Nutgraf

This one I can sum up in four words: Couldn’t put it down. Water for Elephants is the incredible story of near-veterinarian Jacob Jankowski and the flea-bitten circus he found himself with.

I thought this book was fantastic. Imaginative, beautifully written, gripping, at once outrageous and realistic. Life in the circus is squalid, stunning and romantic. It can also be brutal and dramatic. And Gruen makes it hard to look away as events unfold.

I burned through it in two days which is record time for me in recent years, since I usually read books in small sips between other engagements. But I raced through Water for Elephants, and will totally buy Sara Gruen’s next book in hardback – high praise in my library.

• Here’s an excerpt, provided by the publisher.
• Author Sara Gruen’s Web site
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Well, that’s several hours I won’t get back.

I’d been really enjoying Phillipa Gregory’s series of books about the women of Henry VIII’s court. Yeah, I’ll admit it. While I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of being associated with the bosom-intensive covers on the train in the morning, downloading the books to my phone were a great solution to this petty and childish concern. They’re almost guilty pleasures, but have a little too much history in them to be totally brain candy. So, the other week when I was browsing the offerings at Daedalus books (a truly superior discount bookstore), I was tickled to find a book that looked kind of similar.

• Henry VIII? Check.
• Bosomy cover? You betcha.
• Promises of intrigue on the back? It’s in there.

Gave it a try, and this one was different. It was preachy and didn’t have the right flow. It was more about a guy (named More, actually) who was sanctimonious and good and smart, but got hisself in a heap of trouble with the petulant, egotistical, hedonistic king that I’ve come to know through Gregory’s work. But trouble just made him more beatific and intent on suffering for his beliefs. This is a guy who wears a hair shirt. And the book kind of him. And the trick is that while it’s not hard to admire someone who is noble, it is more difficult when this person isn’t conflicted at all. But that may be more of a treatise on human nature than anyone cares for.

Also, the book is billed as “The Story of the Daughter of Sir Thomas More,” and it’s kind of not that at all.

So, the upshot: A decent book about a man who was probably quite remarkable. But somehow I wasn’t put out when bad things happened to him. Possibly because he didn’t seem to mind. But I found it wearing.

Did you read it? Are you glad you didn’t? Got something to recommend? Hit me in the comments, or join us over at BookGraf on Facebook.

This month’s BookGraf pick is Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. I must admit that I’ve read this one already, but was delighted when Friend Jenn suggested it because I thought it was just phenomenal.

I must admit to a family history of affinity for the circus. My uncle (who passed away years ago) was a fanatical fan and obsessive collector of posters, photos, memorabilia and other errata. He also belonged to a number of organizations and developed long and mutually rewarding friendships with others so afflicted.

The history and mystery of the circus has long captivated our imagination. This book is also captivating, and I hope that you enjoy it.

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Well, as I thought, Karr totally delivered. Her straightforward, bulldozer style takes no prisoners, but don’t let it fool you – she earned all of those grants and awards, as well as every contract of piece of praise she ever received. This book is brash, and powerful and beautiful and rich at the same time. It’s unvarnished artistry.

Her journey through marriage, alcoholism, and motherhood, as well as her struggle with her family, her past, not to mention her present and the rent and her recovery are written without a trace of self pity. Well, a couple of traces, but delivered with a self-conscious eye-rolling that makes it okay. She tells it because it’s true, not because she’s trying to convince you that it’s right or good.

And her descriptions are incredible. Not a cliche in the bunch. For example:

“He’s dead. They nailed him in a box, and a long conveyor belt rolled him into a flaming oven even before my plane scraped down.”

Scraped down. Isn’t that gorgeous? It could have been an overwrought tearjerker of a moment, but she went for the raw, jagged, metallic side of grief.

Overall, this book has a lot more resolution in it than I was expecting. And a pretty in-depth exploration of her spiritual growth. I’m happy for her, really. And it’s great to watch some of her hard work (on the job and on herself) start to show rewards. But I think this takes us rather closer to her present state at the time of writing than any of her other memoirs have. That proximity may have to do with the semi-furnished feeling I got from the later chapters.

That said – loved it. She’s pretty awesome.

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I totally loved this book. Jeffrey Steingarten is the awesome Iron Chef judge who has said that all things are better with bacon, and doesn’t take any guff from the chefs or the other judges. I just love his style. And this book.

And who doesn’t love an obsessive? You get someone really going on a topic they feel truly passionate about, and you’re bound to learn something and contract some of their enthusiasm. I am absolutely going to add It Must’ve Been Something I Ate to my reading list.

Each chapter is one of his investigative food features – illuminating some aspect of cuisine from around the world. And man, has this guy traveled. If you’re familiar with his television work, the book’s voice will be familiar. He sounds like the world’s best dinner companion to me. Gracious, hilarious, self-deprecating (when appropriate), decadent (also when appropriate) and a lover of all things food – I thoroughly enjoyed and learned much from his essays, whether he was examining the best fruit ripening technique (depends on the fruit) or testing the qualities of Kobe beef.

A chapter which I hope is taught in colleges around the country is the one about creating the cheapest possible diet. Steingarten explores the menu plan upon which food stamp allotments are (or were) based, and finds it to be thrifty, but repetitive, unimaginative and zestless. He manages to eat better – defined here as tastier and more healthful food – for less money, and I think some really important lessons may be drawn here.

This is a man who enjoys food. He studies it. He’s brilliant and obsessive and, well, obsessed. He wants to know the Best Way to go about everything and will hunt down the best performing ingredients, whether they are the elusive white truffle, or the cheap rice sold in bulk from a warehouse down the street. What a fantastic career he has made for himself.

• Would love to know what you’re reading. Please feel free to comment below or e-mail me at thea [at] nutgraf dot net.
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