I finished two books in the month of March (and still have two days left for my third). The first one was Jeremy Clarkson’s book, For Crying Out Loud: The World According to Clarkson. It’s a collection of his newspaper column from the mid 2000’s, and it’s just as funny as he is on Top Gear.
I’ve had a crush on Jeremy Clarkson for a few years…ok more than a few. Closer to fifteen. I think he’s witty, charming, and I love his disdain for hybrid cars. The accent doesn’t hurt either. And his point of view is generally along the lines of mine. The book was laugh-out-loud funny. So funny, that I actually had people looking at me in the lunchroom. I’d recommend it if you enjoy his sense of humor at all. Plus, it helps when you can hear his voice in you head.
The second book I read this month was completely different, and it was torturous. Anyone with any interest in North Korea should read it, as long as they can separate themselves emotionally from the words on the page. It’s called Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, and it’s the story of Shin Dong-Hyuk, the only person to be born inside a North Korean camp and escape to the west.
He wrote a journal once he escaped, which was turned into a memoir, but no one read it. It was only when this English version came out that he gained widespread attention. The book is not as graphic as another memoir I’ve read, but it strikes up particularly strong emotions – especially for me because the State Department had my country of origin listed as North Korea. I read the book in just a few days, because I couldn’t put it down, but if you have strong feelings about either of the Koreas, you might not want to start it.
The third book that I’m aiming to finish is another memoir, but of a totally different type…..Stay tuned!
And all the roads we have to walk are winding... 