Ern's Monthly Page Turners (March 2010)

* 本に関するネタは日本語書きません

It's time once again to let you all know what kind of books I read for the month of March. Quite a few children's books, including the sequels to "The Borrowers". Other subjects include a little music, a little film, some humor, a non-fiction title and one full-fledged bout of fiction. You know me - I like variety. But you know, perhaps I should read just a bit more fiction. Then again, the last two books I bought are in Japanese and although I have read one book of fiction entirely in Japanese, I don't think I have the strength to do so again any time soon. I'm currently reading the last book in the "Borrowers" series and have a Jerry Spinelli book waiting to be read as well. And now for your perusal:



99 MOVIES FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY - The Swedish publisher Nicotext has done it again. Anybody who read or purchased "99 Books for People in a Hurry" should add this to their collection. Hilarious. I love it. 99 movies explained in four short cartoon boxes. Here are some of my favorites just to give you an idea of the reviews.

1.The Bicycle Thief (1948)
2. Bicycle
3. Thief
4. =existential euro-flick. Next time use a lock.


1. Fight Club (1999)
2. First rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about fight club
3.beat-up dude picture
4. Note: That stupid rule makes it kind of hard to talk about the movie.


1. The Godfather (1972): Business Lessons with Vito Corleone
2. Lesson 1: Kill your enemy’s horse
3. Lesson 2: Kill the crooked police captain
4. Lesson 3: Kill all your enemies during your nephew's baptism.


1. Star Wars (1977)
2. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Sith Lord Darth Vader was having parenting issues so he does stuff like blow up planets
3. Meanwhile, fatherless Luke Skywalker runs off with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hans Solo, and walking rug Chewbacca to find Princess Leia. They find a death star instead.
4. What does Luke do? He blows up the mechanical planet. Gee, I wonder who his daddy is?

Too darn funny for words!!


MOTLEY CRUE : A VISUAL HISTORY 1983-2005 by Neil Zlozower - "Shout!", "Shout!", "Shout!", "Shout at the Devil!!".....The bad boys of metal in an all visual book featuring the photographs taken by Neil Zlozower. Where have you seen that name? In last month’s book reviews, he also had a book called "Fuck You : Rock and Roll Portraits" featuring your favorite rock stars "flippin' the bird", "givin' the finger", etc. This book features Motley from their hey days in the '80s up until their recent return back to form. On stage, promotional shots, backstage antics and whatnot. It is not a history of the band, if you want to read about that, check out "The Dirt". The book also features anecdotes from three of the band members as well as producers, clothes designers, and others who worked with the band. Unfortunately, or maybe not, Tommy Lee is the only one who didn't seem to contribute anything word-wise. This will make a nice collection to your other Motley-related books such as the previously mentioned "The Dirt". Also available is "Tommyland" by Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries". I can only recommend this to hardcore fans of Motley Crue.


DOWNTOWN OWL by Chuck Klosterman - Klosterman is mostly known for writing essays for Spin Magazine and has already released four books. This is his first novel. Klosterman got his recognition for writing about what it was like to be a heavy metal fan in rural North Dakota with his amusingly funny "Fargo Rock City", which may have helped put North Dakota on the map to popularity, although Dave Barry once wrote that Grand Forks, North Dakota was the most boring city in the continental U.S. Seeing how his first taste of metal was Motley Crue, which I just read about, I decided to give his novel a go as well. I've enjoyed all his other books except for the one dealing with his personal love life as he traveled across the country stopping at places known for the death of famous musicians. That book would be "Killing Yourself to Live" and if you're familiar with his works, you would know he likes to fill his articles and books with pop cultural references, this one being the title of a song on Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" album. Getting back to his novel though. Owl is a small fictional town in where else, North Dakota. It's the mid-80s. Hair bands are at the peak of their popularity. It’s a town where everyone knows your name and everyone knows your business as well. People work during the day and get plastered at night. It's the norm. Or is it? As to there really being a plot? I don't think so. It reads more like a Bukowski novel (and if you know me, I really despise Bukowski's work). At least in Klosterman's books, the characters are hard drinking but responsible adults who do not drift from one job to another. But somehow, I don't seem to mind Klosterman. Maybe it’s because he's a metal fan. Maybe because it's North Dakota, where a dear friend of mine lives. Or perhaps it's because I've actually traveled to North Dakota once - on purpose!!


THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE WMD IN IRAQ by Rohan Candappa - For you avid readers, I'm sure you deduced that the title was inspired by Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" which got rave reviews but I didn't think was all that great. Anyway, this is hilarious, as its written in the first person, not by Candappa, by a guy named Tony. The book almost exclusively uses first name. This particular Tony also happens to be the Prime Minister of Britain and is pals with George and Co. (that being George Bush) and all. He goes on to explain why him and Bush and Bush's buds Dick and Don thought it was a good idea to do war with a man named Mr. Hussein. Although the story will crack you up, the reality of it will keep your head shaking. Why? Well, it seems George, Dick, and Don's war with Mr. Hussein was supposed to be quick and painless and featured an exit plan as well. But if that's really the case, why are our Boys still over there? It's been almost ten years now and there is still no real democracy in Iraq, and though the CPA (that would be the Coalition Provisional Authority in case you have already forgotten) is gone, George and his pals, along with Tony made a bigger mess of things, and made the world a more dangerous place for Americans! We're Number 1! Yeah. Damn, chicken-hawks and neo-cons!


READ IT, DON'T EAT IT by Ian Schoenherr - Any self-respecting, book-loving parent should buy this for their child to teach them to respect books early in life. It will teach them simple things like "read it, don't eat it", "no dog ears" - a pet peeve of mine as well, "borrow, don't steal", "rips and tears won't magically heal", etc. All told in a humorous rhyme. For instance, to not write in books - "Leave no trace (or at least erase). Don't censor, delete, or deface." Cute isn't it? And the pictures that go along with the action are cute as well. Other cautionary advice includes being careful at the pool, not using books as a table or stool, don't over-borrow at a library. Kid's books also make for a great interior if its tastefully displayed.


TALKING ABOUT JANE AUSTEN IN BAGHDAD : THE TRUE STORY OF AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP by Bee Rowlatt and May Witwit - A 21st century version of "84 Charing Cross Road" is how I would describe this book. For those of you not familiar with that story, let me give you a short review. Helene Hanff was a young woman living in Manhattan who was dissatisfied with the current state of the American book publishing industry in 1949. She finds an ad in the "Saturday Review of Literature" for an antiquarian book shop based in London. The chief buyer for the shop is Frank Doel. And starting from this now archaic form of communication called letter writing which continued for twenty years, a friendship gradually developed. Fast forward to present day. Bee Rowlatt is a journalist, wife and mother, living in the peaceful confines of London. May Witwit is a university professor living in war torn Baghdad who battles her way through roadblocks to keep a hair appointment. With today's technology, Rowlatt was able to establish contact with Witwit through the internet. Rowlatt wanted to interview ordinary Iraqis living under Saddam and the international embargo to see what life was like. From this short interview, a friendship gradually grows. Witwit lived through the toppling of Saddam, and gives her opinion about what life is like now, and is not too kind on the invasion. The promised democracy never came and became a virtual anarchy with different factions fighting against each other. Although never meeting Witwit in person, Rowlatt fears for Witwit's life and tries to find a way to help Witwit and her husband escape the chaos of living in Baghdad. Another inspirational story that has a happy outcome.


ROCK ME AMADEUS : WHEN IGNORANCE MEETS HIGH ART, THINGS CAN GET MESSY by Seb Hunter - Self-professed pop music fanatic and former glam band member Hunter decides to take a plunge into the world of classical music. He makes a promise to himself not to listen to any pop music until he learns enough about classical music to appreciate it. But instead of starting with popular composers, Hunter explores music from its beginning, starting with Hildegard of Bingen and Gregorian Chants. Then he works his way chronologically, and forgive me if my memory doesn’t serve me correctly, but he studies up on Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, along with a host of others, including the operas by Wagner, Panini and company. He also travels to the various countries of the composers he’s studying including Austria, Italy, Germany, and Russia. My mother was an avid listener of classical music so I was familiar with quite a bit of it but still, I think this is a much funner way to be introduced to it. However, I still wouldn’t go cold turkey in not listening to my hard rock and heavy metal.


MONTY PYTHON'S TUNISIAN HOLIDAY : MY LIFE WITH BRIAN : A MEMOIR by Kim "Howard" Johnson - I read this book for two reasons. One - I like Monty Python. And two - I've actually been to Tunisia. This memoir by Monty Python fan Kim "Howard" Johnson tells the story of how he met the Pythons, befriended them, and was invited out to Tunisia to write about the making of their new film, "The Life of Brian". This was back in 1976, a year before another film would make Tunisia famous – that would be “Star Wars” if you didn’t know. In this memoir, most of the filming took place in a city called Monastir. Reading about the actual making of the movie gave me new appreciation for the filmmakers and crew. Johnson was also recruited as an extra in many scenes and his memories of those were of mostly sitting and waiting around. Yet, writing about the making of this film, it gave me a desire to go out and rent it and watch it again. This time, knowing what happened behind the scenes in certain parts of the film, would give it a little more excitement. One of things that I didn’t know was that George Harrison of the Beatles was one of the backers of the film, he himself being a Monty Python fan. Harrison also visits the set in Tunisia for a couple of days fulfilling yet another dream of the author who happens to be a big fan of the Beatles as well. Of course I didn’t visit Tunisia until 2004 or so but reading about a country that I’ve set foot on reminds me of the time I spent there. Of course you don’t have to go to Tunisia to enjoy this book but it might not make any sense if you’re not a fan of Monty Python.


MY COOL CARAVAN : AN INSPIRATIONAL GUIDE TO RETRO-STYLE CARAVANS by Jane Field-Lewis and Chris Haddon – When my brother first bought a camper trailer, I thought he was out of his mind as he’s never gone camping or traveling with one of those things attached to a vehicle. But then reading this book and checking out how some of the people use and decorate their trailers (or caravans as the British call them) has made me change my mind. Perhaps it was a good investment of my brother, as you could use the trailer as your own private suite or home office. It could be used as a decorative interior piece. Some owners have converted their caravans into a child’s play room while others still use them for its intended purpose. And a lot of these British designed caravans are art pieces in themselves. Next time I visit my brother, I will have to take a closer look at his camper trailer.


BEING A PIG IS NICE : A CHILD'S EYE VIEW OF MANNERS by Sally Lloyd Jones and Illustrated by Dan Krall – As the subtitle states, this is a book about manners as seen through the eye of a little girl. In her mind, she wonders why it is that people have to be prim and proper all the time while animals get to do as they please. But as she thinks about it, she imagines the parents of various animals reprimanding by their animal kids by not following their animal manners such as monkey parents telling their monkey kids that they better eat with their fingers, or pig parents telling their piggy kids to get muddy before bed, and elephant parents telling their elephant kids the proper way to squirt and splash. And although she learns what proper manners are, she feels that sometimes it could be fun to act like an animal. How can you not love these beautifully illustrated picture books. Nope, you definitely don’t have to be a kid to enjoy them.


THE BORROWERS AFIELD by Mary Norton - When we last left the Clock family of "Borrowers" - Pod, Homily, and Arietti were being chased out of their home by some rat catchers who smoked out their dwelling place beneath the floorboards. Now that they're out of doors, they need to find a new place to call home. While searching for other Borrowers who were rumored to live in what was called the Badger's set, the Clock family finally make do in with an old shoe that was tossed aside in an empty field. Arriety also meets another Borrower called Spiller. Things seem to have finally settled until a Gypsy called Mild Eye finds the shoe and the Borrowers as well and tries to catch them so he could make money off of the them by displaying them around the country. Will Pod, Homily, Arriety and Spiller be able to escape the Mild Eye or will the story of the Borrowers end here?


THE BORROWERS AFLOAT by Mary Norton - As this is the continuing adventures of the Clock family of Borrowers, it seems Pod, Homily, Arriety and Spiller had escaped the clutches of the Gypsy, Mild Eye. However, without a shoe to live in, the Clock family once again find themselves homeless. Spiller leads them to the family of Overmantels, who Homily doesn't particularly care for, but for the time being, they find a safe haven in another home. Unfortunately, disaster strikes once again, as the "human beans" which the Borrowers rely on for their livelihood, are about to move. With nobody living in the house, how are they going to survive? But Spiller once again comes to the rescue. He leads them out of the house through the drain, and the Borrowers now find themselves living in a tea kettle by the river. Just when they thought they would get a little piece of mind, their old enemy Mild Eye has spotted them and is once again trying to capture them for his own purposes. And once again, the Borrowers will have to be on the move to find yet another place to call home.


AT HOME IN JAPAN : A FOREIGN WOMAN'S JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY by Rebecca Otowa - As this book's subtitle states, this is one woman’s journey of discovery in which she learns what living in Japan is like. In my opinion, most people who think of moving to Japan either consider the twenty-four hour metropolis of Tokyo or the kuidaore (eat until you drop) city of Osaka. However, this is the story of how Otowa finds herself in a 350-year- old farm house in rural Kyoto where she has lived for the past 30 years. Otowa, a California native whose family emigrated to Australia when she was in her teens, never thought she would live outside Australia or the States. While a student, she finds that she enjoys studying the Japanese language which leads her to major in Asian studies at a university in Kyoto. Here she meets her future husband, who once traveled alone to Australia and loved it. Through a mutual acquaintance, Otowa’s future husband learns that Otowa was studying in Kyoto and goes there to meet her. They hit it off right away and marry four years later. For a more detailed review, check out the “Asia by the Book” blog at http://asiabythebook.thingsasian.com/




I hope you enjoyed this month's tour. I'm still undecided on which Japanese language book I should attack first. One is called "My Eyes Tokyo" in which the author interviews foreigners living in Japan from countries such as France, Bolivia, Turkey, Israel, Senegal and the U.S. to find out the "Tokyo" that regular Japanese are not aware of. The other book is titles "Sekai no Doko kade Isoro" which roughly translates to "Lodging for Free Around the World" where the author and cameraman travel the world and stay with people around the world in countries such as Mongolia, Yemen, Morocco, Cambodia, Nepal to see what regular life is like in a randomly chosen home. It's homework I've given myself for more "Asia by the Book" blog reviews.