House Rules

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Simon & Schuster, March 2010
Hardcover, 532 pages
ISBN-13: 9780743296434

fiction

Recommended for fans

Library Journal

In life some things are never to be broken—especially if you are an autistic child who takes "everything" literally. For example, some things that can't be broken are the house rules: tell the truth, brush your teeth, and, most important, take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got. In this 18th novel from Picoult (My Sister's Keeper), Jacob Hunt is a teenager with Asperger's syndrome and a morbid fascination with forensic science. He can recite all the intricacies of fingerprint analysis and recall the episode and number of his favorite TV crime show, but he can't feel your pain or emotions. For emotional intelligence Jacob has a tutor—until the tutor is found murdered. When Jacob is questioned, the same hallmark signs of his Asperger's that made him quirky also make him look very guilty—even to those who love him. VERDICT Picoult has many fans, and they won't be disappointed here. She is the master of telling a story that at first glance seems predictable but seldom is.—Marike Zemke, Commerce Twp. Community Lib., MI

My Thoughts:

Jodi, Jodi, Jodi, you know I normally enjoy your books and although House Rules was no exception, it did stretch believability with me a bit because I have a close relative with Asperger's who is, admittedly, very highly functioning - much more so than your character, Jacob. In some ways I saw the aspie traits you tried to so carefully introduce but in other ways you gave him so many symptoms (some of them seemed more autistic) and then made them all extreme. Additionally you seemed to imply that all people with Asperger's are going to have extreme traits. Sorry - it just isn't the case. While reading I silently said, "Yes, that is believable" or alternately muttered, "Come on. Does he have to have all of these extremely debilitating traits?" On the other hand I think there was quite a bit of truth in the description of a family living with AS.

The story itself wasn't quite as tightly plotted and suspenseful as most of Jodi Picoult's books are. The continuity was not as carefully followed either. (For example, Jacob is described as having a color for every day, foods and clothes need to be that day's color, yet she also says, as seen below in the quotes, that he might not change his shirt daily. Yes, the not changing a shirt daily can be an aspie trait but he can't have that trait AND follow his day of the week color rule. A choice needs to be made. He was also described as not good at math and then suddenly was good at math. There were some other examples but I don't want to get close to any spoilers.) As in many of her other books, we again heard the story through several characters, which I enjoy. This time I knew the twist almost immediately. Basically, House Rules seemed to follow what has recently become a formulaic, predictable plot for Picoult, which is a shame because Picoult is a very talented writer who most certainly can do better. I enjoyed House Rules and would recommend it, especially for fans of Picoult, but would caution that it is not, perhaps, one of her better novels.

Recommended, compared to other Picoult books, especially for fans.

Quotes:
Emma:
Everywhere I look, there are signs of a struggle. The mail has been scattered all over the kitchen floor; the stools are overturned. The phone has been knocked off its pedestal, its battery pack hanging loose from an umbilicus of wires. There's one single faint footprint at the threshold of the living room, pointing toward the dead body of my son, Jacob. pg. 3

"Seriously, Mom, a kindergartner could have solved this case," Jacob says, jumping to his feet. Fake blood drips down the side of his face, but he doesn't notice; when he is intensely focused on crime scene analysis,
I think a nuclear bomb could detonate beside him and he'd never flinch. pg. 4

I follow Jacob into the kitchen and watch him back into a corner.
"What we got here," Jacob mutters, his voice a sudden drawl, "is ... failure to communicate." He crouches down, hugging his knees.
When he cannot find the words for how he feels, he borrows someone else's. These come from Cool Hand Luke; Jacob remembers the dialogue from every movie he's ever seen.
I've met so many parents of kids who are on the low end of the autism spectrum, kids who are diametrically opposed to Jacob, with his Asperger's. They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else but truly doesn't know how. pg. 5

There's a lot of fuss about whether or not Asperger's is on the autism spectrum, but to be honest, it doesn't matter. It's a term we use to get Jacob the accommodations he needs in school, not a label to explain who he is. If you met him now, the first thing you'd notice is that he might have forgotten to change his shirt from yesterday or to brush his hair. If you talk to him, you'll have to be the one to start the conversation. He won't look you in the eye. And if you pause to speak to someone else for a brief moment, you might turn back to find that Jacob's left the room. pg. 7

Theo:
I am supposed to make exceptions for Jacob; it's one of our unwritten house rules. So when we need to take a detour away from a detour sign (how ironic is that?) since it's orange and freaks Jacob out, that trumps the fact that I'm ten minutes late for school. pg. 12

Jacob:
I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome long before it became the mental health order du jour, overused by parents to describe their bratty kids so that people think they're supergeniuses instead of simply antisocial. pg. 17

I just don't get the social hints that other people do. So if I'm talking to someone in class and he says, "Man, is it one o'clock already?" I look at the clock and tell him that yes, it is one o'clock already, when in reality he is trying to find a polite way to get away from me. pg. 19

Emma:
Isolation. A fixation on one particular subject. An inability to connect socially.
Jacob was the one diagnosed, but I might as well have Asperger's, too. pg. 42

"Consider it a new house rule. You are not to sneak out of here unless you tell me first."
"Technically, that wouldn't be sneaking," he points out. pg 45

Cat's Eye

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
copyright 1988

Knopf Doubleday, paperback, 445 pages
ISBN-13: 9780385491020

very highly recommended, reread

Synopsis

Cat's Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman - but above all she must seek release from her haunting memories. Disturbing, hilarious, and compassionate, Cat's Eye is a breathtaking novel of a woman grappling with the tangled knot of her life.

My Thoughts:

This is one of my favorite novels and it still resonates with me today as much as it did when I first read it. First and foremost, Margaret Atwood is an incredible writer. Her deft handling of and the richness found in her descriptions and narrative is exquisite. Cat's Eye is more than a novel about girl bullies - it transcends that simple description. It is about Elaine, an adult woman, taking an introspective look at her life and the impact her childhood played in her development as well as her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. But Cat's Eye also covers these same feelings as experienced by Elaine as an adult. Cat's Eye is still one of my favorites.
Very Highly Recommended - reread

Quotes:

Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space. If you can bend space you can bend time also, and if you knew enough and could move faster than light you could travel backward in time and exist in two places at once.

It was my brother Stephen who told me that, when he wore his raveling maroon sweater to study in and spent a lot of time standing on his head so that the blood would run down into his brain and nourish it. I didn't understand what he meant, but maybe he didn't explain it very well. He was already moving away from the imprecision of words. opening

Lately I've caught myself humming out loud, or walking along the street with my mouth slightly open, drooling a little. Only a little; but it may be the thin edge of the wedge, the crack in the wall that will open, later, onto what? What vistas of shining eccentricity, or madness? pg. 6

I can feel my throat tightening, a pain along the jawline. I've started to chew my fingers again. There's blood, a taste I remember. It tastes of orange Popsicles, penny gumballs, red licorice, gnawed hair, dirty ice. pg. 9

Until we moved to Toronto I was happy. pg. 22

I want some friends, friends who will be girls. Girl friends. I know that these exist, having read about them in books, but I've never had any girl friends because I've never been in one place long enough. pg. 29

There are days when I can hardly make it out of bed. I find it an effort to speak. I measure progress in steps, the next one and the next one, as far as the bathroom. These steps are major accomplishments. I focus on taking the cap off the toothpaste, getting the brush up to my mouth. I have difficulty lifting my arm to do even that. I feel I am without worth, that nothing I can do is of any value. least of all to myself.

What do you have to say for yourself? Cordelia used to ask. Nothing, I would say. It is a word I came to connect with myself, as if I was nothing, as if there was nothing there at all. pg. 43

You can't wear pants to school, you have to wear skirts. pg. 48

I don't know what to say. I know the unspoken rules of boys, but with girls I sense that I am always on the verge of some unforeseen calamitous blunder. pg. 50

Also I don't like it that this is where paintings end up, on these neutral-toned walls with the track lighting, sterilized, rendered safe and acceptable. It's as if somebody's been around spraying the paintings with air freshener, to kill the smell. The smell of blood on the walls. pg. 90

Most mothers worry when their daughters reach adolescence, but I was the opposite. I relaxed, I sighed with relief. Little girls are cute and small only to adults. To one another they are not cute. They are life-sized. pg. 125

Alive, and Kickin’

I'm still alive. We've successfully packed, moved, and began unpacking our stuff again - but not all of it. We're leaving many boxes packed and stored. Even so, there's still a lot of work to do.

Some of you will remember my infamous scathing book review (from about 3 years ago) that some freak recently decided to take issue with and tell me why I was wrong to dislike the book. Well, kiddos, one of the many reasons for my dislike of this book, that is still disliked but shall not be named, was the section where the writer was discussing how these poor kids from a rural school couldn't quite figure out how to use the bathroom facilities in a hotel. The author implied it was because they were backward. I always maintained that even well traveled people can have difficulties at some time figuring out how everything works in an unfamiliar bathroom. My point was proven and with a flourish recently when three of us were in one of the bathrooms here trying to figure out how to make the shower work. ROTFLOL!
(No worries - we figured it out.)

The Science Fiction Century

The Science Fiction Century by David G. Hartwell (Editor)
Hardcover, 1005 pages

Tom Doherty Associates, 1997
ISBN-13: 9780312863388

45 Short stories

highly recommended

Synopsis from Publisher:

A definitive collection of the literature that has shaped the past hundred years, The Science Fiction Century includes stories from the founding fathers of the field, such as H. G. Wells and C. S. Lewis and genre mainstays like Roger Zelazny and Jack Vance. Also noted are influential female scribes like Connie Willis and Nancy Kress, and writers such as E. M. Forster, Michael Shaara, and Harlan Ellison - contributors who are also recognized outside of the genre. A treat for readers of all literary interests.

My Thoughts:

Little did I know the treasure I was finding in the clearance section of our local used book store when I picked up The Science Fiction Century, a massive anthology of 45 science fiction short stories edited by David Hartwell. Almost all of the selections included were outstanding, but I especially enjoyed the stories noted with an asterisk below. Each selection opens with a brief biography of the writer and their work, which I really appreciated.
Highly Recommended

Table of Contents
Introduction

* Beam Us Home - James Tiptree Jr.
Ministering Angels - C. S. Lewis
* The Music Master of Babylon - Edgar Pangborn
A Story of the Days to Come - H. G. Wells
Hot Planet - Hal Clement
* A Work of Art - James Blish
* The Machine Stops - E. M. Forster
Brightness Falls from the Air - Margaret St. Clair
2066 Election Day - Michael Shaara
The Rose - Charles Harness
* The Hounds of Tindalos - Frank Belknap Long
* The Angel of Violence - Adam Wisniewski-Snerg
Nobody Bothers Gus - Algis Budrys
The Time Machine - Dino Buzzati
Mother - Philip Jose Farmer
As Easy as A.B.C. - Rudyard Kipling
* Ginungagap - Michael Swanwick
* Minister Without Portfolio - Mildred Clingerman
Time in Advance - William Tenn
Good Night Sophie - Lino Aldani
* Veritas - James Morrow
Enchanted Village - A. E. van Vogt
The King and the Dollmaker - Wolfgang Jeschke
Fire Watch - Connie Willis
Goat Song - Poul Anderson
* The Scarlet Plague - Jack London
Drunkboat - Cordwainer Smith
Another World - J. H. Rosny-Aîné
If the Stars Are Gods - Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund
* I Still Call Australia Home - George Turner
Liquid Sunshine - Alexander Kuprin; trans. by Leland Fetzer
Great Work of Time - John Crowley
* Sundance - Robert Silverberg
Greenslaves - Frank Herbert
* Rumfuddle - Jack Vance
The Dimple in Draco - Philip Latham
* Consider Her Ways - John Wyndham
Something Ending - Eddy C. Bertin
He Who Shapes - Roger Zelazny
Swarm - Bruce Sterling
* Beggars in Spain - Nancy Kress
Johnny Mnemonic - William Gibson
Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman - Harlan Ellison
Blood's a Rover - Chad Oliver
Sail the Tide of Mourning - Richard A. Lupoff

Quotes from introduction:

Science fiction is a literature for people who value knowledge and who desire to understand how things work in the world and in the universe. In science fiction, knowledge is power and power is technology and technology is good and useful in improving the human condition. It is, by extension, a literature of empowerment. pg. 17

It is a source of both amusement and frustration to SF people, writers and readers, that the public consciousness of science fiction has almost never penetrated beyond the first decade of the field's development. Sure, Star Wars is wonderful, but in precisely the same way and at the same level of consciousness and sophistication that science fiction from the late twenties and early thirties was: fast, almost plotless stories of zipping through the ether in spaceships, meeting aliens, using futuristic devices, and fighting the bad guys (and winning). SF people generally call this sci fi (affectionately, "skiffy"), to distinguish it from the real, grown-up pure quill. pg. 19

In the end this anthology is a collection of attempts to get at the truth of the human condition in this century, so contoured and conditioned by science and technology. Overall, perhaps, you can see the big picture, surely a bigger picture than any other. pg. 20

Why...

... do utility companies have to make it so difficult to establish service?

... do they apparently think the more hoops they can they make a person jump through, the better?

... are my spammers so darn persistent?

... does the spider for Topspot Promotions, another spammer, think my spam needs to be in Dutch?

... will I have to wait for them to catch the link of Topspot Promotions = SPAM before they stop.

... does the porn spammer think all messages need to be in characters, I think Chinese?

... do I have to sit and wait for 2 hours in an empty house for the water service to be turned on?

... are there ants?

... do ants need to get into where I'm living?

... do ants always try to set up housekeeping in the mailbox here?

... did the big dog pick today to have intestinal problems?

... am I the only one who apparently is capable of cleaning up after all intestinal problems?
Why?

Avatar

Avatar, 1999

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang

The CGI didn't disappoint, but after spending $230 million (The New Yorker) to nearly $500 million (The New York Times) to make Avatar, we expected to see some good CGI. The actual plot of the movie really took quite a traditional form (the noble savage theme in literature goes back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans) and was easily predictable. We all knew right from the start where the story was going and who was good and who was bad. It was really very simplistic. The characters were one dimensional stereotypes; we've seen them all before. While we all enjoyed watching Avatar, it is hardly the best movie ever made and falls quite short of Cameron's wish to make a sci-fi epic that trumps all previous sci-fi epics. Watch it for the CGI.