Reading Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch [Spoilers. Big ones.]

What I learned reading Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch:

1. I do not like books about shipwrecks. 
2. I do not like books about cannibalism.

I kid! I already knew I didn't like books about shipwrecks or cannibalism. When I was a tween and the internet was new, I picked up a copy of Reader's Digest at the dentist. Its feature story was about a girl who survived some-ridiculous-amount-of-time lost at sea. When she was finally picked up, she was the size of a toothpick and had learned to catch seagulls with her bare hands. I have no idea whether the story was true or not (probably not), but that's beside the point. The point is that, within two or three weeks, I knew everything there was to know about shipwrecks and being lost at sea (see: the internet was new!). I knew that it was boring, that it was painful, and that it could result in dietary innovations of the most unfortunate kind. I promptly lost interest. The thing about shipwrecks: no matter how excruciatingly painful, the survivors spend a lot of time staring at water.

What I really learned reading Jamrach's Menagerie is this:

1) I should always read to the end of the publisher's blurb before deciding whether or not to buy a book. And I quote, "the crew begins to regard the reptilian beast as bad luck, a feeling that is cruelly reinforced when a violent storm sinks the ship."

2) Shipwreck and cannibalism plots can turn out to be marriage plots.

The novel, which largely takes place in the slums of Victorian London, and, later, on an already-outdated whaling ship, starts out well enough: the protagonist finds himself in the mouth of a tiger. Shortly afterward, Jaffy goes to work for the tiger's owner, Jamrach, and spends his days cleaning up after exotic animals and being hazed by his older co-worker, a fellow street-urchin named Tim. I found myself caught up in the child's perspective of working, 1857 London--the smells! the street food! the heavy drinking! Later, Jaffy's recollection of joining a ship and chasing down a mythical beast held me spellbound. But then, there is a shipwreck. There is cannibalism. It's a painful read, to say the least.

Teaching: The Hunger Games

 

This summer, I'm teaching a second-year writing class with the theme "Coming of Age in the American Experience." We're reading David Sedaris! We're watching My So-Called Life and My Super Sweet Sixteen! We're listening to Radiolab and This American Life! So far, the class is going well. We had a great discussion about David Sedaris's essay "I Like Guys," and we all lived through the amazingly-awkward 90's-ness of My So-Called Life, though I had to explain that matching mother-daughter outfits were, briefly (?), a thing.

The most fun we've had so far has been reading and discussing The Hunger Games. Only two of them had read the novel. Only three had seen the movie. (And, what is that? Everyone saw the movie.) BUT they loved it. To wit:

• "I finished the book." (This, on the first discussion day.)
• "I couldn't put it down."
• "I had to make myself stop at page 147."
• "I've decided to re-read the entire series."

Best of all, I ran into one of my students in the hall today, two days after finishing The Hunger Games in class, and the first words out of his mouth were "The second book was even better." As it turns out, quite a few of them have already started reading it.

Now, I'm not pretending that The Hunger Games is any kind of high fiction. Even as young adult literature goes, I can think of many, many novels that are more skillfully written. But Collins's novel is certainly compelling, and it provides much to talk about in both thematic and formal terms. Plus: my students are reading more on their own time, which I count as a victory any day.

We talked about The Dystopian Novel, Collins's social critique, first-person narration and the nature of perspective, spectacle, persona, the romance plot and (of course) coming of age, as well as a number of other topics. We also had time for an "Analysis Workshop" designed to help them think of profitable questions. Interestingly, two of the guys in my class were extremely invested in the romance plot between Katniss and Peeta--which I worried stemmed from some reluctance to think about teenage girls as anything but primarily concerned with L-O-V-E. We made good discussion out of that investment, however, and, all in all, the two (long, summer-session) days dedicated to the novel were some of the best in my teaching experience.

Cooking: Zucchini Pasta

Anyone who knows my relationship with food knows that I eat entirely too much candy. What they may not know is that I have a deep and abiding love for spring vegetables. The last year I lived in Mississippi, I had a backyard vegetable garden. But, despite having four massive zucchini plants, I only had one half-way decent zucchini (bugs, ugh). I managed to eat my way through my devastation, and had my share of spring peas and okra. I cooked fried green tomatoes like they were going out of style, and ate them directly from the pan for dinner.

Zucchini is still my favorite spring vegetable, and, over the past few months, I've eaten more zucchini pasta dishes than I care to count at Jason's Deli in Grandview (where they give you all the pickles you want and free soft-serve ice cream with every meal!).

Even that hasn't been enough to satisfy me, and I've developed my own at-home zucchini pasta recipe. It has a passing resemblance to that at Jason's Deli, and M even eats it on a regular basis without complaining about its lack of meat.

Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:
2-3 medium sized zucchini
1 garlic clove
1 shallot
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Penne pasta (or similar, about 1/3 a box for two people)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Directions:
1) Boil water on medium-high heat.
2) Mince garlic and shallot. Chop zucchini into bite-sized pieces.
3) Blanch zucchini in boiling water about 1 minute, and remove onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Pat the zucchini dry to remove excess water. (I just press it a few times with a towel).
4) Cook pasta in the boiling water to package specifications.
5) Meanwhile, cook the shallot, garlic, and red pepper in 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium to medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally until the zucchini is soft, but still retains its shape (about 8 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.
6) Drain the pasta and add the zucchini mixture, tossing. You should have a fairly even pasta-to-zucchini ratio.
9) Serve with (lots) of parmesan cheese on top.

(Re)reading The Moonstone on the Raniest of Saturdays

M and I recently spent a week with my parents on the coast of Alabama. We had one beautiful afternoon at my mom's house on the water before some serious rain set in--21.75 inches of it in three days! Instead of kayaking, swimming, and reading on the pier, I curled up in a chair by the window and read Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone for the second time.

There are certainly worse ways to spend a rainy Saturday.

What I learned rereading The Moonstone, in the words of the novel's second narrator, Gabriel Betteredge:

• "You are not to take it, if you please, as the saying of an ignorant man, when I express my opinion that such a book as Robinson Crusoe never was written, and never will be written again. I have tried that book for years--generally in combination with a pipe of tobacco--and I have found it my friend in need in all the necessities of this mortal life. When my spirits are bad--Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice--Robinson Crusoe."

• "Persons and Things do turn up so vexatiously in this life, and will in a manner insist on being noticed."

• "Cultivate a superiority to reason, and see how you pare the claws of all the sensible people when they try to scratch you for your own good!"

The Moonstone is a detective novel, and at times laugh-out-loud funny. If you haven't read it, pick it up for your next rainy weekend.

In which I imagine a summer of pleasure reading.

To say that I like summer reading is an understatement. I adore summer reading. For months in advance, I browse the interwebs, saving potential novels and nonfiction to my Amazon wish list. I eagerly anticipate NPR's recommended reading. I try to stick with recently published novels and nonfiction--though I occasionally succumb to an older text I've been trying to find time for.

I'm teaching and studying for candidacy exams this summer, which means there will be even less time for pleasure reading than usual. Still, I have an ambitious list:

An Uncommon Education, by Elizabeth Percer

 

Little, Big by John Crawley 

Not a recently published book, but new to me.

You Came Back by Christopher Coake 

This guy's a graduate of the OSU MFA program, and the novel had a strong review on Slate.

 

Wild by Cheryl Strayed 

Oprah just picked this one for her book club, which kind of kills me. But I've already read and loved this book--so much so that I plan to reread it.

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

Stranger Magic: Charmed States and Arabian Nights by Marina Warner

 

Derby Day by D.J. Taylor

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

 

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall (the prequel to this novel) was summer reading a few years ago, and I spent an entire day and night reading it. I've heard this one is even better.

 

 I have trouble sticking to lists--even my own--so it's unlikely I will make it through all of these, and almost certain that some books will be added. One book I am certain to read, though, is The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker--I've even ordered a signed copy from Powell's through their Indiespensable program.

In which I take advantage of a cool spring night and make my favorite winter dish.

 Not-so-great picture taken with my cell phone.

 What I learned making beef chili in June:

1) Zucchini is great in chili.
2) Very vegetable-y meat chili turns into vegetable chili with meat specks when you add two massive zucchinis to it.
3) You may have to double the meat to keep your significant other from poking sadly at his chili, looking for "substance."
4) Doubling the meat may not be enough.
5) You definitely DO NOT need to double the amount of super-spicy-killer Indian chili powder to accommodate the zucchini. Or the beef.

Even when you mess up this chili, it's great:

My Beef Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 poblano peppers
2 red bell peppers (or orange, or yellow. Never green.)
1 large yellow onion (preferably vidalia)
2 large zucchinis
6-8 cloves garlic
1 13.5 oz can kidney beans
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 beer (a good beer. one you would actually drink. you can substitute water if necessary.)
 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoon ground chili (or 1 heaping teaspoon super-spicy Indian chili)
1  heaping teaspoon ground chipotle chili
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
olive oil


Directions:
1. Dice onion, garlic, and peppers.
2. Brown beef in a skillet, seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, soften onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a (very) large stockpot (3-4 minutes). Add peppers and zucchini; soften, stirring frequently for 5-6 minutes.
3. When vegetables are nice and soft, stir in browned ground beef, drained kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, corn, and beer. Add spices.
4. Simmer 45 minutes to an hour.

This recipe is readily adaptable and easily made vegetarian by substituting an additional can of kidney beans for the beef (if you're feeling adventurous, you might add a can of chickpeas as well).