Reading On A Jet Plane

I'll be exiting the peninsula tomorrow morning and going back to the U.S. for nearly a month. After taking care of...STUFF, I'm hoping to do some traveling and shopping. And eating. Such eating I've got planned -- if it's delicious and not healthy, down the hatch it goes and all while I'm monitoring the day-to-day fortunes of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before I can do all of that, there's the 14-hour plane journey and before that there's the big decision about which books go into my backpack. What to read? After that surfeit of Canadian novels, I'm feeling mostly nonfictional:

Clay - Suzanne Staubach. Eco Reading Challenge material.

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert. I've been shying away from this book since impulsively buying it more than 18 months ago. Now it suddenly feels like a summer travel read. Anne Lamott likes it. Good enough.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running- Haruki Murakami. Murikami's memoir of training for the New York marathon is tiny. Travel-sized. Virtually no extra weight and I can rack up another author from a foreign country.

The Egg and I - Betty MacDonald. Is there any thing like a good fish-out-of-water classic when you're wedged in the middle seat between Seoul and Dallas-Fort Worth?

A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park. I love Korea; I hate Korea. I can't wait to leave; I'm homesick when I'm away. I stride jauntily through the departure gate at the airport; I'm terrified that Immigration won't let me back into the country. I'd turn my back on it in an instant; I want to live here forever. No place enrages and enraptures me more -- it's just like being married. Maybe having this 2002 Newbery winner about a boy's life in 12th-century Korea on hand will keep my ambivalence at bay. At the very least, I hope my head will stop doing those worrisome 360-degree rotations.

The Log From The Sea of Cortez - John Steinbeck. More Eco reading, plus the thought of Steinbeck's voice in my mind's ear while we're both journeying -- he by boat and I by plane miles and decades apart -- makes me feel fresh and hopeful, which is the best frame of mind for traveling.

I never seem to be able to hunker down and blog when I'm on vacation, so I'll be AWOL for a while. I'll miss my fellow bookworm bloggers even while I'm careening madly from bookstore to bookstore with those sudden stops for yard sales. I'm already a dozen reviews behind, so catching up will be first on the list when I get back.

In a way, I'm impatient for time to pass quickly because on July 20th, I'll begin teaching my very first reading class in Korea. If all goes well, the class has a chance of becoming a regular feature in the curriculum. I still haven't quite managed to wrap my mind around the idea of getting paid to do what comes naturally, but it should all sink in beautifully when I'm in the classroom listening to the nearly musical flick of pages being turned. Meanwhile, happy reading to us all.

Maple Leaf Me

Crack open a Moosehead and celebrate with me! I'm finished with this challenge with a few days to spare. Actually, I was finished one week ago, but I misjudged my progress and read an extra book. What a great time...I'm newly and firmly convinced that years should run from Canada Day to Canada Day. Here's my list:

1. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies [finished on July 6, 2008]

2. Unless - Carol Shields [finished on July 14, 2008]

3. Anne Of The Island - L.M. Montgomery [finished on August 16, 2008]

4. JPod - Douglas Coupland [finished on October 7, 2008]

5. Anne's House Of Dreams - L. M. Montgomery [finished on March 20, 2009]

6. Anne Of Ingleside - L.M. Montgomery [finished on March 22, 2009]

7. Rainbow Valley - L.M. Montgomery [finished on March 25, 2009]

8. Rilla of Ingleside - L.M. Montgomery [finished on April 8, 2009]

9. Larry's Party - Carol Shields [finished on May 24, 2009]

10. Murther & Walking Spirits - Robertson Davies [finished on May 29, 2009]

11. Girlfriend In A Coma - Douglas Coupland [finished on June 3, 2009]

12. The Cunning Man - Robertson Davies [finished on June 7, 2009]

13. The Manticore - Robertson Davies [finished on June 14, 2009]

14. World of Wonders - Robertson Davies [finished on June 22, 2009]

Favorite book: World of Wonders

Least favorite book: JPod

Final thoughts: Read Robertson Davies. He's magnificent.

Dreaming In Literature: Bookworm Prisoner

North Korea's military invaded South Korea before the United States military had a chance to come in and rescue all the expats, as planned. We all decided to make the best of it and thought maybe the North Koreans would want some English lessons as well.

Actually, the North Koreans didn't really care for anyone non-Korean being in the country and started coming up with any possible excuse to deport foreigners. Somehow they found my blog, got an eyeful and decided that what I read and discussed was in direct opposition to their philosophies.

Next thing I knew, the police were at my door in full riot gear -- sticks, shields and all. Since they looked as young as my students, I wasn't really worried. One of them even bowed a little and began discussing the problem with me in English that was pretty impressive. I praised him for his diligence about studying.

He waved off my compliment. "Your book list. It is unacceptable." He gave me a piece of paper. "This is our list of banned books. You have read eighty percent. Unacceptable."

Damn, I thought. I'm going to be deported. Crap. I never learned how to make kimchi. Why didn't I buy Good Morning, Kimchi! when I saw it at Kyobo all those years?

"When do I have to leave?" I asked. "You see, I've got all these books -- " I gestured at my shelves. "I need to get them home."

"You don't understand," he said. "Your reading list is bad, very bad! We are going to put you in prison. No deportation. Prison! Do you understand?"

"You mean like jail? Lock me up?"

"Yes. Our list and your list..." One of the other policemen had somehow found my reading journal on the top shelf, next to the Little House books. "This list is bad. You are going to jail!"

"How long?"

No response.

"When? Can I take a few things?" I'd grab the Pulitzers, if I could, but I had a feeling that the collection would be stalled for a while at 38.

"You go to prison tomorrow. Goodbye." He and the other police bowed and left.

I quickly called as many of my expat friends as I could and explained my situation. They instantly showed up at my apartment. Surprisingly, none of them had been singled out for this particular crime.

"I'm going to try to get all the Pulitzers in my suitcase. And my toothbrush. Screw clothing -- I bet they'll make me wear some ratty uniform."

"You probably won't have time to read," Diane pointed out. "I heard that North Korean prisons work you in the fields from dawn to night."

"Well, they can't work people twenty four-seven. I bet the prison library only has books in Hangeul. Will you guys send me some books?"

"No way." Talya said. "We might send the wrong ones and get thrown in jail, too."

"Good point." I sighed. "I should call my family. I can just hear them saying 'I-told-you-so.' I'll just act like it's no big deal. That way, they won't worry or have the satisfaction of being right."

"They already know," Shanna said. "Obama got on the news and said that he's sorry for you since he's a reader himself, but the United States can't give in to North Korea's unreasonable demands."

"Shit," I said. "Did you know that I voted for him?" Everyone nodded glumly.

.Leigh wanted to know if she could borrow The Zahir. "It's Paulo Coelho. Keep it forever," I told her.

The riot police showed up again at suppertime. "You go to jail now."

I lost my patience. "Now!? You said tomorrow! Damn it, these last-minute schedule changes are something that have gotten under my skin for years! I need to go to E-Mart!"

"Go to E-Mart, then come back here and go to jail."

Unaccompanied, I left the apartment and walked to the subway station. As I stood on the platform, I thought this might be a good time to make a run for it, but wait! My red suitcase (with all those Pulitzers inside) was back at the apartment. Damn.

Naked Without Makeovers

Tomorrow BOOKLEAVES is getting together for our June meeting, and I'll be meeting Shanna from Ruby Ramblings for the first time. Through Bookcrossing and blogging, Shanna and I have known each other for about 3 or 4 years. I've been the happy recipient of some of her books and a great music CD that she made.

I'm excited to meet Shanna, but after last night, I'm wondering what she'll see when she meets me.

Let me flash back a little. About this time last year, I made a new female friend. Soon after we established our friendship, she began to assess my appearance. She pushed for me to get new glasses and a new hairdo. The roundish frames I was sporting were just wrong, all wrong for my face. Since I really wanted some rectangular frames, I readily agreed.

.

The hair? Since it's rather fine and thin and seems to have the market on cowlicks cornered, keeping it short is my best bet. I had also added some highlights. Not really working, my friend let me know. Too harsh. I should get more subtle highlights or just let the gray grow out. I did a pretty big chop with more subtle highlights. I have to admit, it was all much better. Starting last fall, I was finally beginning to be pleased when I saw myself in photographs.

In April, I decided on my own to go boy-short with the hair and was pleased with the results. It grew out very quickly, along with the gray. It's at an awkward but not unmanageable length right now, and my plan is to go back to Yongsan and get it trimmed up next week when I have some free time.

Last night, I had dinner with two teachers from my school. As we were munching on appetizers, one of them suddenly asked me to do her a favor and try on her round rimless glasses. I did so, and she murmured, "Yes, much better." Apparently my rectangular frames are just wrong, all wrong for my face. After that, she said, "Can I touch your hair?" "Okay," I said. "It's really fine, isn't it?" she commented. Then she told me how I should have it cut. It seems as if the bangs, the top, the sides, the back and the color of my current cut are just wrong, all wrong. Wow, five out of five. She stopped short of suggesting that we do a field trip to her stylist ASAP, but I'm sure that's next.

When I got home, I laughed and shook my head, and I'm still laughing and shaking my head today. What the hell?! What is it about me that as soon as I become friendly with a woman (or, in one case, a gay man) they are inspired to boldly step up, practically panting and offer to mastermind my makeover? I can't decide if it's:

A. I'm so hideous-looking that they feel compelled by a strong sense of duty to shield the rest of humankind from such a sight,

........................ *****OR*****

B. I'm a hairsbreadth away being good-looking so they feel compelled by a strong sense of duty to frogmarch me the rest of the way into spiffy.

When I first came to Korea, I was briefly staying with an American about my age. The moment I stepped off the plane, she grimly determined that something must be done and right soon. I arrived on Saturday evening. By Wednesday evening, she had me in the chair at the beauty salon, getting my sprinkling of gray covered. After that, a trip to the manicurist and a brief tutorial about how to put on eyeshadow properly, she seemed satisfied. I duly thanked her for rescuing me from the wreck of myself.

If I don't seem to welcome this kind of attention, it's because it reminds me of what I grew up with. My mother has never gotten over my having thin, fine straight hair. In her book, curly is the only beautiful hair. Even more disappointing was my longish face and my slightly protruding ears. They're just wrong, all wrong. And now age is doing a frenzied hoedown on both my flaws and my few good points. Good thing I'm half a world away, or the poor woman would have wept her life away years ago, seeing all this imperfection on a daily basis.

The people in my life all look fine to me. They're not movie-star perfect, but I can always find something to admire and even envy about them. I would never dream of shuttling them off to the styling salon or optical shop in great haste. Perhaps I lack awareness. Maybe I don't have that flash of genius that can spot potential. Could it be that I have no standards, or is it possible that these people all look fine?

The last time I read Jane Eyre, I was struck by how many times other characters commented on Jane's looks, or lack of them. If they called her plain once, they called her that a hundred times, but no one tried to make her over. Maybe my friends should just take the Jane Eyre approach, make a brief remark about my unbecomingness and go on to the next topic. I can handle it. Really.

Now that it's too late for a rejoinder, one comes to mind. Dorothy Parker (who never needed a makeover and would have cut someone to ribbons with her tongue for even the merest suggestion) said it best in the verse below. She was writing about behavior, not looks, but it'll do nicely in this case:

"I shall stay the way I am

Because I do not give a damn."

Am I alone? Does this ever happen to you?

Revolving Shelves

One of the things that drove my first husband crazy was that my book collection was always in flux. He had every book that he'd ever owned in his life and I presume that he still does. It made him uneasy that I could let books come and go so blithely. There have been times that I've kicked myself for letting things go (like some of the Pulitzers, before I got serious about collecting), but someone who belongs to both Bookcrossing and Bookmooch is probably going to be pretty easygoing about giving up books.

This week found me in swapping mode. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach a hellishly early morning class in the Global Village lounge on campus. This lounge has a bookshelf that I've eyed with some interest for a few weeks. When I spotted The Cunning Man by Robertson Davies and Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow, I went home, meditated on my shelves and swapped a couple of John Grisham books for the objects of my desire. My conscience hurt me a little because literary-wise, I got the better deal, but I was able to salve it a bit by noting that the Grishams are in pristine condition while the Davies and Doctorow are ratty-looking and have obviously been through several humid summers here.

Come Saturday morning, I was back at What The Book? with a bagful of books that I can live without, seeking credit for new treasures. Here's what I found:

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston.
I've had an eye open for this novel for about a year now, after another blogger reviewed it.

Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S Truman- Merle Miller.
Last winter, when I was home, my mom was going through some old papers belonging to my grandparents and she found a 1942 letter from Senator Truman confirming that my grandfather had received his appointment to be postmaster of Triplett, Missouri and warmly congratulating him. A brilliant double score would have been also finding the McCullough biography of Truman, but no joy.

A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park.
I'm attracted to this Newbery winner because the setting is 12th century Korea. I found Park's Seesaw Girl to be a little depressing, but I admire the historical detail.

One of these days, I'll have to do an "opposite" post in which I list the books I own that I wouldn't give up without some sort of struggle -- if at all.

Bookweek In Ten Short Chapters

I'll bet you thought with these last few posts that I'm all about reviews. I'll bet you also thought that I was all about reading. Well, I am, but I've also been bookSocial and bookShopping this past week. Here's my bookStory:

1. My new(est) book group met to discuss Laughter In The Dark last Wednesday evening. We had a great time talking about the novel and trying to figure out who should be cast in a movie version while munching on pizza and chicken and washing it all down with soda and beer. Our next book is the 1889 humor classic Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I'm coveting the audiobook version, read by *sigh* Hugh Laurie.

2. This new book group has a name now. We are THE CRACKED SPINZ. That's pronounced "spines", of course.

3. I had to visit my bank in Gumi on Friday, so I made lunch plans with my first bookworm buddy in Korea, Pablo. Looking back, I think that I'm more interested in nonfiction now because of him. Pablo just finished a book about the immigrant experience in the UK called Dark Heart by Nick Davies. He described it at great length, and I added it to my wishlist. Pablo thinks that the US immigrant experience is probably parallel to what's described in Dark Heart.

4. On Saturday, I went to Seoul to meet some of my non-bookish friends and chow down at TomaTillo's, a new Mexican restaurant I'd heard so much about. Happily, the restaurant is at Jonggak, and one of the Bandi & Luni bookstores is right there in the subway. Exit 2. It's imprinted in letters of fire on my...well, anyway...I bought a third copy of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (one was loaned out in 2005 and never came back and the other was for CanadaBoy's birthday). I also decided to buy Haruki Murakami's memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I'm not exactly a Murakami fan, but I couldn't resist that play on Raymond Carver. Just when I was about to leave, I spotted -- BIG BOOK SCORE!-- The Egg And I by Betty MacDonald. I've been hoping that this book would pop up in Korea. I also have The Plague And I and Onions In The Stew and Anybody Can Do Anything on my wishlist. By abebooks website I sat down and wept.

5. My friends, burritos and lime margaritas were all waiting for me right outside exit 6 of the Jonggak subway. Approaching the steps, I ran smack-dab into ANOTHER bookstore! Who knew? I made a quick survey of the store, but didn't buy anything. I would've stayed longer, but I was thirsty.

6. Flash-forward 5 hours. My friends and I were still at TomaTillo's. We'd had our fill of Mexican food and drink. Now we wanted dessert. I craved a big piece of chocolate cake like nobody's business, but suddenly, something else was on my mind. I had to visit the Kyobo bookstore over by the U.S. embassy, which was about 10 minutes from where I was sitting. I had to get there before it closed, because I had an overwhelming feeling -- it was almost like panic -- that a copy of Olive Kitteridge was there, waiting for me. My non-bookish friends had roused themselves enough to have a conversation about favorite childhood books (Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton, Judy Blume, C.S. Lewis), but I regretfully said goodbye and hurried off down the street.

7. BINGO! BOOK SCORE! Olive Effing Kitteridge! Damn, it was expensive -- 26,000W for a trade paperback. I couldn't be deterred. It's a Pulitzer fiction winner. After that, I was all done in. I had to find a pillow.

8. Sunday. Itaewon. Talya's book group was meeting at 2 pm to discuss My Place by Sally Morgan. Just enough time for lunch and a visit to What The Book? where I found what I was after: The Log From The Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck for the Eco challenge and Girlfriend In A Coma by Douglas Coupland so that I might finish the Canadian challenge before the Canada Day deadline. I met up with Val who was trading in a bunch of paperbacks. She got 27,000W in credit. That's something that never happens to me.

9. Talya's book group AKA "Seoul Women's Book Club". More chocolate cake. I didn't finish My Place, but neither did most of the group. I'm going to, though. The next book is A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I read for my original book group, BOOKLEAVES.

10. Took the subway home. I got a seat and eagerly cracked open Olive Kitteridge. A few chapters later, I noticed that none of the stations we were going through sounded familiar. WTF? I missed my transfer at Guro and ended up somewhere near Incheon, which is way way west of where I live. Backtracking put me out of a reading mood, but not for long. Shortly after I left Guro for the second time, I was back in the biblio saddle again. That's me, yodeling.

May: An Even Dozen

Another good month for reading. Maybe triple digits isn't a dream. Fiction creamed nonfiction this month. I read what I liked and still made good progress on my challenges and got my book group(s) reading done. Even my Tough & Cool Inner Bookworm is grinning.

1. Jane Eyre's American Daughters - John Seelye. I recently blah blah blahed about this fun critical study.

2. In Dubious Battle - John Steinbeck. This is my new favorite Steinbeck novel. A novel about the anatomy of a strike, it kicks ass more than The Grapes Of Wrath, especially when you factor in that Paradise Lost connection. I borrowed this one from the library, but I want my own copy. Many thanks to my former BOOKLEAVES buddy Matt for bringing this novel to my attention.

3. Go Down, Moses - William Faulkner. I want to like Faulkner's work more than I actually do. I enjoy the idea of being a Faulkner fan. Sadly, I'm not there yet. Go Down, Moses, a series of short stories that are supposed to be a novel was a struggle to read. There's one story called The Bear which features a near-mythical ursine creature called Old Ben. After finishing this book, I felt as if Old Ben had been at me. I'm not going to give up on Faulkner, though. It's not like I can. A Fable and The Reivers are both Pulitzer fiction winners.

4. The Murder Of Abraham Lincoln - Rick Geary. Geary's graphic novel covers almost the same ground as Manhunt. I really appreciated his meticulous cross-section drawing of Ford's Theatre that showed exactly how Booth was able to get access to President Lincoln. (For another example of Geary's artistry, read his graphic novel about Lizzie Borden.)

5. Laughter In The Dark - Vladimir Nabokov. Nabokov wrote this novel in Russian when he was living in Berlin in the early 1930s. It's so obvious that he didn't find life there or the people congenial. Laughter In The Dark is a black comedy that contains the seeds of Lolita, written more than 20 years later. It's an easy read, probably the most accessible of Nabokov's novels, and beautifully translated by V.N. himself. None of the characters are very likable, but Nabokov's use of language is superb, although some might say it verges on show-offy.

6. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant. I ragged on this novel a few posts back.

7. The Bridge Of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder. This novella, which is a fable of sorts, takes place in 18th century Peru. The bridge of the title, which is made of rope suddenly breaks one day and the five people who were walking across it plummet to their deaths. A priest named Brother Juniper wants to know: Why these five individuals? Was it the will of God or just one of those things? He spends his life making a full inquiry into their lives. Wilder shows how there were only one or two degrees of separation between these people and those that knew them in life. His formal use of language and the delicacy of his writing are well-suited to his subject. This 1928 Pulitzer winner is a classic for a reason.

8. Salt - Mark Kurlansky. A well-researched history of "the only rock we eat." This book brought back memories of when I toured the salt mine in Austria with my father when I was seven. I still remember the costumes, the big slide and touching the mine walls and then the surprise of tasting salt on my finger. As in Cod, Kurlansky not only provides history, he gives us recipes, so I was hungry throughout this read. I'm still trying to wean myself away from a can of Pringles a night. I got Salt from Ruby Ramblings (who has finally emerged from quarantine!) three or four years ago, and only just now got around to reading it for the Eco Reading Challenge. Strangely, right after I finished it, we had Trivia Night here and a question cropped up about how prosciutto is made. I was able to help my team.

9. Lost Names - Richard E. Kim. This is a semi-autobiographical novel about growing up in Korea under the Japanese occupation. Powerfully written, but Kim completely omits the usual common foreign words that most writers leave in to convey a sense of place. For example, he refers to kimchi without even saying that word. In another instance, the unnamed boy narrator, when speaking to his father uses "sir" constantly to indicate the Confucian manner of showing respect to elders, and it looks awkward on the page, whereas a sprinkling of Korean here and there would have taken care of that. Since I hear these words on an almost-daily basis, this gives the book a bare and bleached-out feel. This is a minor complaint about a very well-written work; other readers might not feel the same way. If you're working on an Asian Challenge or something similar, definitely seek out Lost Names.

10. Larry's Party - Carol Shields. My review is here.

11. Then We Came To The End - Joshua Ferris. This absurd and touching 2007 novel about the workers in a company waiting to see who will be the next victim of downsizing is like Seinfeld with a big heart. I hate it when companies tell their employees "We're family". Sometimes it happens, but not because they say so.

12. Murther & Walking Spirits - Robertson Davies. Do you like family sagas? Davies serves this one up with a strange and darkly humorous supernatural twist. An engrossing read from the man who needed a shave.