Book report 10

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

This was hands down the best book I’ve read in ages; I cannot recommend it highly enough if you enjoy adventure stories, history, or just well-written non-fiction.  This is the true story of a weekend flight over a remote valley in Papua New Guinea to distract the WACs and airmen stationed there during WWII from their general discomfort and long working hours.  I don’t think it requires a spoiler alert to tell you that they crash, but I’ll leave it to you to read about the crazy adventures they have trying to get as many of their party back to civilization alive.

Farewell, My Queen by Chantal Thomas

Written as a fictional memoir of a low-level member of Marie Antionette’s court, this book recounts the handful of days just prior to and following Bastille Day.  Most of the book is consumed with detailed descriptions of the grounds, costumes, and daily customs at Versailles, which is interesting in parts but can tend to drag on a bit.  The most striking thing is how remote a palace that is now only 20 minutes from central Paris by rail was when there was no reliable mass communication.  Reactions were based on rumours and wild stories from the gentry as they sought refuge in the palace, only to find that the court was fleeing with all they could carry.  For all the rich descriptions, the author’s premise seems to be that the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy in comparison to the conditions of the other 99% meant revolution was inevitable.  Apparently a movie was just released based on this book, so I’d recommend seeing the costumes and scenery in that rather than just reading about them for pages and pages.

Super Sad Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

This book is set in the sufficiently near future to make it a cautionary tale to Americans already obsessed with image and retail consumption.  The story follows an unlikely couple as they navigate life in the shallowest possible conceptualization of the US under a government slowly drifting into dictatorship.  While the extension of Facebook and consumer culture to their most dire conclusions was interesting, the book was horribly depressing.  Never one to enjoy a falsely happy ending, I still found myself hoping for at least some glimmer of optimism that never came.  I purchased two of the author’s books in a package deal, and I find myself avoiding the other one now.

Miss Wyoming by Douglas Coupland

Like all of Coupland’s books I’ve read, this book is an engaging satire of life in modern times that does offer some triumph of human nature, unlike the book above.  A former pageant queen turned 1980s sitcom actress and washed up visionary film director meet in the opening scene and spend the rest of the book trying to find each other again.

All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior

Rather than offer advice on how not to screw up your kids, this is a parenting book about the effect of children on their parents.  Most interesting are the passages that explain the historical aspects of parenting and how those affect parents today.  For example, children used to be expected to entertain themselves most of the time, but we’ve somehow arrived at a point where we feel we need to engage with them during every waking moment, which just leads to guilt-ridden parents and children who don’t know how to cope with boredom.  It was an interesting enough read, but there wasn’t sufficient new information that I would choose to read it again if I could go back in time.  The very positive reviews on Amazon must’ve been written by people who haven’t read as many parenting books as I have in the past few months.  Maybe I need to stop reading about parenting and just get on with it.

The Master’s Muse by Valery O’Connor

Contrary to the book above, I really enjoyed this book despite expecting not to based on some negative reviews.  The book is a fictional memoir of Tanaquil Le Clerq, the fifth wife of ballet choreographer George Balanchine, and a couple of reviewers suggested it was a depressing story of another female remaining hopelessly devoted to a man who treated her badly.  While Balanchine wasn’t any more capable of remaining faithful to Tanaquil than he was to any of his other wives, I wouldn’t expect someone whose best friend was wife #4 despite being the reason for the dissolution of that union to be surprised at that.  Instead, I found the descriptions of Balanchine’s care for Tanaquil after she was paralysed by polio and the closeness of their relationship through to his death despite their own divorce really touching.  Although clearly self-obsessed and disloyal, you can’t fault a man too much who remains on close terms with five ex-wives and several other long-term partners besides.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This book is a bit too much fantasy for me, but overall I’ve enjoyed it due to the author’s ability to capture his main character’s struggles growing up a shy bookworm.