Camus and Daoud

Last night at the Forge a rousing discussion ensued encompassing The Stranger and The Meursault Investigation.  As with books that leave us unsettled, this pairing was no exception.  In the end many Apes noted that the two books were very much the same.  The voice in each novel was flat, two dimensional, detached.  I'm not sure the works could be labeled likable.  Imagine, if you will, the Apes discussing the likes of existentialism, nihilism and absurdist literature.  No one hurt themselves, drinks were had, and holiday greetings passed amongst the membership.  As always, I encourage Apes to add to these discussions.  I will weigh in separately.  Respectfully submitted, Doc.

Jitterbug Perfume

Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume was the featured work at The Forge on Monday, August 24.  The five of us had mostly fond memories of Robbins from years past: this is the first one on our list.  Robbins, as a wordsmith, impressed the Apes and the story was agreeable.  Jitterbug Perfume, in this reviewer's opinion, bordered on the misogynistic. We still await a fuller report from Chad about his choice.

North Park

A small, yet determined, sub-set of the larger Great Apes fraternity met at Phil's North Park cabin to talk about The Tiger.  Discussion was reserved and respectful.  The general feeling was positive about  the book.  I will hold the space for Phil to make his remarks.  Phil's hospitality extended to a fine dinner, Doc started the next morning cooking an ample breakfast and Clark brought enough luncheon fixins for all.  Counselor provided us with a fine sampling of brewed bombers from throughout the country.  Sippin' spirits could be found, the tobacconist must have been joyous, too.  Some fished, some hiked, some recharged, the hummingbirds hovered.  Thanks, Phil, for hosting the crew.

Weigh in.

Respectfully submitted,
Doc

Doc Takes A Risk

This past weekend JP and Doc spent time discussing the merits of establishing a ranking for our 216 books.  This back and forth was initiated by comments made by several members over the years that went something like:

·      “This book is definitely in the top ten of all our books.”

·      “This book is definitely in the upper quartile…”

·      “This book is at the mean…”

·      “This book is below the mean…”

·      “This author hates everybody…”

I might have taken some liberty in how I remember the comments.  But you get what I mean.

It was a harder task to rank than expected.  Authors, editors, publishers, reviewers put in a lot of effort in putting the printed work in your hands, and I respect the book business.  I love literature.   Almost all works have redeeming qualities.  And only Faulkner should have been called out.  Ha!

So, what are my criteria for deciding the placement?  It’s subjective because it's mine.  Your list will be...?

Considerations:

1.     I have or would read the work again

2.     Its subject matter is compelling

3.     The characters are memorable

4.     The author’s style allows the work to be accessed by most readers

5.     There is entertainment value

6.     A reader can connect to and identify themes

7.     Intangibles

Ah, yes, the intangibles. That allows me some license in where a work settles on the list and I structured my list in thirds.  This exercise made me aware who critical I am as a reader.  More books are in the bottom third.  The top third, in my opinion, represents solid writing.  You won't be disappointed in picking up those books.  Somewhere in the middle third rests the mean.  That mythical work that all other works fall above or below.  The numbers are not a ranking.  They are simply the chronological order as they appear in the list. 

I hope this will generate some discussion within the Apes and beyond.  I look forward to hearing about it.  Read on.

Books in the top third

3. In the Lake of the Woods Tim O’Brien

5. Lolita Vladimir Nabokov (January ’95)

7. The Ginger Man JP Donleavy

9. Nobody’s Fool Richard Russo

14. Water Music TC Boyle

17. The Killer Inside Me Jim Thompson

18. Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller

24. Gunfight! James Work (Editor)

25. The Mambo Kings Play… Oscar Hijuelos

27. A Case of Curiosities Allen Kurzweil (January ’97)

30. Independence Day Richard Ford

31. White Noise Don DeLillo

35. The Brothers K David James Duncan

37. Undaunted Courage Stephen Ambrose

41. Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe

44. Cities of the Plain Cormac McCarthy

45. Of Human Bondage W. Somerset Maugham

46. Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer

51. The Iceman Cometh Eugene O’Neill

53. Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde

54. Rising Tide John M. Barry

56. A Death in the Family James Agee

57. Travels with Charley John Steinbeck

59. Treasure of Sierra Madre B. Travern

60. Deliverance James Dickey

62. Tortilla Curtain TC Boyle (January ’00)

64. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner

72. Endurance Alfred Lansing

74. The Art of Happiness Dalai Lama

75. A Moveable Feast Ernest Hemingway

78. A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole

81. Empire Falls Richard Russo

84. Citizen Soldier Stephen Ambrose

86. Carter Beats the Devil Glen David Gold

92. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides

99. For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway

100. The Inner Circle TC Boyle

101. The Last Good Kiss James Crumley

104. Man in Full Tom Wolfe

107. Hell’s Angels Hunter S. Thompson

108. Under the Banner of Heaven Jon Krakauer

111. The Devil in the White City Erik Larsen

113. East of Eden John Steinbeck (January ’06)

115. The Earth is Flat Thomas Friedman

121. No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy

123. The Road Cormac McCarthy (January ’07)

128. The Worst Hard Time Tim Egan

130. The Tender Bar EH Moehringer

132. The Omnivore’s Dilemma Michael Pollan

133. The Bridge of Sighs Richard Russo (January ’08)

139. The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov

140. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz

144. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle David Wroblewski

145. All the King’s Men Robert Penn Warren

149. Coal Black Horse Robert Olmstead

150. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain (September ’09)

163. Spooner Pete Dexter

167. The Cello Suites Eric Siblin

178. The Leopard Guiseppe di Lampedusa

185. KillShot Elmore Leonard

186. The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides

188. A Night Train to Lisbon Pascal Mercier

189. Dog Stars Peter Heller

190. Canada Richard Ford

192. The Bartenders Tale Ivan Doig

193. The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach

195. Hummingbird's Daughter Luis Alberto Urrea

197. Kafka on the Shore  Haruki Murakami

201. City of Bohane Kevin Barry

205. The Human Stain Phillip Roth

209. Boys in the Boat Daniel Brown

211. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

212. Cinnamon and Gunpowder, Eli Brown

213. The Razor's Edge, Somerset Maugham 

215. Oil!, Upton Sinclair

Books in the middle third

1. Blood Ties Ted Kerasote (September ’94)

2. June Rise William Tremblay

8. Tarzan of the Apes Edgar Rice Burroughs

21. Altered States Paddy Chayefsky

38. Idoru William Gibson (January ’98)

42. Dog Eat Dog Edward Bunker

43. American Pastoral Philip Roth

61. Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom

69. Corelli’s Mandolin Louis DeBernieres

71. Bridge over San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder

73. Plainsong Kent Haruf (January ’01)

88. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen

95. The Life of Pi Yann Martel

102. Where I’m Calling From Raymond Carver

103. The Future of Freedom Farheed Zachariah (January ’05)

126. Manhunt James Swanson

134. The Virginian Owen Wister

147. The Complete Short Novels Anton Chekhov

152. Rabbit at Rest John Updike

164. Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghese

172. Waiting for Godot Samuel Beckett

173. Gabriel’s Story David Anthony Durham

174. When the Killing’s Done TC Boyle

176. Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O’Nan (January ’12)

179. Rules of Civility Amor Towles

181. A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

183. The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes

200. The Caine Mutiny Herman Wouk

203. The Silence and the Roar Nihad Sirees

207. Brown Dog Jim Harrison

216. Serena, Ron Rash

Books in the bottom third

4. Evolution Man Richard Lewis

6. Herzog Saul Bellow

10. Catapult Jim Paul

11. Montana 1948 Larry Watson

12. Therapy Steven Schwartz

13. The River Why David James Duncan

15. Ancient Child N. Scott Momaday

16. Absalom, Absalom William Faulkner (January ’96)

19. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter Mario Vargas Llosa

20. Small is Beautiful EF Schumacher

22. Swimming in the Volcano Bob Shakokis

23. Fifth Business Robertson Davies

26. Midaq Alley Naguib Mafouz

28. Master and Commander Patrick O’Brian

29. Field Notes Barry Lopez

32. Mating Norman Rus

33. Cruising Paradise Sam Shepard

34. A Child in Time Ian McEwan

36. The Bell Curve Herrstein and Murray

39. In the Beauty of the Lilies John Updike

40. The Good Book Peter J. Gomes

47. Bad Land John Raban

48. An American Requiem James Carroll

49. The Tetherballs of the Bougainville Mark Leyner

50. London Fields Martin Amis (January ’99)

52. Wicked Gregory Maguire

55. The Earth is Enough Harry Middleton

58. A Flag for Sunrise Robert Stone

63. The Vision of the Anointed Thomas Sowell

65. Keep the Change Thomas McGuane

66. Motherless Brooklyn Johnathon Lethem

67. The Reader Bernhard Schlink

68. ‘Tis Frank McCourt

70. Fierce Individuals… Tom Robbins

76. Heartbreaking Work… David Eggers

77. The Woman Lit by Fireflies Jim Harrison

79. The Last American Man Elizabeth Gilbert (October ’02)

80. Tomcat in Love Tim O’Brien

82. Blue Latitudes Tony Horwitz (January ’03)

83. Love in Ruins Walker Percy

85. The Big Sky AB Guthrie

87. The Power of the Dog Thomas Savage

89. Jayber Crow Wendell Berry

90. The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie

91. The First American H W Brands (January ’04)

93. The Piano Tuner Daniel Mason

94. Angels and Demons Dan Brown

96. The Siren of the Titans Kurt Vonnegut

97. Summerland Michael Chabon

98. The Snow Leopard Peter Mathiessen

105. Stormy Weather Carl Hiaasen

106. King Solomon’s Mines H. Rider Haggard

109. Gates of Fire Stephen Pressfield

110. Founding Brothers Joseph J. Ellis

112. The Long Walk Slavomir Rawicz

114. Red Harvest Daishell Hammett

116. Roughing It Mark Twain

117. Pan Knut Hamsun

118. The March EL Doctorow

119. The Know It All AJ Jacobs

120. To Rule the Waves Arthur Herman

122. Ghostwritten David Mitchell

124. The Known World Edward Jones

125. To the Elephant Graveyard Tarquin Hill

127. A History of the World… Julian Barnes

129. The Secret Servant Daniel Silva

131. The Coast of Chicago Stuart Dybek

135. Tree of Smoke Denis Johnson

136. Peace Like a River Leif Enger

137. The Willow Field William Kittridge

138. Driving Mr. Albert Michael Paterniti

141. The Long Goodbye Raymond Chandler

142. Saturday Ian McEwan

143. No Man’s Land Scott Huler

146. Sons and Lovers DH Lawrence

148. The White Tiger Aravind Adiga

151. Out Stealing Horses Per Petterson

153. 1491 Charles Mann

154. And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks Burroughs and Kerouac

155. Till We Have Faces CS Lewis

156. The Book of Ebenezer LePage GB Edwards

157. Shop Class as Soul Craft Matthew B. Crawford

158. The Carpenter’s Pencil Manuel Rivas

159. Appointment in Samarra John O’Hara

160. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

161. Shadow Divers Robert Kurson

162. Freedom Jonathan Franzen

165. Await Your Reply Dan Chaon (January ’11)

166. The Republic of Wine Mo Yan

168. Falconer John Cheever

169. A Sand County Almanac Aldo Leopold

170. A House for Mr. Biswas VS Naipaul

171. The Given Day Dennis Lehane

175. Where Rivers Change Directions Mark Spragg

177. The Sojourn Andrew Krivak

180. 61 Hours Lee Child

182. Mink River Brian Doyle

184. The Book Thief Marcus Zusak

187. Fall of Giants Ken Follett (January ’13)

191. 13 Moons Charles Frazier

194. Sometimes a Great Notion Ken Kesey

196. Kenneth Rexroth, An Autobiographical Novel Kenneth Rexroth

198. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk  Ben Fountain

199. The Yellow Birds Kevin Powers

202. Life Among Giants Bill Roorbach

204. Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes

206. A Fan's Notes Frederick Exley

208. Wayfaring Stranger James Lee Burke

210. Johnny Cash Robert Hilburn

214. Waterland, Graham Swift

Waterland - Graham Swift

We met on a cool evening at the Forge to discuss Waterland.  Weather seemed appropriate to the geography of the book.  Doc, Ed, Mike, Phil, Glenn and Clark were in attendance.  As unbelievable as it might seem, we were kicked out of the back room to accommodate a bunch of cheese eaters.  We didn't verify that they were surrender monkeys, but on to the book...

I picked the book on the recommendation of my wife. She had read it in one of her book groups and they had a very good discussion, so I thought, "What do I know about books?  I'll go with this one."  I read a few summaries and it sounded like a brainy who-done-it, so I picked it.

We all commented on the nature of history that was a major subject of the book:

• Hindsight's always 20:20
• A great day for some folks is a real bad day for others
• History is a summation of a lot of individual roles

For Crick, history revolved around his history - his family, the land, the community.  As he grew older he basically abandoned teaching world history - other people's stories - in favor of his own history.  Fishing Eddie Parr out of the lock was the real beginning of that history, and the mystery around that was the central story of the book.  The end of the book with the dredge we thought was symbolic of the digging up of all the past, which led back to the central fact that Dick had killed Eddie.  We talked about the history of the Fens as the people trying to control the uncontrollable - the sea with the locks, the brewery and the Coronation Ale.  A thought I had was that it was good that when I was a youngster, learning about girls et al, it's good that the worst case scenarios didn't play out as in this book.  

There were a bunch of questions we all had in our minds as we talked about the book:

• Eels - other than the sexual symbolism - not so subtle in the girls drawers.  What you thought you knew about eels turned out to not be the case
• Doc had his usual question about magical realism.  He sees magical realism in every closet
• Coronation Ale - what did that stand for?

We all seemed to enjoy the book and did have a pretty good discussion.  The negativity of the book with all it's bad news, insanity, tragedy, etc wore us down after a while.  Comparisons have been made of Swift's writing to Faulkner and Dickens and we all saw that - not so favorably in the case of monster long sentences.

JK's Comment on Zen

First of all my fond regards to all and Jeff, I am sorry I could not visit in person and get the chance to see you.  I hope you have a great trip and that the discussion of this old favorite of mine is lively and fun.

I first read this book as a senior in college at the University of Northern Iowa in 1978.  It was recommended to me by my friend Tom Quade, who remains a great friend to this day.  Tom and I have had many lively discussions over the years – we are opposites in some regards, like politics, but almost brothers in other respects, like spirituality.  As I read the book back then, we often discussed it.  I found it very interesting and thought provoking.  It was a time in my life where I longed for adventure – a longing I would soon fulfill by hitch-hiking all across the country, seeing many states I had never been to, then ending up with my backpack and $60 in my pocket in Central Park in NYC.  I found a place to live, found a job, and pursued my theatre dreams, ultimately founding a small theatre company with four other young artists.  It was a lively and adventurous time in my life.  This book truly informed and shaped me in regard to that adventure – I kept a journal (which I lost years ago – dang!) of my “life on the road,” that summer in large part inspired by the meditations of this book.

I read it again in my early 40’s and found new meaning in the mental and spiritual explorations the author embarks upon.  I saw the central question of the book, “What is good?” (or what is quality?) in a new light as a father of two young children, a husband who had helped his wife through a bout with cancer (who would have known we would engage in that struggle together two more times?) an experienced English teacher who was in graduate school and about to embark on a new career path as an administrator.

What never grows old to me as I read this book is the phantom character of Phaedrus.  For me, it is the act of wrestling with his self-doubts and striving to make sense of all the various incidents and decisions in his life that is resonant.  To one degree or another, I think we all live with and struggle (at least at times) with deep self-doubt.  I know very few people who don’t wrestle with their own personal version of “What is Good,” and also know very few people who can easily resolve the conflicting emotions, thoughts and perspectives that wrestle within us and our changing life circumstances as we strive to be good people, do good work, and reach for meaning in life larger than ourselves.

This is why I always did and still love this book.  I am not a philosopher, and my knowledge of philosophy is limited to the two basic philosophy courses I took way back in undergraduate school.  I do like and have a life-long affinity for what I call “wisdom literature,” some of which might be considered philosophy: “Meditations,” by Marcus Aurelius, “Ecclesiastes,” in the OT, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl, to name a few.  These are also books or readings that ask pretty much the same question, “What is good?” or “What is a good life?” or perhaps, “What is a well lived life?” 

While not wishing to speak for anyone but myself, I do believe that our lives tend to be messy and don’t always make sense and that clarity is elusive.  This is very true for me.  I live pretty much without regret, but have certainly had more than my share of mistakes, blunders, mis-steps and bouts of general stupidity.  I have hurt or angered people I love, been unkind, made really stupid career moves, etc.  Through it all, I have made an honest effort to be a good person.  To be kind, to be a true friend, to, in the words of the Rotary Motto, “Put service above self.” 

This book provided me less with a roadmap for “What is good?” at a young age and in my middle age than a roadmap for exploring that question in my own life and fueling a desire to strive, always to realize the better angels in my nature and not give up, even when I falter, in my humble, small efforts to live a good life. 

My final thoughts are that a central element of the book is the touching relationship between father and son and the deeply touching nature of the father worrying that his own mental illness and suffering will be repeated in his son.  The irony that Pirsig’s real son Chris, upon whom the character in the book is modeled, was murdered at 23.  At any rate, Pirsig’s love for his son is a powerful element of the book for me.  I really enjoyed a return to a meaningful book in my life.