Tigers, Tits and Texan Tuberculosis

I finished Life of Pi and it was good. I feel like this is my husband's book though, so he should be the one to review it. Without the fanfare I think I would have liked it a bit more, but it was good all the same. I both love and hate books that leave me with questions at the end, as this one did: was it real? Were they animals or were they humans all along? Would we have read and loved the book if they were indeed humans?

I hope no-one reads this without having read Life of Pi first or I might have given the game away.

I gave it four cheese wheels out of five.

After Life of Pi I read a book called "The Borgia Bride" by Jeanne Kalogridis. I had the choice of reading the Adolf Hitler bio, The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald or this, and asked M to help me choose, and he chose this. It was the right choice. I feel like I've been doing some heavy reading- not serious stuff, but just thought provoking stuff - so it was good to get something a but lighter.

It's funny, after reading really well written books, especially ones which really focus on language and dialogue as a means of technical creativity (think: Evelyn Waugh) how flabby books like this feel. It wasn't bad, it was quite readable, but just not as tight as the last few books I've read. Yann Martel really focused on the conceptual and as I've said, Waugh and the Mitfords on language, so this book just felt a bit indulgent. I really respect writers who keep their work tight and not rambling. This clearly is a bit of a problem for me.

"The Borgia Bride" adds fiction to non-fiction by telling the story of Sancha of Aragon who marries the youngest Borgia and moves to Rome. The Borgias are the notoriously depraved papal family of the 1400s and early 1500s, renowned for incest and the murder of all those they consider "enemies", so much so that the River Tiber was full of dead bodies. The most depraved of all is often claimed to be the one sister, Lucrezia, but I have a feeling this is because she is a woman, and historical women who behave like the men of their era are often not painted with the same brush. Anyway Sancha marries Jofre, but has an affair with Cesare, his brother. Chaos ensues.

I thought that this book might be a bit Mills & Boon with Italian accents, but it wasn't. It was actually difficult to keep track of all the political maneuvering and names. I thought perhaps a few events were included that weren't necessary, perhaps to add to the "based on a true story" element of the book.

But it just didn't grab me by the balls. So I gave it 2.5 cheese wheels out of five.

Now I'm reading "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman. I got it on Fishpond 'cause it was $14 and it nudged me over the $50 limit you need to get free postage. I thought, by the look of it, that it would be one of those cheaply mass-produced biographies, full of flowery language and monosyllables (usually published by Virgin, on cheap paper, sold for $10.99 and containing a collection of the dealings of serial killers- you know the type) but a bit of research uncovered good reviews. It was No.1 on the NY Times bestseller list, and I actually know Danny Sugerman's work (Wonderland Ave is lying around my house somewhere).

The Doors were very popular at my high school in about 1994-95, I think because of the 1991 film, and remembering I grew up in surburban NSW, Australia, so most of the kids would have had to wait until it was on tv to see it. I tended to stay away from bands or movies that were too popular, not because I wanted to be different, but because I had been burned so many times before by the recommendations that turned out to be crap. So there were a lot of iron-on Doors badges stuck onto bags and Jim Morrison t-shirts floating about.

My brother had the best of cd, and I stumbled across it in about 1997 and thought I'd give it a go. I actually really liked it. I like the music every time I hear it, but I just can't get past the fact that Morrison is such a wanker. I hate people who take themselves too seriously. He did have a way with words, and the music can be hauntingly beautiful, but I don't know how he could have sung some of the ad-libbing on "The End" and "Gloria" without pissing himself laughing. I think if I had found out they all did crack up in the dressing room afterward and say "I can't believe they bought it again" I would have a lot more respect for them.

I've finished Chapter One, Jimbo has just finished high school, his parents are despairing about his wacky behaviour so have enrolled him in college in Florida. He's just about on his way.

PS: My favourite Doors song is "Crystal Ship", followed by "The End". The copy of "The End" that I have on iTunes cuts out early and flows immediately into "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Doris Day. It always freaks people out.