'The Hand That Feeds You', by A.J. Rich

The Hand That Feeds You, A.J. Rich (3.0)

This book has an interesting genesis: two authors (Amy Hempel, Jill Ciment) got together to write a story their recently deceased friend had envisioned. She was the non-fiction writer, Katherine Russell Rich. Their take on her somewhat autobiographical tale is this book – by the pseudonym, A. J. Rich. The story revolves around a researcher who comes home to find her fiancée dead in her apartment, allegedly mauled by her 3 dogs. As she copes with his death and tries to understand how something so dreadful could happen, she realizes that her fiancée is not who he portrayed himself. He had played a long running ruse on her, with very dangerous consequences. Apparently Katherine Rich had also been conned by a boyfriend, though escaping the situation before any such tragedy occurred. The story is very fast paced, as the reader tries to uncover what really happened and why. I was disappointed in some scenes of gratuitous sex jarringly thrown into the book – I read later that the authors were told that ‘sex sells’ in fiction. Unfortunately I also figured out the big surprise before the climax of the book – which is always rather disappointing. Luckily I read this book very quickly so the disappointment was short-lived.

'As You Wish' by Cary Elwes

As You Wish, Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride, Cary Elwes, with Joe Layden (3.5)

If, like me, you love the movie, ‘The Princess Bride’, you’ll enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the casting, filming and aftermath of the movie. Besides Mr. Elwes’s own recollections, the book is filled with comments from all those involved, including a forward by Rob Reiner, the director. Sometimes these comments are redundant, though that seems to be an editing problem. I really enjoyed following the sword training, film shooting and meeting all the great cast and characters involved with this fantastic movie. This is certainly not a ‘tell all’ type book, if anything my biggest complaint is that everyone involved is depicted as the nicest, funniest and most talented person Mr. Elwes has ever met. You definitely get the impression that this was a special project for all of those interviewed. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the beloved Andre the Giant and the talented Wallace Shawn – who played two of my favorite characters. Wallace Shawn had heard that Rob Reiner wanted Danny DeVito for the role and felt throughout the whole filming that he would be replaced. Nice to know that famous playwright/actor/author/Oxford professors can be insecure like the rest of us! We also learned a lot more about Rob Reiner (vastly respected for his overall skill and specific abilities with actors) and William Goldman, the author of the original book. Mr. Goldman anxiously watched as his ‘baby’ transforms into a classic movie – and there are a handful of stories of just how anxious he actually gets. Time to re-watch the movie and re-read the original book!

'The Inklings: C.S.Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends' by Humphrey Carpenter

Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends, Humphrey Carpenter (4.0)

I cannot recommend this book for every reader, but if you have enjoyed ‘The Chronicles or Narnia’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, I believe you will find this biography of the authors interesting. Particularly as it discusses, in detail, their journeys to get those books written. The author spends the most time on C.S. Lewis. Lewis comes across as the lynchpin of these various teachers and scholars at Oxford in the early 20^th century, who was the magnet for others to join their non-official group, the Inklings. He liked the name as ‘a pleasantly ingenious pun in its way suggesting people with vague or half-formed intimations and ideas plus those who dabble in ink.’  They met a few times a week to discuss literature and often read the latest chapters of their writings. I was jealous of Lewis and his brother, as they were the first to hear the initial chapters of both ‘The Hobbit’ and LOTR, read aloud by Tolkien in a pub before a roaring fire. One of the most interesting facts to me was that Lewis (known for his tale of Christ in a reimagined world of Narnia) was an atheist until he was in his late 20’s. I found his transition a bit illogical, as explained by Carpenter, though he insists it was done with logic. I also was surprised to read that Lewis’s good friend, Tolkien, vehemently disliked the Narnia series. Somewhat understandably, he didn’t think Lewis took the world of Narnia seriously, as he wrote the books quickly with many glaring errors with regards to the canon. In comparison, Tolkien took painstaking care and time to define his world of Middle Earth. He did not like anyone taking a mythology casually. I wish there had been more on Tolkien in this book – as he is one of my favorite authors - but I did start a list of ‘to-read’ books written by Lewis, Williams and others based on the interesting discussions of their books.

'The Heart Goes Last' by Margaret Atwood

The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood (4.0)

Margaret Atwood once again takes her readers to an alternate, creepy future. In this case, the initial premise is ‘snapped from the headlines’: imagine that we’ve had an economic recession so severe that the majority of middle class people have lost their jobs. Needless to say, crime rises quickly and common people have few alternatives. Life becomes so horrible that you are not entirely surprised when joining a new marketing ‘town’ is considered by the book’s two protagonists, a husband and wife who are living out of their car and eating from dumpsters. He’s lost his job and she gets meager tips as a part-time waitress at a slimy bar. They agree to join this new town – which promises a lovely house and good jobs. But once you sign on the bottom line, there is no leaving nor contact with the world outside of the town. What’s the catch? If you know Ms. Atwood, you expect an imaginative one. Each couple gets 1 month to live in their house and work at their jobs, but the next month they will go to jail, with their ‘alternates’ (another couple) taking their place in the house with their own jobs. This swap continues month after month. The one weakness I found is the theory that all citizens spending 1 month in jail makes any sense with regards to lowering crime or improving prosperity. I don’t want to spoil any more of the story, but obviously this is a flawed system. I was most interested in which possible problems would be addressed – and was happily surprised with the outcome. Enjoy the creative mind of Margaret Atwood!

'Dead Wake, the Last Crossing of the Lusitania' by Erik Larson

Dead Wake, the Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Erik Larson (3.5)

While I enjoyed this book, my third Larson non-fiction book, I found it to be a little thinner, content-wise, than the other two. I was intrigued by his lead-up to the sinking and the broader scope of the event in history – particularly that it occurred 2 years before the US entered WWI, as opposed to being the direct impetus to our entrance. I was a little reticent to read the sinking scenes (too much memory of the movie, ‘Titanic’?), but was appreciative of Mr. Larson’s delicate handling of those scenes. Overall the book was a good historical summary of the situation leading up to the event in the US, the UK and Germany; the event itself; and briefly, the aftermath. The saddest surprise of the book was how easily the sinking could have been avoided. I would have liked more depth and/or opinion about whether the Brits knowingly were non-proactive in their protection of the ship. The author mentions that high-ranking officials believed it would drive the US into the war – were their comments reflective of policy or after-the fact observances?