Summer Reading Roundup: Eating Animals

I'd never read anything by Jonathan Safran Foer before, but I was always drawn to his cover art. Eating Animals was no different, plus it was on a topic that matters to me, and I may have bought it for Robert this Christmas because I wanted to read it. Well folks, I finally got around to reading it, a mere 7 months later!

I get preachy enough on JOP that I'll spare you a point-by-point summary of this book, but you should know that it is really good, really thoroughly researched, really well written, and I am vividly sicked-out by the bacon that just a few weeks ago I (a "vegetarian") ate.

The premise is that we all know animal slaughter is disgusting; we all know factory farming is wrong. The information is there for all of us and nobody doubts how awful factory farms are for us, for the environment, for communities, and finally for the animals. So why do we ignore that and keep eating meat? "Because it tastes good." Weak! Don't start with the "protein" junk, either. Americans get way too much protein and it has a lot to do with our cancer incidence.

But don't take my word for it! Eating Animals, which is a quick, page-turning read, gets the solidest A.

Summer Reading Roundup: The Swimming Pool

Remember the huge stack of books I got at the publishing convention? This was one of them, and I just finished it.

I wanted to like it, mostly because I wanted a reason to finish it. The "mystery" was only not predictable by a technicality, and the characters were flat and WASPy, and dare I say idealized versions of the author? That's a stretch, but honestly: has Holly LeCraw ever met a person? The Swimming Pool makes me think: no.

Everyone is beautiful, everyone has a perfect body, a tanned body, an unbelievable body, a flawless body (actual phrases used to describe characters as they lie sexily on a beach, their sun-kissed skin shimmering blah blah blah). Everyone is rich, but don't worry--they're not too snobby or entitled. Also, their cottage on Cape Cod doesn't have a television! So real! The happiest characters have a healthy awareness of how easy their lives are, but sometimes they're even suicidal, via pills (!!) and another might be an alcoholic (??). Was the teenaged daughter sort of flighty? Was the adult son a handsome lawyer with shit on his mind? Was the dad a philanderer? Was the wife really good at tennis? What do you think?

Basically: I wasn't buying it. McCraw did not write real people. These characters are maybe idealized versions of herself and people she knew growing up, and I know because I used to write stories like that. It was hard to care about them, much less see them as anything other than caricatures. The adverbs and cliches weren't helping, either!

But there was some suspense, and I always want to know how things will end up no matter how crappily it's presented. At the end of the day, I still read this on the bus and I still finished it in just a few days...it was kind of a page-turner. So I place The Swimming Pool on this spectrum:

The Room -----> my short stories, 2003-2006 ----> The Swimming Pool ---> Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood ---> Gathering of the Juggalos infomercial

Yes, it is really like that. This book gets a C- !

Cultural Survey: Chapel Hill/Carrboro

Chapel Hill/Carrboro area has seen some new establishments open up recently. By establishments I mean coffee shops and bars. By recently I mean in the past 5 years. Let's debate which ones are worth it.

Coffee Shops:
The Looking Glass. Aka the Looking Bong to some on the streets. This probably isn't that new, but it's new to me so it's included. It was really crowded but not loud or obnoxious when I was there. I liked the atmosphere and the look of the space. I did catch the baristas making out in the back, but whatevs. Service was better than Open Eye cafe. I'd go back.

Caffe Driade. I think this is my favorite in the area (not including Raleigh's New World). I feel like I can get work done here and I enjoy the coffee. I've never been when it's busy to the point of over-crowded, so I appreciate that.

Bars:
Bowbarr. The vibe is more upscale - OCSC. The hipster touches are OOC - PBR on tap, photo booth, and tree stump tables/seats. I think it has a future in Carrboro! They had a nice selection of drinks and I know some will disagree, but I thought the service was great. I was able to place my drink order within seconds of stepping up to the bar. The space is small providing that "ultra exclusive cramped" feel.

Kildare's Irish Pub. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Confession: I haven't been here...but I really want to go. I feel like Chapel Hill was missing an Irish Pub chain. Seriously! If it's good enough for Pennsylvania, it's good enough for us. They probably have a good selection of beer and tasty Irish specialities. I'm excited to go one of these days.

Let's Talk: TV shows

2 new shows I started watching over the break: Freaks and Geeks and Weeds. I'm nothing if not current! Let's profile both shows.

Freaks and Geeks: I've never heard anyone say anything bad about this show...and I'm not going to start now. It's hilarious, and the episodes fly by. It does remind me of a later Wonder Years, and Sam alternately makes me laugh and cringe. Catching on to this show so late is interesting because practically everyone on the show is famous now. All the freaks are in Judd Apatow movies and the main actress (Linda Cardenelli) was on ER. James Franco even surprised me - I had no idea he'd ever done anything worth watching.

Weeds: I'd heard a lot about this show and because it's been nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys, I thought it would be good. I guess it's marginally funny? Conrad and Kevin Nealon are the only standout characters so far, but Nancy just drives me nuts. Between her kids, her constant breakdowns, and her habit for latte drinks - I just can't stand her. And the theme song! What the heck is that about?? It reminds me of nails on a chalkboard. I can't believe they're about to start their 6th season. How many storylines for Nancy are out there??

Barcelona: 1.5

I've been watching so many movies this summer that I should turn it into something productive...like reviews! I'll watch these so you don't have to. The variety of films lately has been off the charts, because I've basically been clicking indiscriminately around the "You might also enjoy" page on my Netflix.

So here we are at Barcelona, a film with one of the least likeable protagonists I've ever even heard of. He wasn't a bad guy, just extra-whiny and obnoxious and weak. Which might be ok if he was George Clooney or otherwise attractive at all, so we could assume he's just going through a rough patch or whatever. It would make sense then that women would like him. This guy just looks like such a weakling. Picture Andrew McCarthy's disgusting older brother, the one with a porn addiction.

The next count against Barcelona is that the two protagonists, Ted and Fred, sound exactly alike when the Spanish women they hang with address them. Confusing! But it goes with the territory, because although Ted and Fred are supposed to balance each other, foil-style, they aren't that different. Something terrible happens to one of them (the better-looking one, can't remember if it's Ted or Fred), and you don't even care. You just want the movie to be over.

Whit Stillman, the guy in charge of this thing, has an unimpressive resume. Which is not surprising. Barcelona looked ok from the description: some American guys in the early 90's spend time in Barcelona and they date some women. Sounds fine, except for the ultra-ambitious political subplot that attempts to tackle communism and the CIA and anarchist youth movements. It's just not happening, Whit! As a result of the political problems, somebody gets shot in the face and you're already yawning; the face-shooting is followed by a medical drama that is excruciating(ly boring). Finally, getting back to the other plot, some sexual tension gets resolved in a way that is literally unbelievable.

I'm already bored, just thinking about it. Sexist cliches, over-ambitious nonsensical political subplot, unsuspenseful "suspense." I guess the good parts are that the guy who gets shot in the face is a likeable character. He's ok.