Rae: Foreign Earthiness and December

My book for November, The Shadow of the Wind, was an earthy and suspenseful gothic novel set in post-war Barcelona. The author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is a native Spaniard. He used the technique of parallel plots in the narrator's life and the mystery he was trying to solve. It all starts when the narrator's father takes him to a secret library where a keeper maintains a collection of lost books. The narrator (a ten-year-old) is allowed to choose one and to take very good care of it. He selects The Shadow of the Wind and is enthralled by it. He discovers, while trying to find more to read by the same author, that someone is tracking down all of the author's books and is destroying every copy. The question is why?


Like Lynness and her Umberto Eco title, I found this one full of earthiness and sensual description. Not smutty but full of senses--taste, smell, sound, touch, etc. I never felt like any of the description was gratuituous (in the way it so often is in American writing) or offensive. It seemed very natural and integral to the scene or character. I have noticed that many Spanish and Latino writers use that sensual earthiness to describe and broaden their characters. I was intrigued by Zafon's many specific descriptions of the city of Barcelona. It was almost as if the city was a character in the story also. I enjoyed the book very much and wouldn't mind reading some more by him. As with Umberto Eco, though, I suspect that not everyone would enjoy this author's writing.


This particular title was translated by Lucia Graves, who is Robert Graves' daughter. Graves (the father) wrote I, Claudius and was also known for his reinterpretations of Greek mythology. I remember how much Matt loved I, Claudius. Matt is one of the few people I know who actually read the book and watched the whole series on PBS! I enjoy finding little connections like that which make me happy...

Now...on to December. We are wishing for snow here in Payson. The holiday lights are up in the city. The temperatures have dropped to below freezing. BYU has beaten Utah. Fat Christmas geese will soon be here. We will all be busy enjoying the sights and sounds and feelings of the season. Wherever we are. Recognizing that, this month will be a "Reader's Choice" affair. You may choose non-fiction OR fiction. A title you've not read before. Your choice. Enjoy. Report back.

Happy reading!

Mim: Musicophilia and The Little Prince

Hi All Y'all! I got my copy of Musicophilia in late October here in Japan, so I finished it in November. It's been really fun to read everyone's October comments and to think about musical genius and extremes. This book is technical, like you said, Rae. And Lynness, you read it with a nursing background. As for me, since I did my BYU Closure Project in 2004 on Neuroscience and Agency, the terms and topics and tales were so happily familiar! All of you, like me, must feel so much reverence for Heavenly Father as our Creator when you read about the capacity of our brains and think about each person's unique identity as shaped by their desires (including the music they love).

I think about my brain-damaged family members (ha ha) and various looney-tune cases I've encountered and I wonder sometimes if Heavenly Father is preparing me for special experiences (with people and neuroscience) in the future. I've already felt great compassion for Mom with her aphasia, Grandma Mary with her dementia, Blake's Granny with her repeating story-tracks, etc. But my closure project and several books like Musicophilia have hugely broadened my understanding and compassion. Don't you all find that a book can open up whole new comprehensions of things?

I'm pretty sure our brains would use a whole population of very specific neurons to tell the difference between a Stradivarius's sound and the sound of a less phenomenal instrument. Do you think any of us could hear the difference if someone played a painted violin? Because I remember an auction of beautiful painted violins at one of Kate's symphony performances. (Google-search "hand-painted violins" to see lots of cool ones.) I'm not sure I'd be able to hear the difference without a lot of training. At any rate, I'm sure I couldn't feel quite the same about playing one of them versus playing one with typical wood finish . . .

Well, my real November book was The Little Prince. Like Beccy's November choice, my choice was influenced by my kids. Maddie read it last month, and Kate's always loved it. And we all love the art. I think the author, the Frenchman Antoine de St. Exupery, must be one of those child-oriented people like Roald Dahl or Eric Carle or Edward Lear. So his book is very gentle, and very short. He does use a lot of dry humor, though, and that's adult-ish. His little prince puzzles over the adults' strange behavior, like the drunkard who's drinking to forget, and the thing he wants to forget is that he's ashamed, and the thing he's ashamed of is that he's drinking. There's also the geographer who doesn't leave his study, because "geographers are too important to go wandering about." Anyway, now I have another bond with Maddie and with any of the rest of you who've read The Little Prince.

In our Relief Society book group we read Pearl Buck's The Hidden Flower this month. It sparked all kinds of discussion because it's about Japanese-American relationships and all of us here are into those. That group hasn't always had a lot to discuss. But I love the way our online book group is Family and we all have lots to share. So what's the "mission" for our December books, Rae? Love you each! Mim

Beccy: Woodworms and Pesticides

Yes, Lynness, I had read that article. I know Dr. Tolley--funny how--He taught a kickboxing class that I took after Jared was born. His whole family are black belts and they ran a karate center in Springville. He made the class especially fun because while we stretched or warmed up or cooled down he would tell us about his latest research or passion. He is interested in so many things and his profession takes him into many interesting fields of study. He was also a mentor to a good college friend of mine who graduated in statistics. Anyway, isn't it kind of funny to think woodworms and primtive pesticides could be the reason for the Strad's amazing qualitites?!

Lynness: November read

My November read, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Italian author Umberto Eco, was long (500ish pages in 3 parts), compelling, odd, and somewhat testosterone addled. I really liked the basic premise and storyline. At the beginning, the reader wakes up with him as he is awaking from a coma of sorts after a stroke. He does not know who he is. He has forgotten all memories that have to do with his own experiences but can recall things he read or learned about. As part of trying to 'find himself' again, he goes back to the home he grew up in and immerses himself in the books and music that he grew up with to try and trigger some memories. I have said for years that I would love to take an American history class that teaches the events through an analysis of political cartoons, songs, advertisements, pop culture, etc.. This is basically that class, but with Italian history. It is obvious that this part of the book is highly autobiographical and is the main reason for writing the book and required much research.
There are a couple of narrative devices: a hidden room, which doesn't seem too far-fetched; and finding a rare-book dealer's dream in the last box of the attic- a 1623 Shakespeare print, giving him another stroke. (This does seem too much of a coincidence). This second stroke leads to the last part of the book. He is in a coma-like state again and sees his life passing before his eyes and is able to remember (and thus show the reader) all the things that he struggled to discover and fit into his past through the first two parts of the book. He is aware that he now remembers and wonders how real this is or if the previous was all a dream.
Now for testosterone addled bit: being a man, especially one trying to rediscover (literally) his youth, and one who has had many affairs (though he doesn't remember them) there is a lot of attention to sex. Actually, not so much sex as sexuality- him remembering looking at National Geographic-type naked women as a kid, conflicting feelings and advice on his body and on girls, his growing awareness of the opposite sex and their effect on him. This comes to a climax (well, what else would you say?) toward the end of the 3rd section just before he dies, his memories marching by him. Characters and songs from his youth that the reader has become familiar with through his readings in the attic in the second part start to intermingle and take on a life and story of their own in a fantasy.
Throughout this whole 3rd part you and he have no idea of the passage of time- it could be months or seconds- and then he dies. The story is well written, it ends right, it is a very masterful translation, but I don't really think I'd recommend it. I would, however, like to see this sort of idea used with American history!

Sam: Howdy!

Well I just caught up with you all and found out what this months subject/theme/genre/pick is supposed to be. You could say I'm a little behind. After reading about 50 pages of First Nights, although rather interesting... it didn't grab me as imperative to read. So I switched to a book called Amazing Grace - which is about the author of the words to amazing grace and how it became the song we know today. I am still in the middle of it, but I am really enjoying it and I can really see how this man's life was changed by his excepting the gospel into his life. Granted, he didn't have all the knowledge, but what he did have he used quite well. He is a very good example of fufilling his potential.
Anyway - I think I am going to sit November out - due to the lateness of the month (did you know that next week is Thanksgiving already? Just realized that 3 hours ago!). I have read some wonderful books by foreign authors -
Happy Turkey Day,
Love to you all,
Sam

Lynness Re: Stradivari's Genius

Just a follow-up to your book post. I remembered reading something about Stradivari in a BYU news email and I went looking for it- here is a news article about it from the Deseret News almost a year ago. Maybe you read it.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061130/ai_n16909853

Lynness: maybe an answer for Rae

Your query on the moth boy immediately made me think of Elizabeth Enright's Then There Were Five. Oliver collects bugs and one night has an experience with a luna moth. I ran and grabbed my copy and it's in chapter 5. This may not be it- Elizabeth Enright is nothing like Ray Bradbury, but it may be.
I enjoyed checking out freerice- thanks Rae. I missed palfrey (a saddle horse) on my 14th word.