The Memory Palace, by Nate DiMeo

Dear Nate DiMeo,

I'm very upset with you.  Your book was just not long enough.  I wanted more, more, more.  I have listened to approximately three podcast episodes in my entire life.  They're not really my thing.  But I am totally going to go out and listen to yours.

I loved this book.  The subject matter was fantastic—interesting and varied.  The writing was creative.  At times the style got a little more experimental or grandiose than I like, but that's very subjective, and I still enjoyed it even in those bits.  I loved how you made these unknown people and strange moments in history so real.

The length, however, was terrible.  I wanted it to be about three times as long.  I'll forgive you, however, if you write a sequel.     

I don't give a lot of 5-star reviews, because I think 5-star books should be pretty near perfect.  But there's not even a question here.  FIVE STARS!

Sincerely,

Melinda Brasher

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle, by Mary J. MacLeod

This feels very much like All Creatures Great and Small meets Call the Midwife.  I enjoyed it a lot, especially the glimpses of a way of life very different than mine.

The chapters don't always transition smoothly, but if you read it like a series of independent personal essays, that shouldn’t bother you.  However, if you read it as a series of independent essays, what might bother you are the characters that appear from several chapters back without enough reminder to the reader as to how they fit in—and the questions that get posed but never answered (and not in a thought-provoking or philosophical way).  Then the book just ends.  There’s no real tie-up, and though the last chapter is dramatic, it doesn’t really feel like a conclusion.  The epilogue is full of longing for the life they once had there, with not one word of explanation of why or when they left.  I think this is all to keep it open for the sequel, but it bothered me.  Of course, it mostly bothered me because I was invested in the people and interested in their lives—so that’s as much compliment as criticism.   

Despite any issues, I really enjoyed the book.  The writing style is easy.  The pacing is pleasantly gentle.  The observations are good.  The subject matter is really interesting.  The setting is well drawn. 

I’ll probably read the sequel.

4 stars

Reinventing the Wheel?

Yeah...some things have gotten a little more comfortable.  :) 

From a sort of outdoor museum of old farming equipment in Parowan, Utah.  

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Visitor Center--Seattle Unit

Of all the museums you can visit in Seattle, this one probably has the longest name.   It's also awesome.

If you're interested in the Klondike Gold Rush or history in general, you'll love this.  And if you're in Seattle on your way to Alaska or the Klondike, just like the gold rushers, this will be of particular interest.  

The museum is extremely well put together.  I especially like how you can follow about six  historical characters' stories from Seattle to the Klondike and the aftermath of the Gold Rush.  I also love the "passport" they give you that you can stamp or do rubbings on at different stations.  The short film is excellent.  There are demonstrations, talks, and even walking tours.  The displays are good.  The signs are full of information about how life really was for these adventurers--not just dry facts and dates.  The museum is big enough to easily hold your attention for a couple of hours (or more), but small enough not to be overwhelming.  Just like its sister museum in Skagway, this is a fantastic place, made even more fantastic by the fact that it's FREE!  If you can, donate a couple of dollars to help support this awesome museum.  

Sobering statistics about who struck it rich in the Klondike (though many people who didn't find any gold at all talked fondly about how it was the biggest adventure of their lives):

Here's the wheel you spin to see if you would have been one of those lucky few:

I struck it rich!

Possible routes to the Klondike, all with pros and cons.  One station challenges you to decide which route you would take.

And here's a simple little packing list.  The Klondike Gold Rush was arguably the thing that turned Seattle into a thriving city.  Provisioning all those gold rushers was quite a boon for the economy.

Just imagine carrying all that up the Chilkoot Pass!  

For more on Skagway, Alaska and the Klondike Gold Rush, check out my article on Go Nomad: "Skagway, Alaska and the Yukon Route Railroad"

For tips on traveling to these places yourself, read my travel guides:

Cruising Alaska on a Budget; A Cruise and Port Guide
Hiking Alaska from Cruise Ports; Hikes, Walks, and Strolls

Tubac Presidio

At the awesome Tubac Presidio in Tubac, Arizona, south of Tucson.

Me pushing the arrastra, a simple milling mechanism:

A replica of an outdoor kitchen, with ocotillo dividers, gourd storage containers, and a stove with comal for making tortillas:

The first printing press in Arizona.  Don't miss the cool video about the process and all the fascinating information about what an Old West editor had to do:

Strange plant in the herb garden:

Old West public transportation:

Don't skip the beautiful artwork in this room, along with the fascinating historical tales that go with the art.

If you're at all interested in history, culture, archaeology, or botany, you'll love the Tubac Presidio. Some places get caught up in the dry facts of the dates and names and who owned what when, but the Presidio does really well getting at the good stories of the people behind the history.

It's a state park, and costs $5 per person, but it's well worth it.  And if you're in the mood for this type of thing, be prepared to spend at least a full couple of hours.  We spent half the day.  Check it out here:  http://www.tubacpp.com/

Tubac Presidio Schoolhouse

The classic one-room schoolhouse at Tubac Presidio:

Here are some punishments for bad little boys and girls in 1848.  Notice how fighting and quarreling earn you 5 lashes.  The heinous offense of boys and girls playing together earns 4.  But the worst thing...the crime that gets you 10 lashes...is...gasp...playing cards.   Oh, the horror.

A stove like my dad remembers (he also remembers the chairs above):

The Tubac Presidio is an awesome place with all sorts of interesting history and juicy stories.  See my next couple of posts. 

Tubac is south of Tucson, just a few miles north of the border to Mexico.  The Presidio is a State Park, and the modest entrance fee is well worth it.  http://www.tubacpp.com/

Behave, by Andromeda Romano-Lax

This is a strange book.  In a good way.

The writing is evocative, the setting and time period rich and convincing. The tone and style are nearly perfect for the era and subject matter.

I found it very engaging...even though I usually disconnect somewhat when I don't admire any of the characters. While I sympathized with Rosalie, and found myself wanting to like her, I couldn't quite get over some of what she allowed/condoned. I didn't like John Watson much at all, but he was a undeniably fascinating character. This complexity kept me interested, kept me thinking about it even after I finished.

I do rather wish I had read the author's notes at the back first, because I read the novel assuming that it was based on known facts about Rosalie with details filled in by the author, when it turns out most of Rosalie's story was pure invention. That always confuses my sense of truth and makes me doubt the parts that really were based on fact. However, this is just my own personal problem with historical fiction. Besides, we all know how accurate our “true” histories are.

What follows is not exactly a criticism of the book. It's a criticism of Watson, Rosalie, and all their associates. Okay, here goes: those real-life experiments with infants were unbelievable. Bad enough was the sheer cruelty of it: practically torturing unwilling and defenseless subjects in the quest to permanently leave them negatively conditioned. Um...unethical? 

 But even if you accept that Watson was an unethical man, or a man with twisted Machiavellian ethics, I had a hard time believing his scientific method (or lack thereof). He was supposedly a great scientist, as was Rosalie, but their experiment structure was so flawed that I—not a scientist—saw the giant problems. For example, with the Albert B experiments: One subject? Really? Tests that change more than one variable at a time? And then you modify the experiment midstream to try to get the result you want? So unscientific. And it's sickly irresponsible to base entire child-rearing theories on insanely small sample sizes of relatively short duration that—even if they were more scientific and duplicatable—wouldn't prove as much as you claim they prove. So why did no one really question his methods at the time? 

 I think the novel could have more fully explored these issues, really examining the psychology of seeing what you want to see instead of what really IS, of letting yourself get swept away in bad science for some imagined greater good or because of the authority-in-a-white-coat phenomenon or because you're in love or in lust. And what about dealing with the guilt when you finally understand what you did? All of this is addressed to a degree in the book, some of it quite elegantly, but I would have liked to have seen less of the romance in favor of a deeper treatment of these and other more interesting topics.

It's a compelling book. I would certainly read more by Andromeda Romano-Lax.   

Four Stars

Carrier Pigeon Monument

A cool monument in Lille, France, honoring the carrier pigeons used in the world wars.  How poignent is that?

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

This is a beautifully written book.  And yet.  Some of it's too stylistic for my taste.  It's interesting.  But.  Sometimes "style" comes across more like "gimmick." 

I LOVED Leo's character. His loneliness is palpable, heartbreaking, his views on things unique.  But.  The "And yet" and "But" sentences drove me crazy.  Had there been fewer, I think it would have been a nice way to distinguish his voice, to show his sort of tentative hope and struggle to hang on.  And yet.  Too much of anything just diminishes the power of the device.

I also loved Alma and her world and her weird little obsessions.

I didn't read the book fast enough, so I got a little confused sometimes on what was truth and how people were really connected, but I think that's part of the point of the novel, so I didn't mind it. 

I would have preferred the ending to go on a little longer.  But.  It was still satisfying in a bittersweet sort of way. 

As I said, most of the writing was beautiful, with some fantastic passages.  I cared about the characters and didn't want it to end.

I would definitely read more by Nicole Krauss.

Broken Angels, by Gemma Liviero

4.5 stars easily.  Almost 5. 

I often read in short snatches, while I'm cooking or waiting in line, in short intervals between other tasks or activities.  I find that many books can't hold my attention for long periods of time.  But last night I was reading Broken Angels on the bus home from work, a 30-minute trip I didn't notice any of.  I almost missed my stop.  I held my Kindle up to the streetlights as I walked the rest of the way home.  When I got in, I didn't turn on music. I didn't change clothes or get a snack or anything.  I just lay down on the couch and read for an hour, straight through to the end.  I cried. 

That is one of the signs of a good book.

Occasionally the dialogue feels written, the narration a bit too "told," and this distanced me from the characters at first, but overall the writing is clear and powerful, getting better and better as the novel goes on. 

Liviero tells the story from the perspectives of three people experiencing different aspects of the horrors of the holocaust.  This gives the story both depth and breadth.  And the way their lives weave together is both tragic and beautiful.

Before reading this, I knew about the Nazi program of taking Aryan-looking children and Germanizing them, but I hadn't read much about it, and this made it very real.

The dehumanization of people in a Polish Ghetto is also very emotional.  And this is the ghetto, not even the concentration camps. 

The German doctor, Willem, struggles with what's happening, struggling even to let himself fully realize what his country is doing, and that is perhaps the most powerful aspect of the book.

It was a sick, sick time in history, and I think books like this are important, because history does repeat itself.  The more people who are horrified by the hatred, racism, and resulting unbelievable cruelty and disregard for human life…the more people who are aware of how one thing leads to another…the more people who recognize the humanity in all…the more people there will be who will try to break the cycle of history. 

I will definitely read more of Gemma Liviero.  

Buy Broken Angels on Amazon

Gemma Liviero's website

Wealth Woman, by Deb Vanasse

The Klondike Gold Rush is a fascinating time and so are its characters.  Deb Vanasse's Wealth Woman delves into the life, culture, and controversy of Kate Carmack, the native wife of George Carmack and the sister of Skookum Jim, the men who discovered the gold that changed the whole region.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the insight into Kate's childhood, culture, and traditional ways of thinking, knowing, and behaving.  It' not just traditions and stories, ceremonies and survival knowledge passed down through the generations, but a different mindset, and Deb Vanasse gives us an intriguing glimpse of it.

The book also captures Kate's amazing adaptability and the waves of wealth and poverty in her life—often not a poverty or wealth of gold. 

In addition to Kate and George, unique characters from history people the pages, bringing to life the history of the Klondike Gold Rush and the often skimmed-over years before and after. 

In some parts the timeline jumps around a little for creativity's sake which makes it hard to keep track of the order of events.  For people like me, who have difficulty remembering dates, it would have been useful to have a few more references to the length between events ("Five years after event X…") instead of assuming the readers remember.  To help keep the secondary characters straight, I would have enjoyed an appendix with a list of important people.  Otherwise, the writing is clear and engaging, and I learned a lot.

The book is well-researched and documented, with fascinating snippets from original sources, sometimes complete with all their historical bigotry.  The extensive end notes add even more detail to the book.

Kate Carmack's life makes for very interesting reading, especially in the hands of an author like Deb Vanasse.  If you want to learn more about Kate Carmack, life in the wilds of Alaska and Canada in the late 1800s, the Klondike Gold Rush, and the aftermath of the bonanza, read Wealth Woman.  

Buy Wealth Woman on Amazon

Deb Vanasse's website

My interview with Deb Vanasse about her novel, Cold Spell

Telegraphing in Colorado

We stopped for gas in Dolores, a tiny town in Colorado, and next door was a darling little historic train station.  Inside was a little museum, where I got to actually click away on a real telegraph!  It made the coolest sound, and had a strange sort of resistance which would make it harder to accidentally press the button when you didn't mean to.

I wasn't actually transmitting anywhere, but they're trying to get a program together where they hook it up (via internet, I'm afraid) with the Durango-Silverton Railroad museum, and let people "telegraph" back and forth.  Isn't that awesome?

Me, telegraph mistress extraordinaire.

If ever you're in the area, Dolores is a charming place, just north of Cortez, and the drive between there and Telluride is absolutely gorgeous.