The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

This book was recommended to me by my friend Glen Whipple. I respect his judgment, so I ordered it. The subtitle is, "A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness" and the author doesn't really deliver on this point. She does, however, introduce us to her passion for Octopuses, and reveals a lot about their anatomy and habits. I didn't exactly buy her interpretation of many behaviors she observed. She attributed much more intelligence and cognition than I would have, given the evidence. However, it's clear that these animals are fascinating and do have many more abilities than I would have ever guessed.

What kind of bugged me was that there was no diagram of the various octopus parts that she described. I had to kind of guess where they might be on the octopus; or if she did describe it, it didn't resonate with me in a way that I could "see" what she was talking about.

She also got off on some other issues as she explored this consciousness idea. She quoted other authors and compared other studies, etc., usually I find these digressions, when they are well done, fine and good. In this book, though, they were a little annoying Not real relevant or illustrative or intriguing. I would expect her to make more eloquent comparisons if she's going to go out on a limb every now and then. Maybe I'm just grumpy, though.

Another thing she did that was a little annoying was describe some of the aquarium's workers. These people weren't particularly interesting and this didn't add much to the story. I did admire their commitment to the sea life, though, but this was way overdone. They weren't described in an interesting way, either.

What I did like was her adventure to see octopuses in the wild. I liked her descriptions of the difficulties and challenges in finding them. It was also interesting to read about how relentless octopuses are in escaping captivity. The author did a good job of finding scientists and relating their experiences with octopuses, especially their talent to escape. These parts were fascinating.

Would I read it again? No. Am I intrigued by octopuses? Yes. Do I have more understanding and respect for them? Yes.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

The subheading of this book is: A hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen. All of this is true. This book was so enjoyable and so enlightening! It reads like a great suspense novel, full of mystery and intrigue. And it also has great information about feet, running shoes, anatomy, running, Mexico's geography, and the craziness of runners, specifically, ultra-runners. There is so much good research summarized here, that I am keeping this book as a reference. And, I want to read it again, because there was a lot I want to read more carefully again. I was impressed, especially, by the story of the running shoe companies and their research results. I want to be sure I understand that before I talk about it anymore! It was convincing enough, though, for me to buy some Merrell shoes that are among the minimalist sort, to see if it will help my right foot, in particular.

The suspense comes from the story of a race the author puts together. We wonder, along with him, if he can pull it off. The elusive Tarahumara Indians are fascinating to learn about, and we wonder, along with him, if they will even race. And the ultra runners and their personalities are intriguing.

Because I love working out, I love the descriptions of the training and the challenges, and the nutrition that goes along with it. I also enjoy the description of the mental state that is achieved through this effort. I've had a few experiences along these lines, and hope to have more. This race and geography is way more ambitious than I could ever undertake, but it's fun to fantasize about being a part of such an adventure.

Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

I gave Melissa Prodigal Summer for Christmas 2010, which she loved. I hoped she would! I read it about every other summer and enjoy it every time. This book set Melissa on a path of other Kingsolver work. So, she asked me if I would be interested in borrowing Lacuna when she was done with it. "Yes!" I said, enthusiastically. I eagerly started in...and, surprisingly, found it hard-going. It was hard on several levels. First of all, I wasn't sure I understood what was going on. The structure was hard to figure out. And what in the heck did "VB" mean? The sentences were short, yet very descriptive. It wasn't at all the usual lyrical Kingsolver I was used to. And yet occasionally, there were glimpses of insights that were powerful. So I soldiered on.

About two weeks after she lent it to me, Lu asked how I liked it. I said I found it kind of depressing! I didn't enjoy the setting at all, found it all a little cryptic, and was surprised at how I wasn't loving it. I was determined to stay with it, though, and she agreed I should. She liked the setting...the craziness of Mexico and life with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera...I found it weird and couldn't relate at all. I was half-way through the book and still wondered if I would ever like it.

Then, about the time Violet Brown entered the scene, it all changed for me. The descriptions came alive and I fell in love with the characters. Something about Harrison Shepherd had grown on me...his utter humility and poverty of advantages. The second half of the book, I savored. Since most of it is written in Shepherd's voice, it was dawning on me how "his" writing and personality were developing over the course of the novel. I marveled at Kingsolver's subtlety! I also grew to love and appreciate the characters of Kahlo and Trotsky. Amazing how these are portrayed and would often cause me to laugh out loud or shed tears. The conversations were truly wonderful to read. It also makes me want to study Rivera's and Kahlo's art...

Other amazing things about this book are the way she teaches history...the level of detail and research that went into this are incredible. And how did she capture the mind and heart of a gay man in such a sympathetic, understanding, and heart-wrenching way? And how did she ever capture the patter of Tom Cuddy, the hep cat??? The closing years of this epic overlap with the year of my birth. It's crazy to read of the political realities that were extant in that era--the witch-hunting of Communists. Kingsolver brings this despicable chapter in our history into reality in a very painful way. Americans being unamerican and all that meant. I will definitely reread this book, and probably enjoy the first half more, now that I know what is going on. The structure is so unique...part diary, part letters, part editor additions...

A sampling:
Violet Brown: "It's true I lost a husband in the flood of the French Broad River in '16, Freddy Brown, and that broke a young girl's heart. But this was worse. My heart had grown older, with more in it to break. I can't put words to that afternoon. He would know words for the feelings I bore, but I only knew the feelings."

"Memories do not always soften with time; some grow edges like knives."

There is a whole deeper level of understanding one would get from the humor and pathos if one understood Spanish. There's plenty in the book; not all of it translated. That is a layer that eludes me. An evocative book. 
Read in February 2011