Patrick

Patrick liked Anmiryam's review of The Sisters Brothers:

" I wanted to love this book. It jumped off of my pile of shortlisted Booker Prize nominees and demanded to be read first. Everything about it shouted "Yes, it's literature, but IT's FUN." The premise is that of a classic picaresque novel -- Charlie... " Read more of this review »

Patrick rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Sisters Brothers
by Patrick deWitt

read in April, 2013

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Like a less dense but more enjoyable Cormac McCarthy novel, this book is set in the Old West and follows a pair of notorious hitmen brothers as they track their latest victim (it also features the best cover of the year--it looks fantastic even on a...more

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The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green (Goodreads Author)

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Patrick wants to read

I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)
by Chuck Klosterman

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Patrick rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

read in March, 2013

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There's nothing worse than being called on your own bullshit. I was driving to a party with a friend--it was high school, so he was pretty much the only friend I knew who could drive--when the conversation turned to required reading, as it so often d...more There's nothing worse than being called on your own bullshit. I was driving to a party with a friend--it was high school, so he was pretty much the only friend I knew who could drive--when the conversation turned to required reading, as it so often does between cool teenagers on their way to a late-night (read: 9pm) party. One of the people in the car referenced a book on the summer reading list for the previous year (I wish I could remember the name of it, but for the life of me, I can't) and asked if the driver of the car had read it. He indicated he hadn't, but said he thought that it was on the summer reading curriculum a class I took the previous year. I replied, oozing with cool, detached contempt, "That sounds like something I was supposed to read." Because, hey, I ain't got time for your rules, teach! I'm out there living life, man! Now, the pathetic faux-rebellion of that answer is obvious to me, but at the time I really felt like a badass skirting the system. So when the other guy in the car called me out on it--rightly, I might add--with a sarcastic "Oh no, you didn't read a book for class? You're such a rebel, Pat," I didn't react with the good humor I would today. But I'm glad he said it--there were other students at my school doing hard drugs, having sex, dropping out. Not doing required reading was pretty low on the list of offenses.

The truth was, though, that not doing required reading was kind of my thing. Not only did I not read that book, but I didn't read anything that was required reading pretty much all through high school. It wasn't an outright rebellion--I still took the tests and did quite well (thanks, Spark Notes!), and it wasn't a dislike of reading--I still read on my own time. I just didn't do the required reading, because, to me, it all sounded like garbage.

The years have given me some perspective on this, and I get why things were required now. I've made it something of a point to go back and read some of the better-reputed books that I failed to read initially, and in most cases this elder perspective has served me quite well. The Great Gatsby is one of those times.

I really enjoyed Fitzgerald's prose, something I don't think I would have appreciated as much as a sixteen year old. The story itself is interesting more for the glimpse into yesteryear than the actual plot--a roaring twenties that lives on in flapper-themed parties across college campuses nationwide--the story itself boils down into a fairly trite story of a man who loses a love, gets her back, and loses her again, because women are beautiful little fools. Fitzgerald's prose elevates it all, gives it a sense of romanticism, and allows us to view the entire affair at a detached distance through Nick Carraway's fresh eyes. But at the end of the day, the book boils down to a mantra that any nerdy high school guy could tell you--chicks dig assholes, and nice guys finish last.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book. I did, very much. It's a surprisingly brisk read, full of beautiful, eloquent writing. I get why it's required reading. But, at the same time, it epitomizes my feelings on required reading, and why it's a load of bullshit. For the most part, the only people that enjoy reading required reading are future English professors, and that's a shame, because we're losing readers every day. Millenials don't read books. They just don't. And if you ask me, it's because we force them to read a bunch of old-timey bullshit that they can't understand, both in terms of plot significance and actual prose. It's beyond them. And people will argue that that's all the more reason why we need to expose them to it, so that they can learn, but I consider myself proof that that's a pipe dream. I love reading. I loved it as a kid, too. I read all sorts of sports books, about a million Goosebumps, and all sorts of other things that weren't on the curriculum. And I enjoyed it. And once I was forced to read the things that would enlighten me? I sort of lost interest. But I circled back around and now appreciate many of the same classics I once scorned. That's not a common pattern though. Most kids get turned off to reading, tune it out, and never pick up a book again. Outside of the Goodreads community, I literally don't know one person who reads for pleasure on a regular basis. I don't blame The Great Gatsby for this, but it doesn't help.

So maybe me picking up this book and enjoying it was my high school english teacher retroactively calling me on my bullshit. But I think it's the other way around.(less)

Patrick rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo

read in February, 2013

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I wanted to give this book four stars, and even had my mouse hovered over the star icon, ready to click, when the words 'really liked it' appeared below my selection. And when I saw that, I thought, "No, I can't do it."

It's surely a great book, an im...more I wanted to give this book four stars, and even had my mouse hovered over the star icon, ready to click, when the words 'really liked it' appeared below my selection. And when I saw that, I thought, "No, I can't do it."

It's surely a great book, an important book, an eye-opening book. But it wasn't an enjoyable book. Katherine Boo did meticulous field-research to pull together the story of an average slum in Mumbai, India, and the world she uncovered was really distressing. Truly, the people in the slum of Annawadi are horrible to one another. Just awful. Boo presents a world where it's literally impossible to get ahead in life--there is no "American Dream" available to these people, only the hope that if they scrounge and save enough, they can afford enough to avoid rats biting them in their sleep, or medicine if they fall ill. Corruption runs rampant in every facet of the government, big and small. It's a world where if you keep your head down and work hard, your reward is jealous neighbors doing everything in their power to bring you down to their level, even if it means literally burning themselves alive or eating rat poison. It's exhausting and devastating.

It's impossible not to feel shocked at the squalid lives being led in this slum, and to think that it is not atypical in any way is all the more disheartening. But what's even more shocking is the way that the citizens of the slum do nothing to collectively make life better for one another. On the contrary, nearly every person in this book goes out of their way at some point to screw their neighbors over. It's an infuriating dichotomy. You feel terrible for these people because their lives are so difficult, but you are also disgusted at their actions on nearly every page.

Reading this book, I couldn't help but wonder how it compares to American poverty. I imagine that there are certain sections of the United States where the residents probably feel an equal discontent and lack of resources to pull themselves out. "This American Life"'s recent report on Harper High School in Chicago, where all students are automatically initiated into gangs based on their residence, regardless of their lack of desire, comes to mind. However, the difference is that the corruption in Mumbai appears to run so deep--everyone from the police, to social workers, to teachers and doctors are either on the take or fudging reports so as to avoid scrutiny, or both--that it truly feels as if there is no way out.

I'm glad I read this book, and it definitely opened my eyes to the horror of life in a Mumbai slum. I'm sure I'll trot out this information at my next cocktail party and wow the gathering with my worldliness and knowledge, but the truth is, it was a slog to get through, and I'm not sure what else to do with this knowledge other than shake my head in disgust. I'd like to donate some money to a cause, but based on this book, I'm pretty sure it would just go towards lining the pockets of corrupt monsters running a scam charity to afford a bigger shack. The book is powerful and enlightening, but there's not much you can do with it other than say "boy, that really, really sucks." I finished it feeling as powerless as the residents of Annawadi.(less)

Patrick rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author)

read in January, 2013

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Gillian Flynn is a former writer for Entertainment Weekly, a fact that I mercifully discovered only after I'd plowed through 'Gone Girl' (if I'd known beforehand, I'm not sure I would have picked it up)! Who knew there was such talent lurking behind...more Gillian Flynn is a former writer for Entertainment Weekly, a fact that I mercifully discovered only after I'd plowed through 'Gone Girl' (if I'd known beforehand, I'm not sure I would have picked it up)! Who knew there was such talent lurking behind all those pictures of sparkly vampires?

Gone Girl is a blast. It's sharp, witty, shocking, and fun as hell. It's almost impossible to talk about it without giving away spoilers, but suffice to say it's an engaging page-turner with real literary merit. I was amazed at how many times I found myself changing allegiances to the characters, and the ability of Flynn to make these drastic changes to the characters' personality with such subtlety and aplomb. It's akin to the old analogy of putting a frog into a pot of water and slowly bringing it to a boil--if the characters had come out as this crazytown on page one, I would've been out on the book wholesale in 25 pages. But because Flynn so deftly built a believable world and backstory for her characters, I found myself completely invested through the last page.

Considering the dark view it takes on marriage and relationships in general, the book was keenly well-observed with regard to the little things that make relationships tic, both good and bad. I found myself nodding grimly at some of the criticisms Nick lobs at Amy throughout the book, recognizing a few snapshots from my own marriage, and cringing as Amy pointed out shortcomings of Nick's that mirrored my own. I also smiled along at their inside jokes, picturing similar shared history with my own wife that would make no sense to an outsider. Although my own marriage (we also recently celebrated our fifth anniversary--eerie!) is in great shape, and I don't anticipate any Gone Girl-type shenanigans in my own life, these observations gave the book a real foundation for the events that follow, giving the characters and story a liveliness that most thrillers lack.

At the end of the day, I have to give a half-assed review for fear of giving too much of the book's plot away. All I can really say is that it was fantastic--I plowed through it in about a week. I'll definitely have to check out some more Gillian Flynn.(less)

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The Round House
by Louise Erdrich

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Where'd You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple (Goodreads Author)

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Patrick liked Anmiryam's review of The Sisters Brothers: " I wanted to love this book. It jumped off of my pile of shortlisted Booker Prize nominees and demanded to be read first. Everything about it shouted "Yes, it's literature, but IT's FUN." The premise is that of a classic picaresque novel -- Charlie... " Read more of this review »
May 08, 2013 12:10pm · see review
Patrick rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Like a less dense but more enjoyable Cormac McCarthy novel, this book is set in the Old West and follows a pair of notorious hitmen brothers as they track their latest victim (it also features the best cover of the year--it looks fantastic even on a...more
May 08, 2013 11:51am · see review
Patrick is currently reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 02, 2013 11:49am
Patrick wants to read I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 01, 2013 01:16pm
Patrick rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There's nothing worse than being called on your own bullshit. I was driving to a party with a friend--it was high school, so he was pretty much the only friend I knew who could drive--when the conversation turned to required reading, as it so often d...more
Apr 30, 2013 01:13pm · see review
Patrick rated a book 3 of 5 stars Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wanted to give this book four stars, and even had my mouse hovered over the star icon, ready to click, when the words 'really liked it' appeared below my selection. And when I saw that, I thought, "No, I can't do it." It's surely a great book, an im...more
Mar 14, 2013 08:21am · see review
Patrick rated a book 5 of 5 stars Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author) read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Gillian Flynn is a former writer for Entertainment Weekly, a fact that I mercifully discovered only after I'd plowed through 'Gone Girl' (if I'd known beforehand, I'm not sure I would have picked it up)! Who knew there was such talent lurking behind...more
Jan 15, 2013 01:05pm · see review
Patrick wants to read The Round House by Louise Erdrich	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2013 09:14am
Patrick wants to read Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2013 09:11am

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