L o b a B l a n c a {dot} c o m

I’ve yet to see the movie version of Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader. I usually prefer the books to the movies based on them anyway, so I don’t feel short-changed at all.

I’m not really sure what I can say about this book, though, as saying too much will ruin the story, but saying too little will do it undeserved injustice. The prose is simple and straightforward, which I have often found to be the case with books that have been translated from another language into English. Is this a reflection on the translator? Or are writers from other countries just more direct in their language?

Whatever the case, I love the clean feel of the prose. As much of a word nerd as I am, I appreciate how a sparse take on language allows the reader to focus more on the story being told rather than on how it is being told. There are few linguistic dalliances in this story, but that in no way stops Schlink from plumbing some very complex depths. I also find information on World War II as told from a German perspective to be highly intriguing. Anyone who has seen Der Untergang knows already what I mean.

Of course, this gives away the fact that this story deals head-on with actions committed during WWII as well as their long-term consequences. However, the primary story can also be seen as an allegory for a Post-WWII Germany and how its youth must deal with its older and oftentimes guilty predecessors. The relationship shared by Hanna and Michael, the two protagonists, is beautiful, frightening, and complicated in its own right, but when superimposed over the mental and emotional landscape of this post-war country, it takes on multifarious meanings, least of which are compulsory questions about loving someone/something guilty of horrific crimes. The only “flaw” that comes to mind at the moment is that the reason behind the title was almost a bit anti-climactic for me. It just didn’t resonate as loudly with me as I believe Schlink was hoping it would with his readers. Perhaps I should give it some time to sink in.

Final score: 4.5/5. This book is good enough that I forgive it for being an Oprah Book Club selection. I also think I might check out some of Schlink’s other works.

And now, because I promised, here’s a round-up of the first 25 books that I have read so far:

1. 10 Most Beautiful Experiments, by George Johnson (3.5/5)
2. The Dumbest Generation, by Mark Bauerlein (3/5)
3. The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty (4.5/5)
4. Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation, by Yvonne Fern (4.5/5)
5. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (4.5/5)
6. The Eyes of the Beholders, by A.C. Crispin (3.5/5)
7. Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (2.5/5)
8. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories by Richard Matheson (4.5/5)
9. Comic Wars, by Dan Raviv (3/5)
10. It Ain’t All About the Cookin’, by Paula Deen (3/5)
11. Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer (4.5/5)
12. Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, by Merrill Markoe (3.5/5)
13. The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British, by Sarah Lyall (4/5)
14. The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold (4/5 for prose; 3/5 for story)
15. Captivity, by Debbie Lee Wesselmann (2.5/5)
16. Resistance, by J.M. Dillard (1.5/5)
17. The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells (4/5)
18. The Last Lecture, by Dr. Randy Pausch (5/5)
19. One on One, by Tabitha King (2/5)
20. Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (4.5/5)
21. Golf Monster, by Alice Cooper (4.5/5)
22. The Stars Like Dust, by Isaac Asimov (2.5/5)
23. Rapture for the Geeks: When AI Outsmarts IQ, by Richard Dooling (2.5/5)
24. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (5/5)
25. The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink (4.5/5)

On to the final half. I’m a bit worried that it’s already August and I’m just hitting the halfway point. I need to either start reading shorter books or I need to take a month of LWOP and just sit on my butt and read nonstop. That actually doesn’t sound all that bad, eh?

That heading sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, that’s what I’m about to drop on you now. I promise it won’t be too messy though. I’m just in a bit of a work maelstrom right now and am finding it difficult to surface for long periods of time. For those familiar with my mirror universe existence, this time of year is always one of the busiest work-wise. It’s one of two major drawbacks to a job that I’m still mostly loving (those of you who know the mirror universe me also already know what the other major drawback is, but that’s not for public airing ).

So what’s been going on since we last chatted? Well, first off I spent a wonderful weekend in the company of a great friend who flew in to spend a few days in Lobalandia. She moved to the cold nether regions of the American heartland a bit more than a year ago, which I have to say stinks for us here. However, this weekend was solid evidence that great friendships are like your favorite University of Maryland hoodie: Even though you don’t get to wear it as often as you’d like, when you do slip back into it, it’s just as warm and comfortable as you always remembered it being (and it smells Downy fresh, too!).

The highlight of the weekend (and the reason for my friend’s return) was the Tori Amos concert on Saturday evening. In case you’ve missed this, I love Tori. This was concert number 9, I believe, and it was wonderful. Truth be told, the last few times I’ve seen her haven’t been stellar because of poor sound quality at the last one and poor sound and fan quality at the one before that. But this concert was market-worthy, it sounded so pristine. Plus, it’s an extra special treat to see her when she comes to D.C., because that means she’s come home (face it, Tori…it doesn’t matter how far away you move, your heart belongs to the Dirty City). The set list for the evening was as follows:

1. Give (Abnormally Attracted to Sin)
2. Body and Soul (American Doll Posse)
3. Cornflake Girl (Under the Pink)
4. Flavor (Abnormally Attracted to Sin)
5. Space Dog (Under the Pink)
6. Hotel (From The Choirgirl Hotel)
7. Jamaica Inn (The Beekeeper)
8. Icicle (Under the Pink)
9. Carbon (Scarlet’s Walk)
10. Mary Jane (Abnormally Attracted to Sin)
11. Gold Dust (Scarlet’s Walk)
12. Pretty Good Year (Under the Pink)
13. a sorta fairytale (Scarlet’s Walk)
14. Fast Horse (Abnormally Attracted to Sin)
15. Precious Things (Little Earthquakes)
16. Strong Black Vine (Abnormally Attracted to Sin)
17. Bouncing off Clouds (American Doll Posse)
18. Raspberry Swirl (From The Choirgirl Hotel)
19. Big Wheel (American Doll Posse)

As you can tell, it was a pretty solid set with lots of perennial favorites mixed with some of the stronger offerings from her latest CD. I wish she had done more than just “Precious Things” from her first CD, but I was happy to hear so much from Under the Pink. Noticeably missing were any songs from Boys for Pele and Strange Little Girls, two CDs that I consider to be weaker links in the Tori musical chain.

I think the only major criticism I have of this concert is fan-related: I hate when people stand/sway/dance. I get that some people simply cannot resist the pull of the rhythm. But, dammit, I paid for a seat. Seats are for sitting so that I can comfortably listen to the music. Seats are not for getting an eye-level view of the woman in front of me pulling her underwear out of her bum crack as she stands dancing to practically every song (yes, I am talking about you with the navy blue pleated skirt and matching button-down vest; perhaps if you fed your ass before a concert, it wouldn’t get so hungry and try to devour your underwear every time you got up).

Small complaint, I suppose, for what was otherwise an excellent concert. If you’d like to see what I saw and hear what I heard, head on over to Undented.com’s review of the show. This is where I got the set list for that night; I personally don’t see how Twittering, texting, snapping photos, and recording video makes for an enjoyable concert experience, but obviously there are lots of people out there who don’t feel the same.

Okay, I need to split now. Hopefully, I’ll be back later this afternoon to make my latest 50BC09 entry. Finally, halfway there!!