I am killing some time at an Internet cafe at the Freiburg train station. We head home this afternoon out of Frankfurt. It has been a great trip, but I am looking forward to getting home. I miss our mattress. I also should have tons to blog about when I get home. So far, I have read 4 of the 8 books I brought with me. I think I will get 2 more done before we land in DC. Plus, I have tons of pictures to share, observations from the road etc. Talk to you soon.
Book Review: One from the road
The Mill on the Floss
George Eliot
George Eliot
Not sure I will have the time and opportunity write all of my travel reading reviews from the road, but since I have a moment I thought I would give it a whirl.
This was my first go reading George Eliot (née Mary Ann Evans). For the most part I found it quite enjoyable. It was much more readable than I expected. Usually I need something fluffy and easy for the plane, but I ended up reading two thirds of this over the Atlantic. It is supposedly the most autobiographical of her novels with the main character Maggie being the stand-in for Eliot. Given the ending, it cannot cleave too closely to her own life. It is also supposed to be a tale of the limited choices that women had in the mid 19th-century. And the book certainly does focus on that, but I was surprised at how much the first part of the book was about Maggies brother Tom.
SPOILER ALERT: I could not believe the ending. I wanted a happy ending in the worst possible way. Ultimately the way Maggie meets her end seems more a result of, dumb luck, her own martyr complex, and her overweening love for her brother than a result of her limited choices in life. If Eliot really wanted to say something about the lack of, and consequences of female independence in her life, she could have come up with many other possible endings that would have made her point more effectively.
Still, definitely worth reading and encourages me to read other books by Eliot.
And no, that is not me along the banks of the Floss. But it is me reading my beat up copy of The Mill on the Floss on the banks of the River Cher on the grounds of Chenonceau.
France est parfait
Having a great time in France, but using this French keyboard is not easy. For instance where is the apostrophe?
Look Out France and Switzerland, Here I Come.
In no time we will be wending our way through the Loire Valley, Provence and the Bernese Oberland. We plan to eat lots of good food (that is until we get to Switzerland where I am not sure if the food will be too good), drink lots of wine and enjoy not being in the humid, humid environs of Washington DC in August.
When I travel long distances I like to buy used pulp paperbacks to read along the way so I can leave them behind when finished, and so they take up as little room and weight as possible. With that in mind I had to set aside the enormous “to be read” pile and actually go buy some good pulp editions to take with me on the trip.
So what do you think, will 8 books be enough for 16 days? Part of me thinks yes and part of me thinks no. Certainly the long plane ride and a few train journeys will give me ample reading time. I always over pack on the book front. It is not like I will really read 8 books in 16 days. I am just always worried that I won’t have the right book for the right mood. Stuck on a plane for 8 hours with a good book, but one I am not in the mood for. So I overcompensate by bringing a little of everything.
The other thing is that reading is a great way to soak up a place. It doesn’t matter what you read, it is just the fact that it slows you down enough to sit and experience a place. When I first met my husband he thought I was crazy. Whenever we went somewhere beautiful (Grand Canyon, Tuscany, Paris, etc.) I would want to sit down and read. But then he realized that I would read for a bit, looking up now and then, maybe move to another vantage point, stop and read a little more. It turns something that might have ended up just being a too-quick photo op into something a little more meaningful. Kind of like the touristic equivalent of slow food.
I toyed a bit with doing a French and Swiss thing when choosing books, but that was a little more effort than I cared to take. So, without further delay, here is the Summer 2009 literary cast that will be travelling with me:
The Mill on The Floss by George Eliot
I have never read anything by George Eliot and felt like this might be the right time to start. I have already primed the pump and am about 80 pages in and am quite enjoying it. Not sure what I expected, but it is more amusing than I would have guessed.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Another classic I have never read. Thankfully I never saw the Demi Moore film version. I heard it was terrible and that if she had adapted Moby Dick for the screen Ahab would have killed Moby instead of the other way around.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I haven’t had much luck with Henry James. I had to read Washington Square twice in school, but other than that I haven’t been able to get through a James novel. I feel like I really should like him. I love Edith Wharton and folks tend to mention the two in the same sentence fairly frequently. But I have never really been able to get into James. But I thought I would give it a go. And with an opening line about the ceremony of afternoon tea, Portrait of a Lady seemed like it might the one to break through my aversion to James. Here’s hoping they have lots of tea to sustain my interest.
A Weekend with Claude by Beryl Bainbridge
I know nothing about Bainbridge, and I really hate the cover image on this edition, but there was something about the first paragraphs that made me decide to give it a go. Fingers crossed. In any case it is nice and short.
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
I have read a few other Pym and found that she can be relied on for an amusing time. Very English, very right up my alley. According to the book jacket, this was her first novel published in England but the last one of hers published in the USA. Another shortish book.
Fly Away Home by Marge Piercy
I have read two other of Piercy’s books and really liked them. They have been contemporary, easy reads that have female protagonists getting their lives sorted out in one way or another. I love a good personal transformation story and I got sucked in by this synopsis: “Successful Boston cookbook author Daria Walker, whose greatest pleasures are her home and family–and who loves her husband deeply–is devastated to learn he wants a divorce. Now she must put her life back together…”
Cheri and The Last of Cheri by Colette
This is my one French book. I read The Ripening Seed earlier this summer and enjoyed it, so I thought I would give Collette another try.
The Summer Before Dark by Doris Lessing
Yet another author I haven’t read. Since she won the Nobel in 2007 I figured she was worth looking into.
There wasn’t much method to my madness in choosing these books. Most of the used bookstores near me specialize in trade or hardcover fiction and don’t have much in the way of literature in pulp editions. So I took what I could get. But I actually think it is a good, diverse bunch o’books that I am looking forward to reading.
How about you?
How do you choose your travel books? Do you take too many when you travel? Do you try to match your book choices up with your destination? Have you ever “found” a book where you were staying that became one of your favorites?
Book Review: Romance in Switzerland
A Perfect Waiter
Alain Claude Sulzer
I can’t remember where or when I bought A Perfect Waiter. I came across it on my bookshelves the other day having had completely forgotten its existence. I had been prompted to pick it up at the bookstore by the striking cover image–surely the dapper waiter on the cover must be gay. Reading the synopsis on the inside flap of the book jacket confirmed my literary gaydar. Even though, gay lit helped me come to terms with being gay back when I a teenager in the 1980s, I am not one to spend much time looking for fiction with gay themes. What piqued my interest in A Perfect Waiter is that the book is set in the 1930s and 1960s. I am always interested to read about how same sex attraction played out in the days before the Stonewall Riots.
In this case, the protagonist Erneste, working in a Swiss resort town in the 1960s, gets a letter from Jakob, someone he hasn’t seen since 1939. The novel is a series of flashbacks that tells the story of Erneste and Jakob who were roommates and co-workers who shared an intense but short relationship. The 1960s Jakob is in trouble and writes to Erneste for help. But helping Jakob means that Erneste needs to confront his past and seek help from the person he least wants to talk to. But there isn’t much more I can say without spoiling the plot.
Although the book presents a totally believable snapshot of what life would have been like for a homosexual in the 1930s, that isn’t really what the book is about. It is more a tale of love and betrayal set against the formal, regimented backdrop of a Swiss resort. As I get ready to go to Switzerland for the first time, Sulzer’s evocation of the era and setting is bound to shade my expectations of what I will find when I arrive in Interlaken and environs. Images of steamer trunks and dressing for dinner will, no doubt, be quickly replaced with the reality of backpackers, unruly families, and my own casual way of traveling. But a little part of me will be imagining, perhaps even looking for, Erneste and Jakob–living their personal drama out behind the scenes and under our noses.
Sunday Morning
Boy am I glad I am done blogging about that 40 by 40 list. Hope it isn’t as tedious to read as it was to write.
We are about to head off to “Julie & Julia.” I loved the book based on the blog, and I loved watching Julia Child as a kid, and I LOVE going to the Julia Child kitchen at the Smithsonian. I am not sure I like Streep’s Julia voice from the trailers, but the film has gotten good reviews so I will reserve my judgement.
I took this photo about 4 years ago on a sunny Sunday morning in London. This fabulous stack of scones was taken in the Orangerie at Kensington Palace. A really wonderful and comfortable place to sit with friends. I am very proud of this picture, I think the lighting is just perfect. Unfortunately, this was taken before I had a digital camera and the only copy I have is this well worn one that has been tacked above various desks over the years, so it doesn’t scan very well. Looks better in person. Maybe I still have the negative somewhere.
40 by 40 Update: #40 Give $10 to Charity for Every Goal Not Completed by August 17, 2009
(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)
40. Give $10 to Charity for Every Goal Not Completed – COMPLETED
Final Tally: $190.00 to charity.
Thankfully the 40th goal was to give money to charity. Any other goal probably would have put my success/failure rate at 50%. At least this way my failure rate was just below 50%. Some of the goals were good ones, even if I didn’t complete them. And others were the victim of changed priorities. It was a fun experiment. But kind of glad I am done. I don’t really want to contemplate the next milestone (50). I still have 10 years for that.
I am actually going to give the money to two different charities.
Washington Animal Rescue League: A really wonderful animal shelter here in DC and the place where we will hopefully find a nice pound dog next year.
Alzheimer’s Association Southwest Chapter: My dad puts a lot of time and effort into a practically full time volunteer job with the Alzheimer’s Association chapter in Phoenix. Honestly, he puts in too much time and effort. He is supposed to be retired after all. At any rate, his efforts and the cause deserve support. Among other things, they provide Alzheimer’s information and referrals for friends and families of people with Alzheimer’s.
40 by 40 Update: #39 Sing in a Choir
(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)
39. Sing in a Choir – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $190.00 to charity.
This is perhaps the most disappointing unmet goal. My interest in singing in a smallish choir that does a mixed bag of repertoire with lots of variety was overwhelmed by my disinterest in giving up Sunday mornings. I wish I could just rehearse with a choir during the week and not have to get up on Sunday. For other, non-church, choir options the problem is that they tend to focus on big symphonic choral works. They spend months preparing a big concert of one or two big works and then they get dressed up and sing. That isn’t the kind of choir singing I like. This is one that I need to work on, it has been too long since I sang in a choir.
40 by 40 Update: #38 Go to a Concert at the Peabody Institute
(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)
38. Go to a Concert at the Peabody Institute – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $180.00 to charity.
Baltimore has a wonderful music convservatory called the Peabody Institute. They have all kinds of student performances that I am told are worth the time. But getting my butt up to Baltimore (an hour’s drive) seemed impossible to do. Inertia seems to get the better of me at times. This one is staying on my radar for next year. I definitely still want to do this one.
40 by 40 Update: #37 Find an Opera/Orchestra/Concert Buddy
(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)
37. Find an Opera/Orchestra/Concert Buddy – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $170.00 to charity.
No doubt if I had one of these I wouldn’t have such a hard time getting to concerts on weeknights. John likes going to concerts with me, but I was hoping to find a real music egghead that wants to sit around and gossip about orchestras and conductors and temperamental singers. Seeing that I couldn’t find 4 new friends in 2 years time (see #5 below) it was unlikely I was going to pull this one off.
hogglestock 