A Piano in the Pyrenees by Tony Hawks

Let me start off by saying I love Tony Hawks. Not the skateboard guy, but the British comedian. While I've never heard any of his stand up, I've read two of this other books (Round Ireland with a Fridge and Playing the Moldovans at Tennis) and really enjoyed them. While A Piano in the Pyrenees wasn't as good as the other two, it' still a good read.

Hawks is one of those people who gets into a lot of weird "this could only happen to me" situations. And this is where is comedy shines. Hawks is self-deprecating, optimistic, and just seems downright nice. I'm tempted to compare him to David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs but Hawks is a lot nicer than Burroughs and not as well, Sedaris-y as Sedaris (though I still think David's the funniest writer on the planet), because Hawks has a lot brighter take on life.

Anyhow, about the piano and about the Pyrenees. Hawks and his friend head to the Pyrenees in the south of France for a ski trip. However, after a half hour, his friend realizes he can't ski any longer because his ankle is injured. Not wanting to ski by himself, Hawks and his friend decide to drive around the countryside. And Hawks buys a house. Yep, just like that. His friend says he should look into a vacation home and he finds what he thinks is the perfect one and puts in a bid. Just like that, spur of the moment. And he gets the house.

The idea is that he'll use this house as a place to relax and practice his piano skills so he can really get back to music. Alas, things never work out as planned, especially if your name is Tony Hawks. He takes us through his adventures in trying to fix up the house (along with his grumpy friend/handyman from home, Ron), fit in with the village, remember to speak in French, and build a pool. Not to give anything away, but the pool becomes known as "Serge's Hole."

It's tough to go into too much detail, but typical of Hawks, there are many times I found myself laughing out loud, thinking "god what another mess he's in," and most importantly, I smiled almost the whole time I was reading it. A good read, a fun read, and even a little uplifting. Perfect summer reading. Thanks for the good time, Tony!

The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar

The Kobayashi Maru (1989) by Julia Ecklar is a Star Trek pulp fiction book. I picked it up because the Kobayashi Maru scenario was a cool part in the new Star Trek movie and was a semi-important part of the Wrath of Khan.

Essentially the scenario tests Starfleet cadets responses to a no-win scenario. In the book we're treated to Kirk, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty's (yes, even Scotty) "solutions" for the scenario.

I can't say the book was good, but it was fun.

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

The Nine is a look at the workings of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), particularly the Rehnquist Court. I've had this on my list for a while, and I figured it would be a good read given the retirement of Justice Souter and the upcoming confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor. I wasn't disappointed. However, this book isn't for everyone. If you don't have an interest in politics, the law, or aren't a history and civics geek like me, the book may not hold your interest.

Toobin does a nice job of giving an historical framework to the court and the major cases that came before the Rehnquist Court. Even more interesting is his history of the conservative movement's push over the years to get "solid" judges placed on the SCOTUS mainly for the purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade and thus reinstating a ban on abortions.

The author also strongly argues against current Chief Justice Roberts' conception of the Justices being just like baseball umpires, simply calling balls and strikes according to well-defined rules. Toobin argues that just the opposite, the Court takes on the cases where the law is nebulous and without well-defined rules. If the rules had been that clear-cut, the cases would have been settled at a lower court or the SCOTUS would have declined to hear the appeal because they felt the decisions already made at the lower court were clear. And this is where politics and ideology come into play.

The Justices are most definitely political actors. They are appointed through a political process and gained their nominations through having political opinions. This doesn't mean that the Justices toe a particular party line (especially since most of them firmly believe in an independent judiciary), however, they tend to stick to their original political leanings. There is much hue and cry over the years about Justices "growing into the job" and becoming more liberal with time. Toobin argues that this isn't the case. It's simply that the Justices (especially Souter and O'Connor) didn't fit in with the ideological right wing's version of conservatism. Souter was (is) a moderate New England conservative and O'Connor grew up and served in Barry Goldwater's Republican Party, the one that was more interested in less restrictive government and didn't have as much of an interest in social issues. Toobin makes an iron-clad case that the Republican Party moved away from O'Connor, rather than vice versa. On the other hand, old habits and affiliations die hard, as is seen in her vote in Bush v. Gore that landed George W. Bush in the White House.

In all, I found it to be a fascinating book, but again, it won't be for everyone.

Way behind in updating

I have two books, almost three, that I need to write up. But when I was on vacation, I didn't feel like blogging them. So there. :)