Archive for February, 2013

Summer Reading: 2013

Posted in Books with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 23, 2013 by David McInerny

IMG_2350I know many of us are still looking at snow outside our windows, but it’s not too early to think about collecting a stack of books for a vacation on the beach, nights in a hotel, or just a quiet, warm evening on the back deck. Here are a few suggestions for 2013 summertime reading that have fascinated me:

1. Degas In New Orleans – Christopher Benfey (1997)

Edgar Degas, an important early Impressionist painter, spent time in New Orleans with American cousins during the late Reconstruction period. Benfey writes a thoroughly interesting documentary of Degas’ time there with contemporary local luminaries, while the painter captures this period in American Louisiana history with some of his most famous work.

2. Battleborn – Claire Vaye Watkins (2012)

With unusual skill for such a young talent, Watkins conjures a host of restless souls in this series of short stories based in the early boom time of post-wild west Nevada. Her style is reminiscent of John Updike’s short story linguistic magic.

3. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway (1926)

Parisian nightlife, Spanish bullfights, afternoon fly-fishing and romantic, expatriate angst – Papa hit his creative stride with this quasi-autobiographical novel about the search for meaning within post WWI’s “lost generation.”

4. Stars In Their Courses – Shelby Foote (1997)

Adapted from Foote’s epic three-volume history of the Civil War, this is the definitive description of the three day Battle of Gettysburg. Shelby Foote humanizes the event like no other, and this book makes timely reading for the 150th anniversary of the battle on July 1,2,3 of this year.

5. Neither Here Nor There – Bill Bryson (1992)

Recreating his collegiate European travels two decades later, Bryson weaves hilarious tales that have the reader laughing from Amsterdam to Rome. If you can’t afford a European vacation this summer, this book is the next best thing.

6. Too Many Cooks – Rex Stout (1938)

The detective Nero Wolfe, Stout’s corpulent creation, along with his witty assistant, Archie Goodwin, are at their finest uncovering a murderer amidst an august gathering of gourmands. Fair warning – the Nero Wolfe mysteries are a classic series that will hook you for years.

7. The Marseille Caper – Peter Mayle (2012)

Peter Mayle has entranced readers with his autobiographical books on life as an Englishman in Provence, France. His newest book is another of his comic mysteries en par with the humor of P.G. Wodehouse.

8. An Eye For An Eye – Anthony Trollope (1879)

Downton Abbey fans, Trollope was the original master of serialized British drama and suspense. Long before TV, magazine readers waited for the latest installment of happenings among the aristocracy, and the regular folk who served them. This book about tragic love is set in Ireland, and reaches its climax on the cliffs of Moher.

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Bonita Springs Eternal

Posted in Travel with tags , on February 12, 2013 by David McInerny

IMG_2343“Please be reminded that you are responsible for any luggage taken mistakenly from the carousel, and you must return it to the airport today.” Such is the continuous announcement in the baggage claim section at the Ft. Myers, Florida airport, which I found a little odd, but admittedly had me taking a second glance at my suit bag to make sure it was mine. I didn’t catch on at the car rental counter either, which had a long, unmoving line standing in front of the exasperated associate. I just thanked my luck that no one had noticed the self-service machine gathering dust next to the associate, and moved forward to use it and drive away ahead of the crowd. It wasn’t until I was leaving the grocery store in Bonita Springs with some toiletries when the sign there struck home – “Any items left behind will be restocked” – I was in the land of retirement.

It’s impossible not to observe how life changes for the elderly, even for the well-to-do who spend the September of their years in swanky south Florida. It’s tough, even in a place that caters to retirees, to avoid the constant change that leaves senior citizens in a continuous state of hesitation. It’s a perfect place for light rail and mass transit, for example, but there is no evidence of it. This is not a generation to give up their cars, and their freedom, for the slavery of remembering monthly passes and timetables. Instead, there must be a perpetual shortage of blue paint in Florida, if the sheer quantity of designated handicapped parking spaces means anything. It takes some getting used to, watching a long Lincoln glide smartly into a handicapped spot … the door pops open, legs slowly swing out, a walker is pulled from the back with much contorting from the driver – he erects it and prepares to raise himself from the car. Some ten minutes later he has shuffled across the road, stopping traffic both ways, and finally disappears into the darkness of the Irish pub. One wants desperately to check the expiration date on his driver’s license.

It was during lunch at a small Greek restaurant, though, that I saw the most brilliant piece of marketing toward retirees. Among the tables scattered on a terrace was a cage with a small parrot preening itself. As the single older women came in for a Greek salad and diet Coke, each would stop by the cage and chat for a moment with “Georgie,” and he entertained them by jabbering nonsense back at them. Soon all the tables were full of women, calling out to Georgie for his opinion on the daily special or advice on afternoon activities. As I munched on a gyro, I noticed a poster on the restaurant wall advertising drink specials after 4pm, as well as a belly dancer who performed at 5pm. Brilliant. This restaurant was going to thrive, giving the widows someone to talk to, and the widowers someone to look at.

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