of them such as Puri's actress secretary and his driver "Handbrake." Hall wrote the book in British English. I only found one work that I didn't known, "tiffin." I found multiple definitions online: lunch, a packed lunch, a snack pack for between meals, and slang for a lunch box.

The book tells much about contemporary Indian Society. Some aspects seem very modern such as the use of complex mobile phones. Others seem more antiquated such as the use of typewriters in government offices due to the "typing mafia" and the use of rotary dial phones in Puri's office. Corruption is rampant with all the bribing, extramarital affairs, and shady business deals. Puri's childhood friend becomes a powerful real estate mogul partly through shady means. At one point Puri reflects that, "the world was still passing through the age of Kali, a time of debauchery and mental breakdown." The book portrays the hierarchies in Indian society and the treatment of women. Puri has subordinates who have further subordinates. Nearly everyone has multiple servants except perhaps the servants themselves. As for women, Puri himself does not believe a woman can be a detective. I'm glad he is secretly proven wrong. He also considers the 34-year-old granddaughter "well past her sell-by date."

I enjoyed the references to Indian food such as pakoras, roti, and curries. I learned that the Nagamori (sp?) is one of the hottest chiles in the world, 2-3 times hotter than the strongest jalapeño. I hope the book club enjoyed their Indian takeaway during the discussion. We have a couple of pretty good Indian restaurants in Tacoma. I also enjoyed learning the names of all the cars in India because they differ from cars in the U.S. I'd like to see them someday, maybe at the LeMay car museum here in Tacoma. Handbrake drives Puri's Hindustan (sp?) Ambassador. His mother has a Meruti (sp?) Zen. The book also mentions the Tata Indicar, Tata Sumo, and the Bajag (sp?) Avenger motorcycle.

There were several relatable references. Hall writes, "The similarities between the Indian Legal system and the Court of Chancery as described in Dickens' Bleak House were startling." I know very well what he is describing because I listened to the audiobook of Bleak House recently. I found it very humorous and with some elements of a mystery though also very long. In Missing Servant, the character Gupta buys lavender soap from the store Lush. My wife and I shopped at Lush in Las Vegas many years ago. The book mentions Sherlock Holmes several times. It purports that Holmes learned all of this deduction techniques from the Indian philosopher / detective Chenakia (sp?) who developed them hundreds of years earlier. Indians also did extensive testing of tobacco ashes a full century before Sherlock Holmes.

The Case of the Missing Servant is a humorous story, cultural exploration, and compelling mystery all in one. I would read others in the series.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

For our discussion on July 15, 2014, the Banned Book Club selected Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. They had read the first book in the series, The Hunger Games, a few years ago, before I joined the club. I again listened to the audiobook read by Carolyn McCormick. It is very similar to the first book but with some major differences. For one thing, the characters have the experience of the previous games. Katniss seems even more torn between her feelings for Gale and Peeta, her role in the rumored rebellion, whether she should fight or run away, and whether others' lives are more important than hers. Her inner conflicts seem so much more intense. Some of that is part of being a teenager and growing up. Most of the characters that survived the first book are back and there are some new characters. A few are developed well, turning out to be more than they seem. But like the first book, many characters are killed off before we get to know them.

Catching Fire begins a few months after the end of The Hunger Games when Katniss and Pita are about to leave on the Victors' Tour. It goes through the following games, the "Quarter Quell" that changes the rules. This book doesn't focus on the mere survival aspects of the games as much as the first one. I liked how it got more into the design of the arena. The new characters vary more in their ages and don't have as many food-related names. Many names are still unusual such as Wiress, Beetee, Mags, and Finnick. A few characters have more normal names such as Johanna and Brutus. I learned more about some of the original characters such as Haymitch.

The book expands the conflicts from the first book to beyond the arena. It's no longer just about who wins the games. Katniss, Peeta, and the others learn some hard lessons such as "at some point who you must face whoever wants to kill you." The stakes of their actions and decisions are much higher. There are so many references to The Hunger Games that it is almost mandatory to read it first. There are also some twists that I won't give away.

We had an excellent discussion at Doyle's Public House on Wednesday, July 15 despite there being only five of us. A sixth couldn't make the discussion but sent an e-mail with some great insights such as that children killing children can only be portrayed as part of a dystopic future, how our society idolizes youth so much that they are selected for the Hunger Games, and become symbols of rebellion. One participant had started reading the third book, Mockingjay, and said that it explains more such as the differences between the arenas in the first two books and the characters' backgrounds. We touched on lighter topics such as the characters with food-related names. A participant mentioned an Anime film with good guys named after fruit and bad guys named after vegetables. I proposed that we needed to find a young person to become the symbol for the next revolution. For the next month, August, we planned to read part one of the graphic novel Maus by Art Spielgelman. For the next next discussion in April, we selected the play Lysistata by Aristophanes over The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway, and TTYL by Lauren Myracle.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I listened to the audiobook of The Hunger Games that was written by Suzanne Collins and read by Carolyn McCormick, an American woman. The book was first published in 2008. It is about a dystopic future when the U.S. has become the totalitarian state of Panem. "The Capital" maintains strict control over 12 districts that each contribute different industries. Main character Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark live in district 12 where the industry is coal mining. I thought the portrayal of The Capital and the districts seemed comparable to the U.S. and the third world, though the book is much more extreme. The idea of The Hunger Games takes the idea of a competitive reality show to ridiculous extremes. I like how the characters emphasize that it is a show despite being life or death.

The book is a young adult action-adventure with a strong dose of social commentary, some romance, survival story, and coming of age. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen narrates the story in the present tense. This gives it a tense immediacy. Not even Katniss knows what will happen next. The book is very fast-paced with some sequences that are almost over-the-top with danger and excitement. But the book seems to present the survival situations fairly realistically such as Katniss's injuries, surviving cold nights and naturally, the effects of hunger and thirst.

Hunger is a very strong theme in the book. Katniss's family nearly goes hungry after her father dies. To provide for her family she learns to hunt with Gale. She trades for food at the open market in District 12 known as The Hob. "Hob" is also the British English word for burner used to heat up food. Many characters have food-related names or names that sound like food such as Peeta, Rue, Thresh, and Clove. Even Katniss is named after an edible underwater tuber in the same family as the Wapato. In the Capital, Katniss marvels at the fancy food especially the lamb stew. She tries wine for the first time and feels it could be improved by a few spoonfuls of honey.

Carolyn McCormick does an adequate job of narrating. She uses slightly different voices for characters, especially the haughty ones from the capital. Suzanne Collins continued the story of Katniss with two more books: Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Both the ideas of these titles were mentioned in The Hunger Games. I look forward to reading them.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens Read by Simon Vance

I downloaded the audiobook of Bleak House not because I liked the author Charles Dickens but because I liked the reader, Simon Vance. I actually have mixed opinions of Dickens. I didn't enjoy reading the abridged version of Great Expectations in high school. I thought the Masterpiece Theatre miniseries of Martin Chuzzlewit was funny, enough to try reading the book but I didn't enjoy reading it as much as watching. I had just finished listening to Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake and thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought Dickens would be more palatable read by Vance and I was right. I enjoyed Bleak House very much in Vance's voice, or voices as he often changed his slightly for each character. This was the unabridged edition consisting of 34 CD-length parts and over 60 chapters. It was the second longest audiobook I've read after Atlas Shrugged. It took me over one year to read it. It's a long story with many main characters and even more minor characters.

There are other links between Titus Alone and Bleak House besides Vance's narration. Peake was an illustrator in addition to an author and one of the books he illustrated was an edition of Bleak House. Peake has also been compared to Dickens in his use of colorful names for the characters. Bleak House has plenty such as Prince Turveydrop, Mr. Chadband, Caddy Jellyby, Mr. Guppy, and Mr. Bucket who I later read was one of the first major detective characters. His name was mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes Exhibit at OMSI in Portland, OR. We saw the exhibit in December.

The book actually contains many slightly humorous descriptions. The furniture in a manor house is described as "old fashioned but not old." The Dedlocks "had distinguished themselves by doing nothing of significance for the past 700 years." Especially humorous are descriptions of characters with regard to their age. At a restaurant there's "a young waitress of forty." Sir Liecester Dedlock's cousin Volumnia is described as "a young woman of sixty." A very minor character is described as an "elderly young gentleman of the name of Michael Jackson with a blue velveteen waistcoat and a double row of mother-of-pearl buttons." Relatable references are in the sentence "We pursued a little footpath winding among the verdant turf" and a restaurant item, "verdant peas." The book mentions The Strand in London. I learned from the book that a "gig" also means a type of carriage.

Of course the best part of the book was listening to Simon Vance read. He does some very humorous voices such as for Mr. George and for an unnamed male cousin of Sir Liecester Dedlock. The book lampoons the English system of justice, though subtly. There's drama and secrets uncovered. Part of the book has an omniscient third person narrator while other parts are narrated by Miss Esther Summerson. I was able to keep track all the characters. Perhaps Vance's reading helped with that, too. I wouldn't mind listening to more Dickens read by Simon Vance.