My “Mad” Summer, American Presidents, the Sixties & Lisbeth Salander

I have committed the grand faux pas of bloggerdom – dropping off the blogosphere.  I have a good reason – I was a little preoccupied with buying, moving and selling houses along with a multitude of painting and other home improvement projects (at both places simultaneously – what a fun way to spend the Summer!).  Despite all that, I managed to still read some books – here’s the latest…

During June, I must have been coming to the end of my rope waiting for the new season of Mad Men to start.  Coincidentally, I read two books that took place in the Sixties. 

The first was American Adulterer by British author, Jed Mercurio.  Mercurio has an interesting history of medical school (which he used to write a BBC drama called Cardiac Arrest), Royal Air Force, and author.  In his third novel, he layered true historical events into the mix that actually taught me a couple of things I didn’t know (such as the events with Cuba that preceded the Cuban Missile Crisis).  I never thought I would finish the book as most of it gave me the creeps when I first started.  Even though we’ve heard or read about John F. Kennedy’s extra-curricular activities, now that we’ve lived through Tiger Woods and crew, it’s not hard to imagine how JFK’s National Enquirer story would play out today.  However, the imagined details of his deteriorating health and how he had to depend on others, such as Jackie, to help him appear vigorous made up for some of the ick factor. 

Next, courtesy of my favorite library, was Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin by Hampton Sides.  I highly recommend this book – there were so many gems of history – nothing that was ever covered in my high school education, that’s for sure.  Sides is a great storyteller and whether he is narrating in the viewpoint of King or James Earl Ray, the details and language he uses are delicious to read.  Hampton Sides previously wrote one of the best books I have read in my life: Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission.  It is about a group of POWs that were held following the Bataan Death March.  If you have loved ones who served, or are currently serving, this is a wonderful tribute to those who give us our freedom every day.  I can bet you won’t be able to get through this book without a lump in your throat or many tears in your eyes.

I wrapped up another good read about a former American president:  Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.  This was another from my wait-listed books at the library and I thought at the time – I’ve got too much going on – I’ll never finish it.  Surprisingly, I sank my teeth into it (wink).  And now I’ve read somewhere that Johnny Depp is attached to the movie!  I’ve yet to verify some of the historical aspects of  Lincoln’s upbringing (not the vampire bit, but some of the parental history).  It was a very good escape read.

Finally, Mad Men is here!  I was so happy to see Joan back in her usual butt-kicking ways this past Sunday.  I read a recent interview with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) in Minnesota Monthly.  They asked him for a one word hint as to Season 4, his reply “Consequences.”  Sounds great to me!

Now it is August.  The MN State Fair starts in 2 weeks!  I’m in the midst of  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – more on that next time…I have a feeling Lisbeth is about to get out of that hospital bed and kick some serious butt – I can’t wait!

Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire

I knew a girl many years ago who had a dragon tattoo.  This was before tattooed girls were run of the mill so it was kind of a big deal.  Or maybe it was a big deal because it was quite a large, purple, fire-breathing dragon that started on her left breast and drifted into her shirt.  All I could think at the time was “I wonder how great that will look when she’s 40 … or 60?”

 With that memory lodged in my brain, I wasn’t too enticed to pick up the book, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” when it first came out.  Then my book club selected it for our January discussion.  Luckily, one of our members mentioned to hang in there because it doesn’t get exciting until 40 or so pages into it.  You had to get past all of the Swedish economic intrigue in the early part of the book.  (Yes, I said, Swedish economic intrigue – trust me stay with it.)

 It got exciting alright.  Closer to halfway in the book another tattoo is mentioned.  That’s when Lisbeth Salander, the “Girl” in these books, becomes more than a bit player and is now my female equivalent of Jack Bauer, Mitch Rapp and Lucas Davenport.  This pint-sized, wicked-smart, kick-ass girl would probably open a can of whoop-ass on them too.  Who cares about Swedish economic intrigue?  Hello, Lisbeth!

While Dragon Tattoo introduces us to Lisbeth, The Girl Who Played With Fire is all Lisbeth all the time.  This book answers the questions that Dragon raises and, fortunately, minimizes all of the Swedish economic intrigue so prevalent in the first book.  This book you can’t put down and when you read the last page it’ll leave you desperately seeking more Lisbeth.  The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is out May 25^th.

 Unfortunately for us Lisbeth fans, her creator, Stieg Larsson passed away soon after delivering the manuscripts that became three best-selling novels.  Vanity Fair’s Christopher Hitchens published an interesting article in December:  http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/12/hitchens-200912.

I was surprised to learn that Sweden had already created a film based on the first book (of which I have not seen).  I suspect that Lisbeth may be a role best cast by our imaginations as no mere mortal that I can think of could fill her tiny motorcycle boots appropriately (although there is a golf club scene in the first book that a bewigged Elin Woods could probably re-enact quite nicely).

Hitchens touches on Larsson’s estate mess that his sudden death sans will leaves and also mentions other Swedish tidbits – who knew those Swedes were so controversial!  It will be interesting to see if another picks up The Girl series and publishes the remaining 7 books that Larsson planned.  If it’s good enough for Jason Bourne, why not for Lisbeth Salander?

Still Life With Parrots? Alex and Me (and Chili)

As you get older, you appreciate that you do not have the magic crystal ball to tell you the details of your future.  Knowing your future could cause you undue stress as you try to justify why that particular detail is just not going to work for your life.  Therefore, I’m grateful that I didn’t know 18 months ago that I’d be living with a parrot.

I admit I might have harbored a couple of thoughts that living with a parrot might be a pain in the butt.  This was not based on any real life experience, but just like I don’t want to own a monkey, or a boa constrictor, parrots were not in my horizon.  However, then comes life.  And after years of singledom, a real mate, who has some pretty good qualities… and you like him a lot.  And he comes with a parrot named Chili.  So you give it a try and life brings you some surprises.

Chili is an orange-winged Amazon parrot.  He’s single, early 40s, and pretty low maintenance.  He works out daily and is in very buff condition for his age.  He has a great attitude and starts each morning with a round of positive affirmations that include:

• Hello!
• Good Morning!
• Hi, Chili!
• I’m a pretty bird!
• I’m a good boy!
• I love you!

Chili enjoys music and conversation.  He loves to laugh and he’s a great whistler.  Not only does he communicate with a loud wolf whistle or a “Hey, Baby” when he thinks you look great – but he can also serenade you with various musical snippets from 1970s TV shows such as  The Dukes of Hazzard or Three’s Company.  He can change his voice and sometimes we think he is channeling satellite signals.  That is when he talks a blue streak with a voice that sounds vaguely like the local TV cable station that repeatedly recites wind velocity and other weather conditions for pilots.  This is when you have to listen closely as Chili’s vocabulary skills are at their highest.  The other day in a string of rapid-fire sentences, I did make out “can I call you back” as part of the 3 minute soliloquy.  I have to admit, it tugs at my heart when he says “Hi, Julie.”  My dog can’t do that!

To understand better how these feathered guys can capture your heart, please read Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence – and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Dr. Irene M. Pepperberg.  This excellent book captures the life of Alex, an African Grey parrot, who became a media star of Pepperberg’s studies regarding the possibility of animal intellect.  Alex communicated with a vocabulary containing over a hundred words, solved puzzles, simple mathematical equations, and even used painstaking phonetic pronunciation to try and instruct the humans about what he wanted (“I want a nut.  Nnn-uh-tuh”).

Unfortunately, Alex passed away unexpectedly in 2007 at the young age of 31.  I remember hearing the story on National Public Radio and the national news.  The New York Times, Nature, and The Guardian all published articles about Alex.  What I didn’t know was that his obituary was even printed in The Economist  – how cool is that!

Here are links to learn more about Alex and Dr. Pepperberg:

The Alex Foundation:  http://www.alexfoundation.org/index2.html
CNN YouTube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4gTR4tkvcM
The Economist Obituary:  http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9828615

 Now, I must rejoin Chili, he’s busy completing his Sudoku puzzle…

Dear New York Times: Please read “Free” by Chris Anderson

It’s a good day at my house.  My Wired subscription has arrived with 2 issues in the mail today!  However, it’s not a totally great day.  You see The New York Times announced yesterday that they will start charging for unlimited online access in January 2011.  Find it at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/business/media/21times.html?em 

Here’s my letter.

Dear New York Times:

I heart you.  I really, really do.  I love your newspaper, your writers, the quality of your content and I know your employees are great.  I frequently link to your website.  I’ve done it over the years – to my co-workers, my friends and now I link to you via my blog (veritablefount.wordpress.com) and my Twitter account (twitter.com/julieaeastman).  I even have your iPhone app (thanks for making that available for free, BTW).

I’m a newspaper reader from way back.  I was a raised in a small farm community (pop. around 350) and we had a weekly newspaper published in town.  Where else could you read about the neighbors gathering for coffee and cake where “a good time was had by all?”  Those were the good, old days.

I feel for the struggles your industry is going through.  I wish I could do more to help you out.  I occasionally do purchase a hard copy of the NYT – especially when you are on an airline flight and you are a captive audience with no access to the internet.  Of course, I haven’t flown in the last month so maybe reading big newspapers in coach is verboten now – who knows…

But like others in these economic times, I’m in transition.  Certain items are no longer in the budget – you have to find alternatives.  Fortunately, for me I practically live at the library and they still subscribe to the hard copy of the New York Times.  So there’s that.

Anyway, like I said, I feel your pain.  I have been a corporate pricing person myself.  When you are brainstorming the strategic alternatives and you have corporate objectives on revenue goals and productivity improvements – you have to try different things.  Heck, I might have even suggested charging for web access myself, but I probably would have done that around 1994 – set the standard so to speak.  It’s hard to go backwards now…

I assume you did a lot of market research to determine what your customer wants.  I hope you read Free by Chris Anderson (I got my copy at the library for free – isn’t that funny?).  I assume you did, since you had a book review back in July 2009.  Here’s the link just in case:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/books/review/Postrel-t.html

Chris did a great job in this book articulating the concept of free – both historically and what we are seeing now in the digital age.  Some would think that the struggles in the media world (given the tumble in advertising revenues for TV, radio and newspapers) is fairly recent, but it’s really just new lipstick on the same old pig.  The world changes and you got to change with it.  It will be interesting to see where NYT is in 5 years and what you’ll be doing.  I’m confident you’ll come out stronger even if you look a little different.

In closing, I have to mention another article you published last month:  Adding Fees and Fences on Media Sites at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/business/media/28paywall.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=newspapers.     As a pricing person, love that you engage what very few people and companies understand – how to enjoy the rewards that good pricing discipline can bring.  Anyway, your detractors (including some bloggers) don’t think this venture to charge for online access will be successful.  As Alan D. Mutter states in your December article:  “One of the problems is newspapers fired so many journalists and turned them loose to start so many blogs. They should have executed them. They wouldn’t have had competition. But they foolishly let them out alive.”

Sincerely yours,

Julie A. Eastman

Awaiting A Thaw With: I, Alex Cross and The Scarpetta Factor

With most of the country in the deep freeze, it’s hard for me to empathize with the Florida tourists on the beach in their parkas when we have minus 50 Fahrenheit windchill in the Twin Cities.  Cabin fever accompanied with crankiness sets in, and if no plane reservations are booked, you settle in, turn up the furnace and try to ride it out.   I, fortunately, have a stack of books that arrived from my library and included are two bestsellers that made my week a little brighter.  There’s nothing like a few good serial killers to pass the time and warm the spirit.

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson was a great, fast read.  I have followed Alex Cross’s career through 15 novels.  He is right up there with Mitch Rapp and Lucas Davenport as an unguilty pleasure.  In one of the great miscasting debacles, Morgan Freeman was cast as Alex Cross in Kiss The Girls and Along Came a Spider.  Casting Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross is akin to casting Minnie Pearl in any Megan Fox role – if you can’t do it right then just leave it alone.  Alex’s age and physical build is more in line with Evander Holyfield so to even recall Morgan in that role pains me still.  Thankfully, the latest novel is classic Cross and I highly recommend it, whether you are an established Cross fan or you’re ready to give him a try.

In a Writer’s Digest interview, they state that James Patterson is the first author to appear on the New York Times bestseller list at #1 in the following categories:  Hardcover Fiction, Mass Market Fiction, Hardcover Non-fiction, Children’s Series and Children’s Chapter Books.  He has sold over 150 million books worldwide.  You can read the interview at: http://writersdigest.com/article/james-patterson and check out Patterson’s website at:  http://www.jamespatterson.com/index.php.

 Before CSI and Bones, the forensic expert to follow was Kay Scarpetta.  Cornwell has done an amazing job to bring well-researched details of forensic analysis to her readers.  The characters include Kay, Detective Pete Marino, Kay’s niece, Lucy Marinelli (genius, former FBI, ace marksman, computer whiz and helicopter pilot), and Kay’s long-term love interest, Wesley Benton, a former FBI profiler (picture Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs).  They are all so tightly wound and try so hard to control their emotions that you feel like you are witnessing a family holiday hosted by a herd of passive-aggressive Scandinavian Minnesotans.  The Scarpetta Factor, the 17th novel in this series, takes place in NYC where Kay is currently assisting the OCME there and also appears as a regular on CNN.  I didn’t learn much new in this book regarding forensics or cutting edge technology, but I did learn something about Spoof Cards.  This wasn’t my favorite Scarpetta novel, but it was still a fast, enjoyable read.

Patricia Cornwell also has a brilliant writing career.  It is difficult not to think of her when you are reading about Kay Scarpetta.  The physical characteristics are the same and Cornwell definitely has much of the knowledge and background as the famous fictional doctor.  However, there are many similarities between Cornwell and the character, Lucy Marinelli, from relationships that have gone wrong to interests in fast cars and helicopters to recent financial struggles.  The link to this November interview gives insight to what is going on in Cornwell’s life and how future Scarpetta books might have a different point of view than the traditional forensic science that has played such a prominent role in the past.  The interview was quite interesting at:  http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/books/the-cornwell-factor/2009/11/14/1258043832474.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2.  Cornwell’s site is:  http://www.patriciacornwell.com.

Julie and Julia Part(s) 2: Butchering a marriage and the late blooming of Meryl Streep

I have not read the book Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell.  I picked it up several times from the display table at my local Barnes & Noble.  Initially compelled, I suppose, by seeing my first name as part of the title.  I didn’t put it on my “must read” list, in part, because I knew French cooking was not going to be in my immediate future and, the larger part, maybe I was a little envious.   Another young writer who turned something of interest into a blog and, later, a published book.  Something I wished I thought of first (OK, not seriously the French cooking part, but come on – taking something that has been out there for decades, put a new spin on it and found great success and a new career with it).  But, recently, I did rent the movie from the local library for $1.  It was well worth it and both my husband and I enjoyed it.

However, I just finished reading Julie Powell’s second book, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession. This was placed on the library reserve list after I read a blip about Julie Powell’s affair that started about the time she had completed her first book.  Her husband was an integral part of the first book and his character was prevalent in the movie.  In articles about the book and the movie, more than one mention was made of their near-perfect urban marriage.  The backbone (OK, pun intended) of this book is about her apprenticeship at an upstate New York “butchery” (for us Midwestern farm girls, we call this a meat locker).  Powell writes with as much detail to the process of meat cutting as she does to the sexting with her lover and relationship, or lack thereof, with her husband.  The book was a fast read for me even as I internally cringed on the amount of information she shared about the affair, her husband’s reactions, and other self-destructive behaviors that were very painful to read about.  I give her credit, it takes some large, sheep cojones (sorry, another pun) to share what she has done in this book and shine a very harsh light on herself.  It could be tough for Julie & Julia fans to accept this rough portrait of their former sweetheart, Julie, but I hope they give it a chance – there is much to learn here.  A related article (warning: this does contain spoilers) is at:    http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-11-24-julia-powell-cleaving_N.htm?csp=34&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomBooks-TopStories+(Life+-+Books+-+Top+Stories)

I love a good late bloomer story.  It always gives me hope since I haven’t yet figured out what I want to be when I grow up.  While you might not think of Meryl Streep in this category, she is succeeding wildly (at the age of 60 – practically a dinosaur!) in the next phase of her career as a star of romantic comedies.  Mama Mia! has grossed over $600 million worldwide, Julie & Julia grossed over $118M by Halloween and It’s Complicated has grossed over $35M and it’s only been out a week!  No one finds this more amusing than the indomitable Ms. Streep, who remarked to her husband when she was at the ripe old age of 38, “well, it’s over.”  Read more on this fun tale in Vanity Fair’s January cover story at: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/01/meryl-streep-201001

Hurry up and wait: New magazines, music, deals and Rhapsody

One of my new reading addictions in 2009 was Wired Magazine.  Reading it at the library required additional effort since it wasn’t at my closest site.   So a few days before Christmas, in the guise of a gift for my husband, I ordered it online at http://www.wired.com.  The website is awesome, even if you don’t want the magazine.  The magazine is very affordable at $10/year and they offered additional gift subscriptions for $5.  I also took advantage of their offer to renew my Vanity Fair subscription since this click-through order rate was cheaper than what they had offered via email and snail mail renewals (it pays to do your homework before ordering!).

Granted, Wired’s rate does not beat the deal my husband got.  He recently bought a Rolling Stone (the magazine, not the band) brand shirt at TJ Maxx.  The tags included a postcard to order a free 1-year subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.  Pretty good deal since the shirt was $7!

One of the best ways to get magazine deals is to become a corporate executive.  In my past working life, I held such a position.  I was added to an “executive magazine” mailing list somewhere.  So I still get offers to buy magazines and the rates are no more than $10/year.  I find it humorous that executives are given magazine subsidies to subscriptions they probably have little time to read and could afford the full rate if they were that interested!  However, since I’m currently “between opportunities”, I am grateful for those subsidies today.

The other deal I’m appreciating is the Rhapsody website: http://www.rhapsody.com.  My husband recently subscribed to this service.  Rates start at $12.99/month and they do offer a free trial period.  Rhapsody allows you to build playlists and listen online to an unlimited number of  full length albums.  You have the option, as in iTunes, to purchase songs or albums if you want to download them.  The great thing about the subscription rate is that we can listen on multiple computers (whether at home or at work) and we can be logged in at the same time and listen to our own personal playlists.  I find that it’s functionality is not as easy to use as iTunes, but I know one of two things will happen – they’ll either improve their functionality or I’ll adapt!

Rhapsody is allowing me to utilize a Christmas present I bought for myself last year:  1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die – A Listener’s Life List,  by Tom Moon.   Today I listened to Sigur Rós, a rocker from Iceland, and Silly Wizard, a Scottish/Celtic band.  I know that without this book or Rhapsody I would not have easily listened to their albums.

And to all – a good write!

Happy Holidays!

The best gift I was ever given was the passion to read, research and learn (thanks, Mom!).  I am a reading addict, a library resident, and information mainliner.  I’ve created this blog to share personal insights and sources of information on a diverse range of topics with you.  My sources will primarily be books, magazines and the Internet, but may also include professional organizations, radio, TV, etc.

In these economic times, free or inexpensive access to information is appreciated.  I read more sources and cover more diverse topics if I’m not laying out my cash to purchase each title or database.  However, I strongly support authors, publishers, booksellers and websites who count on us spending some of our cash and tax dollars to make all of these resources available.  I leave the buy decisions up to you and your wallets.  However, please honor the contributions these writers make, respect their intellectual property rights and give credit appropriately.

So what am I reading?  Currently, books on domestic hunger, cleanliness, successful hiring and sociology.  I just completed books on shipwrecks, social media, economics, futuristic ideas and essays on food from the Great Depression.  This is just some of the areas I’ve covered in December!  In the magazine area, I regularly read many of the better-known publications on business, innovation/technology, finance, money management, current culture, and, thanks to my husband, guitar and music magazines.  I’ll also write about authors that I highly recommend for a good read.

Wishing you the best in 2010 –

Julie