Book 209: Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale

I just finished this book. It was 277 pages and I read it in a few hours while recovering from a stomach bug. 

Truth be told, I loved the Tom Hanks/Leonardo DiCaprio/Christopher Walken movie version of this book. But for once, I wasn’t disappointed when I picked up the book after seeing a movie, or vice versa.

For those of you that don’t know the story already, Frank Abagnale was one of America’s most successful check forgers. He made millions by forging and cashing thousands of checks around the world. He impersonated an airline pilot, a doctor, and a state prosecutor. And he did it all before he turned 21.

While the book doesn’t provide an ending to the story, it does provide much more detail about how the illustrious conman got away with his scam for so long. He kept moving, using the banking system to cover his tracks while he was on his way to his next destination… and target. Over and over again, he repeated his scam and refined it, with nothing but confidence and research on his side.

Things have changed quite a bit since the 1960s due in part to Abagnale’s criminal endeavors. He helped uncover weaknesses in the banking system that allowed him to succeed in cashing two and a half million dollars worth of fraudulent checks in five years’ time. 

A fascinating tale - though I don’t know how much of it was accurate. Seemed like an awful lot to remember. 

Book 207: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 

This book made me laugh out loud. At the present moment, books that make me laugh out loud are something I appreciate. 

Don's life is compartmentalized, neat, and bland. He looks at life in such a utilitarian way that he's just moving through the motions from one day to the next. He embarks on a project he's convinced will help him find the love of his life (and, he thinks, a wife). Unfortunately, he's a little light on experience with women, and the whole thing goes sideways.

When Rosie enters Don's life, he begins to learn why his project is a lost cause. But through the process, Don learns what is really missing from his life. I won't ruin the ending for you, but I can tell you that you'll enjoy getting there.

On a deeper level, this book taught me something about "the best laid plans" that we all try so hard to put into place. As humans living in reality, we're actually totally and hilariously underprepared for this task, and Simsion puts all of our shortfalls on display in this lovely little book. Plan your heart out, he seems to be saying, But enjoying the ride is just as important as where you wind up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in two days (a feat for me at this time of my life) and I bought a copy for my permanent collection. I hope you love it as much as I did.                                          

So, you write a book blog, but you haven't blogged about any books lately?

Yes. I'm sorry. 

I have been reading a lot of very specific, emotionally charged books that have been pertinent to the current state of affairs within my life. 

Sure, I see analytics with Blogger, but I never know who is going to be reading this blog or its posts.

So I'm careful about what I post, because I care about my privacy, and the privacy of my loved ones.

That being said, I have been dabbling more in the "non-emotional category" of late - fiction and nonfiction alike - and I kept notes. 

I'm going to do my best here to post more often. 

Rest assured, I am still The Ardent Reader, with piles of books all over my house, a library hold list a mile long, and an Amazon wish list that never seems to stop growing.

Thank you for reading.

Book 206: The People of the Abyss by Jack London

Jack London is best known for his exploration of the unknown. Today, he'd be known as an "immersion experience junkie." I came across this book while reading another classic and took a break from that behemoth to read this beautiful little book. I'd highly recommend The People of the Abyss. 

The East End of London in the early 1900s was a terrible place, rife with poverty and starvation. News of the conditions reached Jack London in the United States, and he decided to embark on a journey to see the conditions for himself. He boarded a boat in 1908 and rented a room in a safe house near the East End. He purchased ragged clothing and assumed the identity of a lowly laborer immerse himself fully. With an emergency guinea (about a shilling and one penny) sewed into his sleeve, he stepped out into the streets to experience life in the most derelict corner of the "civilized" world.

At the time, the British Empire was still thriving, and it claimed had landholdings throughout the world. I'm not sure how it was received at the time of its publication, but The People of the Abyss certainly made it known that all was not well on the home front. Jack London does a fair job of making it clear that none of the wealth of the British Empire trickled down to the city of London's neediest citizens.

Jack London visited the infamous workhouses of London and met other "casual" workers who were daily fighting for their next meal and a safe place to sleep. He wrote about the gradual weakening of the workers by hunger, fatigue, and unjust, arbitrary laws like the one that made it illegal to sleep in public places during the day. The situation was so bad that huge numbers of people were committing suicide or killing members of their own families rather than allow them to suffer. Until I read this book, I didn't know the history of the East End.

This book was fascinating because it was a snapshot in time of a region that has been the subject of so many literary, television, and film projects. It also struck me that the socioeconomic situation documented within this book parallels our own right now - how the world's wealth is held by the top 1% of the population and everyone else is just trying to skimp by. Jack London does not mince words - he closes his book with an expression of his own opinion that if a country is truly civilized, there should be no abject poverty.

This e-book is available for free on Project Gutenberg (go to https://www.gutenberg.org/) and you can download it in several e-book formats. 

Book 205: Retrograde by Peter Cawdron

Let's talk science fiction. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you probably know I don't read many science fiction books. In fact, I've turned down multiple sci-fi book review requests because I just can't get into them.

Well, Retrograde is the exception, perhaps because it is actually half sci-fi and half mystery. One chapter in, I was hooked. It was imaginative, other-worldly, and had a lot of solid research behind it. Mars is inhospitable for most creatures. However, it seems it is the perfect place for inorganic life forms to thrive.

At first, this book confused me. Then I realized the author was playing games with my head. He gave me tidbits of information at the same time the main character was getting them. While she was trying to make sense of her situation, I was along for the ride. I took every wrong turn with her, until she was able to determine the source of the problem. A male author, Cawdron wrote Retrograde in female-first-person-narrative, which is not something I've come across very often. 

I'd die before giving you Peter Cawdron's secret, so you'll have to read this gem for yourself. If you're confused, it's because the author wants you to be confused. Hang on, push on through it, and you'll see that it's all worthwhile.

Book 204: The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley

Dear readers, if you know anything about me, you know I love dynamic characters!

Oliver Clock is a sweet, gentle, middle-aged man with an overbearing mother and a family business to run. He is a funeral director, and a darn good one at that. Everything is going swimmingly, until it's not. Beyond his own grief, he finds a new direction for his business (among other things) and is no longer the same man we meet in the beginning of the book.

This is the first I've read of Jane Riley's books, and I hope it isn't the last. Her writing is excellent, and I especially appreciate her skill at forging descriptions of people and settings. I felt as if I could step right into Oliver Clock's funeral parlor. Even the smells were poignant - I don't think I've encountered a book that challenged my own olfactory memory in such a way.

I loved this book, and Jane Riley, you are a gem.

Book 203: Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

Before I begin this review, let me say that I have multiple family members who are (or have been) in the military. Some of them would like Edward Snowden to rot in Hell, or wherever he's living right now. I can understand that. He screwed over a lot of people in the intelligence community when he decided to unveil some of the most critically important covert technology to the world.

On the flip side, the intelligence community gave this young man (he is now 37 years old) access to top secret systems while he was a contractor. He may have been brilliant, but he was wholly blinded  to the ramifications of his actions, as many of us are when we are young. I'm not making excuses for his actions. I'm saying we've all been there. (Perhaps not at his level - Snowden is the Michael Jordan of Screwups.)

I had read about Snowden in the news but didn't understand the gravity of his sins against the government until I saw the movie Snowden with Joseph Gordon Levitt, which was released in 2016. And then, like you, I got chills up and down my spine, and wanted to delete my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Like, yesterday.

Whichever side of the issue you're on, this book will alter your perspective. I'll leave you to come to your own conclusions, but here are my thoughts. First of all, Snowden's wife (Lindsay) should be nominated for sainthood. Second, Snowden has been through a lot, but he still hasn't learned his lesson. I was left conflicted. It seemed he wanted forgiveness, but he did not want to apologize that by satisfying the needs of his own moral compass, he put former colleagues in harm's way.

I'm still very conflicted on Snowden's actions, but I think his book was important and well-written. Pick this up if you want to be as conflicted as I am!

Book 202: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink

I like books about healthcare. I work in healthcare in a non-clinical capacity and I absolutely love what I do. I always wanted to help others through my work, and I'm proud to say I finally found the career that allows me to do that.

With that being said, having worked in a hospital setting, this book was pure hell for me to read. It is the story of Memorial, a community hospital in the heart of New Orleans, during and immediately after Katrina hit the region. It is also the story of the bureaucratic nightmare of a response from both the U.S. government and Memorial's corporate leadership.

I had absolutely no idea that people were stuck in hospitals with no power, limited oxygen, and utterly foul conditions following Katrina. So much of the media focused on the people huddled at elevated sections of highway and sheltering at the Superdome. I never knew anything about Memorial or the other hospitals discussed in this book. In writing this book, Sheri Fink enlightened me on why hospitals now commit whole teams to creating emergency preparedness plans. 

This book is disturbing. If you have any emotional trauma around death or dying, don't read it. If you have a hare-trigger gag reflex, don't read it. But if you want to appreciate a community hospital and the people who do the work to care for others, read this book. The author profiles so many medical professionals who were faced with impossible odds and no way out, and still found the energy and compassion to save lives. But it isn't all heroism. Five Days at Memorial is a stark reminder that a lack of accountability and communication can be a death sentence to those who are in our care.

If you are a healthcare professional, you will be moved to tears multiple times in reading this book.

Book 201: Less by Andrew Sean Greer

I will remember this book forever, for two reasons:

• I felt so close to the character in his bumbling yet determined exploration of the world to find himself.
• Nothing could have surprised me more than the twist at the end of the book. (For all of you "reverse readers" out there, do NOT read this book backwards. But DO read it twice.)

Andrew Sean Greer, you are a freaking artist. I absolutely loved this book.

The story of Arthur Less and his extraordinarily bad search for meaning through world travel is one that will leave you teary-eyed. You might be crying because you're laughing so hard, but it could also be because he is so desperately naive and sweet that you want to reach out and hug him.

I'm not totally sure that Greer was doing this on purpose, but I felt that Less was written to show all of us that we are not in control of anything within our lives. Life is total chaos. Sometimes that chaos works out to our benefit, sometimes it embarrasses us so badly we want to crawl into a hole and die.

Whatever its intent, Less is a hell of a book, and one I would highly recommend.

Hiatus: OVER.

Good morning/afternoon/evening, whenever you are reading this!

An odd coincidence got me thinking that it's time to get started again on this whole book blogging project. (Don't worry, I've been reading all along and keeping track of the books I've read...)

For anyone who thinks 2020 is bad, let me tell you: my 2019 was worse. My personal life got completely turned upside down, and I have questioned just about every life choice I've ever made. Except for reading. 

Books have been a constant companion for me throughout my life. I wasn't always the most ardent reader, but I've always been in the middle of a book or two since I was able to read. Books and their authors provide me with all of the stuff my parents didn't (or couldn't) teach me.

Life has not been easy. Some days I just want to quit everything and go live in a hut in the jungle by myself. And I really shouldn't complain, because so many others have such bigger difficulties.

Anyway, here's to another 200 books and another 12 years. May we continue on this journey together, our love of books uniting this global community as we confront our daily uncertainties and challenges.

Shout out to my eastern European audience - I'm very glad to have your support.

Love, Es

Book 197: Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky (Audiobook read by Andrew Garman)

Mark Kurlansky has written exhaustive books on everything from the history of the American oyster to the story of Clarence Birdseye and frozen food. Usually his books are interesting, but this one felt like a chore. The book was longer than it needed to be, and narrator Andrew Garman did not help, either. This audiobook was a drag. I couldn't wait to be through with it.

Despite the almost complete bore fest, there were a few tidbits hidden within the pages of this book that had to deal with watercolors, which is one of my interests. (Read this article on Medium.) Through Paper: Paging Through History, I learned that watercolors were used for a long time in other countries (Japan, China) and finally "adopted" by British artist Turner, who made watercolor a more widely  accepted art form. (Professional grade watercolor paper is usually made made of cotton, not wood, because it absorbs the water and leaves the pigment behind.)

I also learned about xuan paper, which is made from the bark of blue sandalwood in China, and it takes two years to prepare the raw materials to make the paper. Part of the process is laying the materials out on a hillside for months at a time and turning them periodically. (Professional watercolorists use double xuan, which is more absorbent than the single ply version.) Of course, I immediately had to find a xuan paper maker that would ship to Delaware. For $55 a sheet, I could have my very own xuan paper. Ummmm....

One more fairly interesting thing was that paper was initially made from rags, like the kind you might have sitting in your basement waiting to be used for dirty work - ripped up tee shirts and the like. There were people who went around collecting rags for paper mills, which cooked down materials until they were basically sludge and then put them into trays to dry to make paper. The idea of using wood fibers to make paper wasn't introduced to the western world until the late 1800s. In the U.S., the first operating paper mill was in my hometown of Philadelphia, near where I grew up. And they routinely ran out of rags and had to reach out to housewives to get them to save their rags to make paper.

Not every learning experience is a pleasant one, I suppose. Kurlansky's book was like that for me.

Book 195: A Case of Need by Michael Crichton

Last week, I mentioned this book to my boss and told him I thought it was one of Michael Crichton's last books written before he died. I was completely wrong: this was one of the first books Crichton ever wrote - and in fact, he wrote it when he was still in medical school.

The book was a quick read, but a good one. It is the story of a pathologist (someone who figures out what kind of illness or cancer or infection a patient has based on evidence) that finds out that a colleague has been arrested on charges of performing an illegal abortion... because the patient died of a hemorrhage. He knows his colleague is innocent of the charges and decides to stretch the boundaries of his job description a bit to solve a murder and clear his friend's name.

I am the Ardent Reader, and I am very fussy about the books I read. I start and put down more than I finish, just because I know life is short and my bookshelf is stuffed with books I must finish before I die. I tell you this because I don't often find books that are as intense and engaging as this one - and it hooked me from the very first page. I don't want to spoil the book for you, but I'll tell you one thing: it definitely had momentum... and a ton of twists. And, like most Michael Crichton books, A Case of Need was filled with all kinds of real science, so I learned a thing or two along the way.

There were some hints here and there that the story was not set in today's modern healthcare setting. For one, the doctors all smoked inside and stowed flasks in their desk drawers. Abortion was also illegal in this book, so I knew it had to be set sometime before Roe v. Wade. In fact, Crichton wrote this book in 1969, which I didn't find out until the end. 

A Case of Need was available on Amazon Prime Reading, so I borrowed it for nothing! I hope you'll put it on your list of books to read. I found it fascinating.

Book 191: The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus (Audio book)

The movie was beautiful, poignant, and well made, but the book had more of an impact on me. I was happy to have it as company on a really long road trip. And it was really good.

This book is unique, because its author was also the director of the movie. Guillermo Del Toro - who made the most disturbing movie I've ever seen (Pan's Labrynth) - has created a book that is engaging on so many levels.

In the book, some of the characters are more well cultivated in the book than they were in the movie. Some characters are more interconnected than I originally thought, and at least two did not exist at all in the movie but appeared prominently and were in fact instrumental to the story in the book.

The story of the Gill God, Eliza, Giles, Zelda, and Strickland and his wife Elaine is an incredible one. It begins in the jungle and ends in Baltimore sometime in the 1960s. On their regular rounds as custodians for a scientific research facility, Eliza and Zelda encounter an amazing creature being held captive in a lab. When Eliza - who is mute - discovers that she can communicate with the creature, they become inseparable. The story that unfolds is one of courage, strength, and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.

I hope you'll pick up this book because it was worth reading, even after seeing the movie and having a preconceived notion of what things looked, felt, and sounded like.

The Willingness to Expand - Organically.

My blog is not a fancy blog. But it's my blog, and it's a good blog. It's had almost 30,000 views as of today. I'm proud of my blog. It's pretty, and it's chock full of good stuff.

I've had this blog for eight years. I'm almost 39 years old, so I've maintained this blog for almost 21% of the time I've spent on earth. In that time I've read countless books (185 were reviewed here) and explored topics that mean so much to me.

I started The Ardent Reader after my second child was born. I had part time job in a nonprofit and I had extra time every afternoon after work to read. I was married then, I drove a minivan, and I had a dog. That seems like such a long time ago.

For me, this blog is so much more than being about reading. Reading is, of course, important, but when I realized what reading could do for me as a mother, a professional, a woman, this blog changed. It has become something else: evidence of my own deliberate cultivation of myself. I went from a young mother with an newly-earned associate's degree and half decent writing talent to an educated professional writer with two kids both on the path to excellence themselves.

I learned that in all things, I strive to be genuine. The practice of blogging has helped to reveal this particular aspect of my personality. It helped me realize I don't want to compromise my strongest held values, and it led to some of the hardest life choices I ever had to make. Here's a blog post called Living an Authentic Life, which I posted on my shorter-term blog, My Ten Bucks. 

A week or so ago, news broke that Russian hackers had used people's nationalism coupled with their own ignorance to divide us and undermine the validity of our elections. Twitter cut thousands of "bot" accounts overnight, and some folks lost thousands of followers in the process. And that night, I didn't lose a single one. In fact, I gained a few. For me, this was evidence that by cultivating this blog and my Twitter following slowly and organically, I had hit the right people. Real people.

Maybe I don't have thousands of followers on my blog but I know the ones I do have are people I want to have on my team. I want you to know how much you mean to me, dear reader, and that I appreciate your continued readership.

Thanks.

💗

Why I love my Kindle Paperwhite.

Insomnia or Nocturnal Awakening by George Grie

Before I moved in with Mr. Fussypants, I lived in my own apartment with my two kids. Every night after I got the kids in bed, I read myself to sleep. I go through phases of insomnia, and on sleepless nights, I would simply switch on the bedside light, read until I got tired again, switch off the light, and fall back asleep. It was a fool-proof insomnia solution.

After I moved in with Mr. Fussypants, I knew this routine was not going to work. Among other things, he is hypersensitive to light and sound while he's sleeping, and his insomnia is ten times worse than mine. My solution of switching on and off the light every few hours was a problem. Sigh.

For Christmas one year, he bought me a Kindle Fire to read at night if I wanted, which had low light and (we thought) wouldn't be bothersome. Unfortunately, the text on a Kindle Fire is backlit, so it's like staring at a computer screen in the darkness... not conducive to falling back asleep. In fact, it made me feel more awake. Also, he felt it was too bright, even on its lowest setting. It was not a good solution, and remains on its charger unless it's being used to watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead while I'm on the treadmill.

About a year ago, I spent $100 and bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite, and wow, life is so much better. I'm able to read myself to sleep before bed and read myself back to sleep in the middle of the night without disrupting His Royal Majesty's sleep. On this thing, the text is that digital ink, which can be adjusted to any size or font, and the text is lit from the front, so it doesn't wear on my eyes. And I don't have to wear my glasses to read on the PaperWhite, which I hate anyway, but hate them even more when I have to search for them in the dark.

I will never give up paper books, but having this thing has made it possible for me to deal with insomnia in a way that works for me, without causing more difficulty for my partner.