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The Book Nook: Reflecting on favorite reads in final installment of the ‘nerd nook’
For my last column of the semester, I generally compile a list of books for whatever vacation is just around the bend. But this time my last column of the semester is my last Orient column. I write it and then I graduate, the end. When I leave the land of the polar bears, I will leave having acquired a number of things during the last four years: friends, experience, knowledge, etc. And then there is my prodigious tower of books. Scanning my shelves full of hard and soft covered novels, I am confronted by with the one constant that has run through my college career; I always read.
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The Book Nook: In ‘Beginner’s Greek,’ sparks fizzle, then become lost in translation
If one is prone to dreams of romance, planes provide appealing fodder for the chance meeting that might lead one's true love. A strange intimacy can develop between people while they are crammed into the confines of scratchy seats for long stretches of time. It has something to do with the altitude. And there is the added anticipation of who might sit next to you. It's a mystery and there is a short moment of suspended time when one can imagine "Maybe this time..." Usually, it's a hairy older man, or a chatty grandma happy to talk with you for all five hours of the flight. But for Peter Russell, a fellow who is particularly prone to this line of thinking, Holly fills the seat next to his on his flight from New York to L.A., and, you guessed it, they fall madly in love. This is the premise of James Collins' novel "Beginner's Greek." The novel purports to be one both about true love and love at first sight with delicious complications.
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The Book Nook: ‘Ingredients’ offers savory bites, but leaves some asking for more
Food is famous for its ability to bring people together. It is central to family gatherings, holidays and celebrations. First, second, and third dates usually revolve around food; there is romance in a well-laid table and the accompanying well-chosen wines. Food preferences reflect people's personalities and moods. The inherent magic of food and its preparation is the foundation of Erica Bauermeister's novel, "The School of Essential Ingredients."
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The Book Nook: With straightforward simplicity, Morrison narrates gracefully
Toni Morrison is the master of coaxing the voices of the past to life. The stories her characters tell are vivid, vital, and often full of sorrow. With her close narration, Morrison couples the reader's journey with the narrator's, the former bleeding in concert with the latter. In Morrison's most recent novel, "A Mercy," she once again excavates the unheard secrets of those kept silent through history.
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The Book Nook: While ‘Brooklyn’ spans decades, its characters lack development
The structure of Alice Mattison's novel "Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn" is one of its most compelling elements. Mattison chooses to alternate between two significant periods of the protagonist's life. One chronicles a week when, house-sitting for her mother, Con's fragile marriage heads toward demise and her daughter goes missing.
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The Book Nook: Fishburne lights up San Francisco with colorful satire in "Elephant"
Ambition is a driving force for many of us; there are few of us who don't aspire to make an impression on the world, or at least attempt to affect a single frontier. Rodes Fishburne's debut novel "Going to See the Elephant" focuses on the journey of a particular aspirant, Slater Brown. For Slater, the place to begin is San Francisco.
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The Book Nook: Lee fails to draw connections between worlds in "Teacher"
A dichotomy is immediately established between the two women who dominate the narrative of "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y. K. Lee. Trudy is the exotic, flip, Portuguese-Chinese young woman who seduces whom she likes and behaves as she pleases. Claire is her demure, naive, and restrained British counterpart. They both fall in love with Will Truesdale, an appealing but not particularly unique Englishman.
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The Book Nook: In "Tiger," letters paint vivid image of India
In general, there is a tendency to spruce up the truth. Events are embellished; colors are enhanced. In some respects, this is an element of story telling; a story needs a hook, a startling detail. But sometimes the brilliance of the scenery overshadows the impact of the bare details. Aesthetic beauty is used as salvation, as balm. This is not the case in Aravind Adiga's raw, scathing, and humorous portrait of India in his first novel, "The White Tiger."
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The Book Nook: Nam Le sails through "Boat" with eloquent, original voice
Some authors coax their audience into seeing through their eyes. Others immerse you in their worlds. Nam Le does the latter. His voice captured me in the first story of his debut collection "The Boat."
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The Book Nook: Man's best friend becomes family in "Story"
It took me far too long to immerse myself in the glories of "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski. The formidably paginated book haunted the display case of the Philadelphia bookstore I worked in last summer, new copies steadily appearing as their predecessors rapidly flew the coop. I resisted the call of the dust jacket, shying away from the author's difficult surname. In January, I succumbed. Three hundred pages later I couldn't believe I had read so much and that not a single page had been wasted. I was just halfway through, and I couldn't wait for more.
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The Book Nook: "Man in the Dark" sheds light on alternate reality and family
August Brill, the protagonist of Paul Aster's most recent novel "Man in the Dark," can't sleep. A literary critic in his twilight, August fills his hours in darkness without the aid of sheep. Instead, he tells himself stories. "Man in the Dark" is a short book. Yet, in less than 200 words, the reader is guided toward the discovery of a number of realities. The is, was, and might be, are all present and ask to be examined from multiple perspectives.
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The Book Nook: ?Home? falls short of its Pulitzer-winning prequel
For much of American history, the invocation of God remained an essential block of the country's foundation despite the separation of church and state. Marilynne Robinson recognized this thread and brought to life familial and religious relations in her Pulitzer-winning "Gilead." The simple, beautiful story of an aging preacher in middle America was complete. Robinson, however, now returns with a sequel, "Home."
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The Book Nook: Christmas reads ideal for creative stocking stuffers
'Tis the season for festive sweaters, twinkling lights, hot drinks and the inevitable and sometimes painful Christmas carols. It's the season for mistletoe and stocking stuffers, latkes and sleigh rides, and if you're on the brink of a secret Santa exchange or have time for shopping between finals and roasting chestnuts, here are a few holiday suggestions.
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The Book Nook: ?Peels? inspires thanksgiving
In a world increasingly reliant on instant communication via texting, e-mail, or Skype, the art of the letter is becoming obsolete. Despite decreasing use today, letters remain a treasured part of our past. While a division of the publishing industry is dedicated to printing written exchanges between historical figures such as Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, it is hard to imagine that e-mails will have the same longevity. In "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," the authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows team up to create a story that is revealed entirely through the exchange of letters
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The Book Nook: Mainers and lessons of life abound in ?Olive Kitteridge?
The infamous crotchety nature of Mainers is treasured by those who can proudly call the attributor their own, as well as by those who have encountered it. Olive Kitteridge, in Elizabeth Strout's novel of the same name, is one of these ornery folk. She is a retired math teacher and well remembered by her students, who never fail to mention her intimidating presence.
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The Book Nook: Sedaris lacks usual laughs
David Sedaris's essays about life in France and the various bruises he acquired from the language in "Me Talk Pretty One Day" have established him as a renowned comic and have sent his readers into ferocious bouts of laughter. However, Sedaris's most recent collection, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames," did not always have me rolling on the floor.
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The Book Nook: Guterson?s ?Other? has ?Into the Wild? tones
People are never exactly alike and there are a number of qualities that might set them apart from birth?that's what makes things interesting. Someone might have a knack for languages, a feel for the piano, or an easy comprehension and love of quantum physics. Others have an aptitude for art, or compassion, or problem-solving. Wealth can be viewed as another of these gifts. This is a tricky attribute to possess as a birthright; it is not a talent, but sometimes it is an attribute that people inherit. The protagonist of David Guterson's "The Other," John William Barry, spends his brief life fleeing the implications of his inheritance. His struggle prompts a question: Does one have a duty to make the best of one's gift, no matter what form it takes?
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The Book Nook: Bards' worlds collide in 'Will'
Scholars often question the authenticity of William Shakespeare's prolific and impressive canon, but in Jess Winfield's "My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare," one aspect of his life is certain?it was a party. Winfield leaves many questions unanswered: Is it really plausible that the son of a tanner from Stratford-Upon-Avon could be the master of the theater? He had only a limited formal education, so how does one explain his immense vocabulary? But while Winfield does not try to prove or debunk the real identity of Shakespeare, he offers an engaging spin on the playwright's life in his debut novel.
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The Book Nook: Political and personal drama abounds in ?America?
Arriving for my morning shift at Head House Books in Philadelphia this summer, the title of a new arrival caught my eye. "America America," read the cover of Ethan Canin's latest novel. I wrinkled my nose in disdain. The title struck me as trite and sentimental. Bucolic images of golden skies and verdant fields came to mind. Was this book a tribute to a rose-tinted vision of the country? What purpose would that serve other than to deny the reality of the present? The apparent superficiality of the book prompted me to open the jacket, and to my surprise the summary was compelling. Applauding myself for not judging a book by its cover, I proceeded to fly through "America America."
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The Book Nook: Adultery, mid-life crises abound in ?Attachment?
Ah, the delight of an extra-marital affair. Authors can't get enough of them and, it seems, neither can husbands or wives. Isabel Fonseca's novel "Attachment" is a recent addition to this duplicitous canon. Jean Hubbard, the American wife of an Englishman named Mark, stumbles upon a missive from his delicious and descriptive mistress, Giovana. Correctly guessing the password to his naughtyboy1 account, Jean exchanges spicy emails with her adversary. The trajectory of Jean's erotic education follows a steep incline, seemingly in tandem with her husband's physical experiences.
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The Book Nook: Writer-in-residence weaves narratives in ?House?
Margot Livesey's latest work of fiction, "The House on Fortune Street," is comprised of four sections marked with graceful titles that only hint at the poignant nature of the scenes they contain. Each is concerned with one of the four primary characters whom Livesey skillfully conveys through the use of both first and third person voices.
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The Book Nook: ?Gardens? rife with cultural conflict
Epigraphs are a somewhat less superficial way to judge a book than by its cover. The inscription usually hints at the essence of what is to follow or is the work of a favorite author. I was sold on Alan Drew's "Gardens of Water" at the sight of the page after the epigraph.
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The Book Nook: Ghahramani memoir reveals inhumanities torture
Zarah Ghahramani, a 20-year-old student in Tehran, spent a month in Evin, the Iranian prison with which opponents of any regime are threatened. She was physically and psychologically tortured for her participation in student sit-ins and her desire for a little liberty.
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The Book Nook: ?Matrimony? engages but does not dazzle
Marriage is a hot topic. It is among the most enduring institutions and has stood for security and respectability for ages. Currently, however, it is complicated by divorce, pre-nups, and the inclusion of same-sex marriages. "Matrimony," by Joshua Henkin, is not particularly interested in any of these social or political tensions that surround the wedded state of being. His novel is simply a chronicle of a relationship.
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The Book Nook: Disillusionment dims Las Vegas glamour
In the space of two weeks, I read three articles about Charles Bock and his debut novel "Beautiful Children." I was impressed.
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The Book Nook: Clouds, fire and salt consume novel
The elements are enveloping and constant in "Salt," Jeremy Page's first novel.