Theft By Finding: Diaries 1977-2002

Theft By Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris    528 pages

I can't get enough of David Sedaris' writing.   He is so clever and his take on life is so marvelous that it makes me sad to come to the end.   This book is a walk through his life with his take on the every day people and things he comes across and his reaction to the current events happening at the time which really puts his writing into perspective with the backdrop of what was taking place in the world from a historical level as he was writing in his diary.  He and his sister Amy are turned so much alike what one can't come up with the other does then they play off each other with hysterically funny outcomes.   When he relates stories of his Dad he imitates his father's speech so well you can picture the man saying the lines.   I recommend every book written by David Sedaris - he is like chocolate for the mind.  Sometimes a little deep, I would recoomend  these books for mature teenagers on up.

 - Shirley J.

Present Concerns

Present Concerns by C. S. Lewis                    Hardcover: 108 pgs.

This book is a collection of Lewis's essays, almost all written for newspaper and magazine publication.  The author writes about current events of 60-80 years ago, so it would seem they could hardly be called "present concerns."  But in another sense, as editor Walter Hooper explains in his introduction, the subject matter Lewis wrote about is indeed "present" with us today, for in discussing then-current news, he gives timeless wisdom, as true today as it was in World War II or the Cold War, when Lewis wrote about it.

In applying this wisdom to his own time, Lewis is very philosophical (as in all his non-fiction).  Obviously, this kind of writing isn't for everyone--for many, it can be sleep-inducing!  But this book gives the reader small doses of Lewis's philosophizing.  Instead of a whole tome on one subject, in this book, the author leaps from subject to subject, treating each topic in no more than a few pages.  As a result, this anthology may be a good introduction to Lewis for those who have never read his non-fiction.

Unlike his other works, these writings aren't mainly concerned with theology and literature (though these subjects are often touched on).  One theme in several of the essays is equality and democracy.  Befitting his identity as a citizen of England (and that country's constitutional monarchy), he believed things that we Americans (who live in a republic) may disagree with.  Here are some interesting quotes that may be controversial on this side of the Atlantic:

• "Democracy demands that little men should not take big ones too seriously; it dies when it is full of little men who think they are big men."
• "Equality (outside mathematics) is a purely social conception.  It applies to man as a political and economical animal.  It has no place in the world of the mind."
• "Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars: even famous prostitutes or gangsters.  For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison."

I found this book hard to understand in some places.  Even though Lewis wrote about timeless truths in talking about current issues, it was still hard to understand some of what he talks about without knowing more about the then-current events.  The editor shed some light on some of these events, but not enough, in my estimation.

At the same time, there are many great truths that can be gleaned from the parts that are understandable, which still includes most of the book.  For example, in the first essay, "The Necessity of Chivalry," Lewis defines in a different and more relevant way than I have heard before what chivalry is and shows why it is so necessary to civilization.  The best essay may be "On Living in an Atomic Age".  Lewis wrote it during the Cold War, when fears of nuclear war were at their zenith.  Using reason, the author makes his readers see that the specter of nuclear war only reminds us of the necessity of the spiritual world (including God) and the bankruptcy of naturalism.  For these and other examples of Lewis's sanity and amazing insight, Present Concerns earns 3 out of 5 stars in my book (⭐⭐⭐).

I Don't Know What You Know Me From

I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer, 235 pages

Even if you don't know it, you've probably seen Judy Greer in a movie or TV show. She's Hollywood's go-to best friend, assistant, secretary, sidekick...basically anybody but the leading lady. In this collection of essays, she reflects on her personal life, elements of her career, and her musings on things as random as making it in Hollywood to feeding stepchildren.

I hoped, from the title, that this would focus on Greer's career, but I felt that she didn't spend nearly enough time on it. Or at least not in the way I'd hoped. Anecdotes abound about peeing in the stall next to J.Lo and the awkwardness of accidentally ending up in the seat-filler bar at the Oscars. But the actual experiences of making Arrested Development, or Archer, or any of the gajillion romantic comedies listed on her IMDb page? Not so much.

Basically, this book lacked substance, and honestly, after reading/listening to it, I kind of like her less as an actress. Maybe it's just because I read two other much better memoirs during the time I was listening to this one, but Greer comes across as needy, whiny, immature, and vapid. Pass this one over for a better Hollywood autobiography, like Tina Fey's Bossypants, or Rachel Dratch's Girl Walks Into a Bar..., or Neil Patrick Harris' Choose Your Own Autobiography, or Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends. Basically, this was the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the Hollywood memoirs I've read.

P.S. This is my last blog post for the SLPL book challenge blog, and I really wish it was about a better book. If you really want to know what I'm reading in the future, check out the University City Public Library book challenge blog. I know I'll keep checking back here! It's been swell!

I Wear the Black Hat

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling With Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman, 214 pages

I listened to I Wear the Black Hat as an audio book – it’s narrated by Klosterman and his semi-informal reading style (he’s no voice actor) reminded me of some of my favorite podcasts. I’m not sure that I would have made it all the way through this one if I’d been reading instead of listening. Many of the sports references soared over my head, but I did enjoy the discussion of NFL uniforms and how different color combinations and styles read as “villainous” (in particular, the LA Raiders’ uniforms).

The central premise for Klosterman’s essays in this volume is that a villain is the person who knows the most, but cares the least. My personal favorite was the essay about vigilantism (Villains Who Aren’t Villains), and the argument: if Batman existed in the real world, we wouldn’t actually think he’s a hero. Like every other Klosterman book I’ve read, there’s a certain amount of mental gymnastics occurring that I’m not always 100% on board with, but I generally agreed with him this time around (perhaps because I don’t have the requisite sports-knowledge to have a fully formed personal opinion). I’m not sure I’d recommend I Wear the Black Hat as a starting point for Klosterman’s essays, but those who already familiar with his work will probably enjoy it.

Tiger, Meet My Sister...

Tiger, Meet My Sister...: And Other Things I Probably Shouldn't Have Said by Rick Reilly, 342 pages

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that most of the people who blog here, and most of the people who read this blog, are not die hard sports fanatics or hard-core athletes. I could be wrong, and if I am, I retract the previous statement. But working under that assumption, I probably need to explain that Reilly is a longtime sports columnist, first for Sports Illustrated and now for ESPN. The man has even been inducted into the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame (though so has Mitch Albom; make of that what you will).

Anywho, Tiger, Meet My Sister... is a collection of Reilly's favorite ESPN columns, and often those that have gotten him in hot water or left him with egg on his face. In this collection, Reilly reprints the column where he admits that he feels like a world class chump for believing Lance Armstrong all those years; the column where he argues against retiring the name "Redskins" from the NFL team; even the column where he skewers the double standard of blocking PED-using players from the Baseball Hall of Fame while rolling out the carpet for their managers, who must have known what was going on. (Incidentally, his targeting of Tony LaRussa in that third column has made it so he "can't eat lasagna in downtown St. Louis anymore," according to a post-script.) But with all of those controversial or embarrassing columns, Reilly has also chosen to share some truly fascinating, even emotionally charged, columns, including an interview with Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning; a story about a blind woman making a long commute to Yankees games from her home in New Jersey; and a fun one about commuting to the Staples Center on game day with Kobe Bryant.

These columns are all, no matter what they cover, entertaining and enthralling, and laced with Reilly's trademark humor. Many times while reading this, I found myself both chuckling out loud and then reading short passages to my husband (who was probably annoyed beyond all belief, since I was interrupting his own reading time). A great collection for even casual sports fans.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

When You Are Engulfed in Flames written and read by David Sedaris, 323 pages, 9 hours on audio

This is one of Sedaris' many collections of personal essays, and like the others, this one is filled with his wry sense of humor. When You Are Engulfed in Flames covers a variety of topics, but includes a lengthy discussion of Sedaris' journey to quit smoking (done, in large part, because he could no longer stay in the nice hotels when he went on book tours). There are also essays focused on his bizarre obsession with somewhat macabre news stories, stories of the random people he sits next to on airplanes, and a particularly hilarious little tale about the human skeleton he bought his boyfriend for his birthday.

I highly recommend the audiobook of this collection, though I don't recommend listening to it while working out, as I did. (Laughing while running doesn't work so well.) But anywhere else, definitely. For those who have heard Sedaris on NPR will recognize his sarcastic, nasal voice, even if they're just reading the words in the book.

The Faraway Nearby

The Faraway Nearby, Rebecca Solnit  259 pages


      This is Rebecca Solnit's follow up to The Field Guide to Getting Lost, which I also just recently finished.  This book felt a little heavier, as it deals with a myriad of issues that all of us go through in life, beginning with her discussion of her mother's Alzheimer's disease.  Solnit is able to weave her personal experience with astute observations of the world around her. The main theme has to do with the idea of storytelling, and some of its various manifestations in the world.  The prose is lyrical, and  ties together themes in refreshing ways for those who have not read her work before. I can't say that this book is better than A Field Guide, but it resonated with me quite a bit.  When she writes about art, and the act of reading, I would have underlined an highlighted the book like a madman if it wasn't a library copy.