Author Archives: Matt Rathbun

Basket Case

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Basket Case

by

Carl Hiaasen

Everybody has bad days… You know, those days when the bastardos have carborundum-ed you. Maybe it involves your boss, a co-worker, or perhaps the barista-in-training when you just want a &#^!% cup of coffee. You get the point. I had such a day and decided that it was time to find a book that can inject a bit of humor in my life. It seemed humor was badly needed. After all, if you can’t laugh at life (or some of the people in it) then what’s the point? I ended up following a recommendation on Amazon for entertaining authors and started reading Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen.

The story involves a former investigative newspaper reporter named Jack Tagger. Jack was relegated to the obituary department following an insulting outburst aimed at the new owner of his small Florida newspaper. Jack’s only creative liberty is writing articles for the more high-profile deaths in the county. As Jack sulks and dreams of his former glory, an ex-hairband rocker named Jimmy Stoma turns up dead in a drowning accident. Jack interviews the widow and soon becomes convinced that Jimmy’s death was not accident. The widow seems more concerned about her upcoming record then with her husband’s passing. Jack tries to convince Emma, his 27 year-old editor, about his feelings about Jimmy’s death but soon finds himself having feelings for her as well. Emma needs a story for the paper, but Jack needs more time. Jack soon finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery, an unplanned love affair and some real danger. Will Jack find the truth behind the death of Jimmy Stoma? Will his romantic interest end his career? Is it too late to win back his role as an investigative reporter? Will the Cubs ever win the world series?

The best part of this book is the humorous language that Carl uses to tell the simple but intriguing story. Carl delivers a bit of dry humor at every turn. Even serious moments seem to evaporate into head shaking laughter. The characters always seem to find themselves in some uncommon yet funny situations. At one point, Jack must use a frozen lizard as a weapon to fight off an intruder! The dialogue between characters is also a treat. Carl blends cliché with self-deprecating humor in a way that makes the characters come alive in their own special way. The book has a little bit of everything that one would expect from an entertaining novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It helped me not to take life (and the bastardos) too seriously either. I hope you enjoy it.

How Full is Your Bucket?

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How Full is Your Bucket
by
Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton

So there I was at work. Minding my own business, not causing any trouble.. when out of the blue, this book gets tossed on my desk. My boss is telling me it is mandatory reading for a discussion, seminar, worksheet and wagon circling event that is coming soon. I would later find out I will need to travel four hours one way and stay overnight for this event, but I digress.. Every mandatory reading assignment that has been forced upon me at work has focused around the self-improvement of one’s career. Someone every few years all of a sudden believes they have found the secret to happiness and success in the workplace. They write a book, hold a few lectures and convince a few executives to try it out. Executives purchase the book and then the forced reading begins. If you are lucky, you can take a short quiz over the book (share with co-workers), inter-office the result to your boss and trash it. If you are unlucky, you get the day long seminars, and wagon circling. Sometimes your boss gets hooked and you are in for a full season of new book-born buzzwords and some really interesting meetings about “teamwork”. These are the thoughts that flashed through my head when I saw the cover. I let out a sigh and commenced the reading of “How Full is Your Bucket”.

As I mentioned, every book such as this has focused primarily on success in the workplace. I was immediately thrown for a loop when it began focusing on others instead. Others? Did I get the wrong book? Something wasn’t quite right. I switched to skeptic mode immediately and began reading details as the chapters went on. Right away the book talked about how our daily interactions shape our attitudes and our feelings. Life is a series of experiences and rarely are they neutral. Some are pleasant and some are negative. These experiences go far beyond shaping our attitude for the day or if someone is going to get the bird on the drive home. They affect our quality of life and our relationships with others over the long term. Because of the outcome of even our smallest interactions, the book convinces us of the importance of promoting positive experiences when dealing with people at any time. It relates this concept by using the analogy of a bucket and a dipper. Everyone has a bucket and a dipper. We either use our dipper to take from someone else’s bucket or we fill their bucket from ours. The key point is that when we fill someone else’s bucket we also gain that same amount. It is a simple illustration to show that our actions affect others and again, they are rarely neutral. By spreading positive experiences, complimenting and recognizing the good qualities in others we effectively fill their bucket and ours. If we all have full buckets, we are on top of the world, ready to rock and roll, all fired up, ready to kick some.. well you get the idea.

So if that was all it was, then one just follows the golden rule and you are home free. At least so I thought. The book shines when it addresses the selfishness of the golden rule and presents it in an almost opposite perspective. When complimenting or recognizing the good qualities in others, do so in a manner in which the other person would prefer. Not everyone wishes to receive compliments and praise in the same way. When someone compliments you, say thank you and allow them the satisfaction of giving you the compliment. Don’t say things to minimize their efforts such as “It was nothing”, or “It really didn’t take too long”, just shut up and say thanks!

All in all it was a great book that truly presented a unique perspective. It was definitely written towards the workplace, but the information in it can be applied to everyone in our lives. Its true objective is to spread the power of positive influence and to highlight the power that brings to an individual. It shows us we can truly receive by giving and just how healthy and happy we can be in everything we do. I recommend this book for anyone, but most specifically for those who might need an extra boost in a relationship. It is a short read, but there is much to do and practice daily. Check it out.

The Trajectory of Dreams

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The Trajectory of Dreams
by
Nicole Wolverton

I once heard a professor lecture on the difference between insanity and irrationality. He illustrated the difference by relating a story of a severely under-dressed man running down the middle of the street wearing tinfoil as a hat. The man is by every definition insane; however, when asked why he was acting in such a way, he gave a completely rational explanation. The explanation was that aliens were about to take over the world. The only way to stay alive was to relieve ourselves of clothing and wrap three layers of aluminum foil around our heads to prevent them from reading our minds. It is a perfectly logical response to to a completely skewed reality. The professor went on to say that it was because of this difference that treating insane people becomes difficult. Treatment must alter one’s perception, not the response to it.

Why the psychology lesson? Because it is important to note that the main character in Nicole Wolverton’s book, The Trajectory of Dreams, is perhaps the most insane person one could imagine and yet completely rational. Lela White is a lab technician in Houston. Her day job is to analyze and correct sleep problems in individuals so that they can get a good night’s sleep. In the evening however, she breaks into astronauts homes and analyzes their sleep patterns to ensure the safety of the shuttle program! No need to re-read that last sentence.. You read it right the first time, but stay with me. It is only by ensuring that astronauts sleep well during the shuttle launch that she will correct her mothers sabotage of the shuttle mission years before. If the astronaut doesn’t meet Lela’s requirements, she is forced to kill the astronaut for the greater good of the shuttle program.

All is going well for Lela (not so much the astronauts) until a Russian cosmonaut, Zory Korchagin, arrives on the scene and falls in love with Lela. As Zory and Lela’s relationship intensifies so does her need to ensure the safety of the upcoming shuttle mission. With the help of her talking cat, Lela begins to create more effective tests to ensure a successful launch. Zory soon begins to relate details of the shuttle mission which begin to conflict with Lela’s beliefs. Lela is also forced to come to grips with long-standing family issues and the unanswered questions concerning her past. The great mental unwinding begins as Lela fights to maintain her perception of the world by any means necessary.

I have to admit that the premise was a bit hard to take in at first. I had to “just go with it” and continue reading (the psychology lesson helped) with blind acceptance of fact. What followed is wonderfully written debut novel. Nicole Wolverton has created a beautiful character and a fantastic original story. Nicole paints insanity and rationality in a very special way. In no other novel have I experienced such a feeling of both loving and loathing. If this book was poorly written it would not have worked at all. After a few chapters one comes to admire and appreciate the uniqueness of this novel and Nicole’s writing. I honestly feel privileged to have received and read an advanced copy of this novel. If this is any indication of what we will see from Nicole in the future, we are all in for a treat.

Congratulation on a wonderful debut novel, Nicole. I wish you the very best!

Matt Rathbun

Defending Jacob by William Landay

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Defending Jacob
by William Landay

I grew up with a defense attorney for a father. My father started his private practice when I was very young and held that occupation until his retirement. I must say that it had certain perks! I was known to get out of a few speeding tickets when I was younger.. well.. more than a few. I did learn many things about the courtroom and the legal process. From a very young age I helped in his office doing things where I could. Usually this involved cleaning or computer repair, but as I grew older I became more involved with some of the cases. I saw the time and emotion involved with the defendants and with the families of victims. Murder cases were especially hard. It takes a special person to be able to do that type of work. It never occurred to me what would have happened if “I” was ever accused of murder being the son of an attorney. This essentially was the foundation for William Landay’s novel Defending Jacob.

Murders were extremely rare in a small suburban community outside of Boston. The community normally known for quiet living and great schools is turned upside down when a 14 year old boy is found stabbed to death on his way to school. Andy Barber is the 22 year veteran assistant district attorney assigned to the case. Andy is well respected in the community and vows to find the killer. Andy works through a list of suspects but comes up empty handed. As days pass with no suspects and no leads the town demands an answer. As Andy explores the possibility that another child may be the killer he is suddenly removed from the case. Andy is told that his own son Jacob is the prime suspect in the town’s latest murder. As circumstantial evidence mounts, Andy and his wife Laurie must do everything in their power to prove their son’s innocence.

The novel is very well written and includes intense dialog and emotions. The author strings together a personal look into the grief of one family and the frantic emotions of another. It explores the limits of a parent’s belief in the innocence of their child. Is there a difference between love and truth? Did Jacob really commit this crime or is it just the political pressure from an ambitious district attorney to find somebody.. anybody.. to be a suspect.

I completely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great crime drama with an emotional twist. And speaking of twists, just wait til the end.. GO READ IT!!!

LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL by Emily St. John Mandel

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A few months ago I reviewed a book by Emily St. John Mandel titled “The Lola Quartet”. I completely enjoyed the book and promised myself that I would read some of her other novels. “Last Night in Montreal” jumped out at me for several reasons. The first is that I have spent many weeks in Montreal myself. I worked for a company who had offices there and I learned the city (and some of the language) throughout that time. I was hoping it had some references to places I visited and I could reminisce along the way. The second and perhaps most important reason is that the teaser offered up exactly what I like about a good book: intrigue, twists, subtle deception and imagery. Knowing how Emily writes I was in for a treat in every one of those areas.

The novel is about the abduction of a young girl named Lilia by her father. Lilia and her father travel throughout the country for most of Lilia’s childhood. The father-daughter team try to stay ahead of law enforcement and a private detective hired by Lilia’s mother. Lilia and her father rarely stay in one place for long and this lifestyle follows Lilia into adulthood long after she and her father separate.

As Lilia moves from city to city she leaves countless forlorn lovers in her wake. She eventually arrives in New York City and meets a man named Eli. Eli and Lilia begin a passionate relationship and all seems well until Lilia vanishes mysteriously one morning. Hurt and searching for answers, Eli begins looking for Lilia by tracing her footsteps from the past. As soon as he is about to give up hope, he receives a postcard in the mail urging him to come to Montreal in order to reunite with Lilia.

When Eli arrives in Montreal he meets a woman named Michaela, who is responsible for the postcard. Michaela turns out to be the daughter of the detective that was hired by Lilia’s mother many years prior. As they talk, Michaela and Eli begin looking for answers but for different reasons. Promises made to Lilia begin to weigh heavily on them and an awkward stalemate forms. After weeks of soul-searching they decide to help each other find the truth. As the truth reveals itself to the pair it becomes clear just how much Lilia has suffered.

“Last Night in Montreal”is written from the perspective of each of the main characters. Each character relates the story as they see it and feel it at the time. This style allows only the reader to have full knowledge and consequently a unique set of emotions about the story.

Emily St. John Mandel writes with such beauty that images and scenery come alive out of the pages of this book. She allows the reader a rare glimpse into the emotions of tragedy and the dangers of obsession. Seemingly unrelated details eventually combine to form new ideas and new perspectives. It is an intelligently written novel and one that I absolutely enjoyed. If you have not read any of this author’s books, you need to start now.