Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World

#877
Title: Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Dover
Year: 1897/1979
712 pages

Not quite as enjoyable as Twain's The Innocents Abroad. The latter is more pitched toward travelogue, whereas this is a blend of travel, history, politics, and amusing digressions. This is not to say that it's not a good book, but that it ranges about in a way that readers of Oliver Sacks's Oaxaca Journal may recognize.

Readers who complain of Twain's racism seem to me to be missing the point. Give that this is a man whose childhood was before the US Civil War, he is remarkably respectful and appreciative of the people he meets. What some readers seem to miss is that he exaggerates for effect; that the effect sought is to render the racist/colonial/imperialist perspectives of the majority people absurd through exaggeration; and that he mocks everyone. I'm not suggesting that some of his comments aren't problematic by today's standards, but they are less so than much of what I read in US newspapers.

Tales from the Torrid Zone: Travels in the Deep Tropics

#876
Title: Tales from the Torrid Zone: Travels in the Deep Tropics
Author: Alexander Frater
Publisher:  Knopf
Year: 2007
400 pages

Could be used for Vanuatu in a read-the-world challenge, which is useful because it's both more available and easier to engage with than Grace Mera Molisa's Black Stone, the only other ni-Vanuatu book I've found.

Pretty much what it says--tales from the tropics, not so much a memoir as little memoirs, or pensees, or recollections. The book is framed by stories of bells associated with his grandfather's church. More stories than not take place in or around Vanuatu; others range farther afield. Some of Frater's travels were for work, some for pleasure, and some the circumstances of his birth and family life. Some chapters cohere more effectively than others; some seem very loosely constructed. It's sometimes languid, sometimes torpid. Read a chapter at a time, in a hammock.

The Thing Around Your Neck

#875
Title: The Thing Around Your Neck
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Publisher: Knopf
Year: 2009
224 pages

I enjoyed this collection of 12 short stories by the author of Half of a Yellow Sun. The audiobook was well-narrated by Adjoa Andoh. Some stories stood out for their content, notably the daily details showing the effects of intra-Nigerian conflicts. Others ably unfolded internal dialogues and emotions that show the strain of balancing different aspects of identity and experience, such as US vs. Nigerian ways of understanding or enacting relationships. What I found most effective, though, was the effect Adichie creates by layering the 12 stories, whose related topics and themes accrue across the collection.

I'd have ended about half the stories earlier to increase tension or uncertainty. Since many already include substantial tension and uncertainty, I'd have wished for a stronger emphasis on language and rhythm at the end of at least several pieces. The endings often seemed deflated, which I do not think was Adichie's intention.

Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3)

#874
Title: Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3)
Author: E. L. James
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
Year: 2012
551 pages

A big part of my problem here is that I don't like either protagonist. They weary me with their constant conflict, boring emails, and lack of introspection. I don't know why anybody would stay in a relationship with either of them. Throw on top of this the self-consciously "kinky" sex scenes that made me fall asleep, and my general dislike of the romance genre, and there was little to hold my interest. If your idea of hot is calling each other "Mrs." and "Mr." Surname, sniping about birth control, and talking post-coitally about how your fetus will like sex, enjoy.

Matilda

#873
Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1988/1998
240 pages

It's a revenge fantasy. At least there's one non-horrible adult, always a pleasure. I'm calling this "young adult," or perhaps "middle reader," because like much of Dahl's work it's got a lot of moral ambiguity. I'm all for it, and find it refreshing. I probably wouldn't give it to a kid under 10 or so, at least without discussing some of Matilda's actions (in the same way I'd want to discuss Harry Potter's use of an unforgivable curse).

The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5)

#872
Title: The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5)
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Year: 2007
100 pages

	As a short story, the language is more literary than the series it derives from and the character is much more philosophical. It was pleasant to read, but doesn't fit well with the series for both of these reasons. It can't stand alone, but will be fun for those already familiar with the Old Man's War series.

Boy: Tales of Childhood

#871
[Title: Boy: Tales of Childhood]
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1984/2001
176 pages

Reread in 2012 (review posted in 2008) as a prelude to reading Matilda. Previous review:

 Roald Dahl's memoir of his childhood is deceptively simple and pastoral. As is also often the case in Dahl's fiction, a darker substrate is present as well. These include almost losing his nose in a motoring accident, stuffing his sister's fiance's pipe with goat droppings, and an incident with a dead mouse. Dahl tells his story with understatement and affection. For those unfamiliar with the English boarding school experience or narrative, this would be an informative book to read along with the first Harry Potter books. It captures the horrible and ridiculous aspects of that experience without being overly graphic (as some boarding school memoirs are), providing a social and institutional context for understanding the Harry Potter books as well as another example of the English school boy genre.