BookOpinion

The best good and bad quotes last forever or at least until the end of the year … for example, making your “Don’t Tase Me, Bro!” T-shirt still a worthy Christmas present.

While a delicious quote on a T-shirt might bleach out in the wash, a book of memorable quotes lasts a lot longer. Fred R. Shapiro, an associate librarian and lecturer at the Yale Law School, is the editor of “The Yale Book of Quotations,” released earlier this year after six years of research. It contains about 13,000 quotes, each extensively researched to verify its origin. He expects to add about 1,000 more quotes — mostly modern — for the next edition of his book in about five years.

More recently, Shapiro released a list of the 10 most memorable quotes of 2007. With help from the Associated Press, here’s the list from bottom to top:

10. “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.”

Former President Jimmy Carter, referring to the Bush administration in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper

9. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

Sen. Joseph Biden, referring to rival Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama

8. “(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom.”

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, explaining why his foot touched the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men’s room

7. “I’m not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, referring to Republican Vice President Dick Cheney

6. “There’s only three things he (Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11.”

Sen. Joseph Biden, speaking during a debate for Democratic presidential candidates

5. “I don’t recall.”

Former U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales’ repeated response to questions from members of Congress about the firing of U.S. attorneys

4. “That’s some nappy-headed hos there.”

Radio personality Don Imus, referring to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team

3. “In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a speaking engagement at Columbia University in New York

2. “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us.”

Lauren Upton, the South Carolina contestant in the Miss Teen America contest, when asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot find the U.S on a map

1. “Don’t tase me, bro.”

Andrew Meyer, a senior at the University of Florida, after being hauled away by campus police during a speech made by Sen. John Kerry.

Don’t Tase Me, Bro! The Video

Now that I’ve refreshed your memory on some top unforgettable quotes of 2007, I recommend getting your hands on an extensive list found in “The Yale Book of Quotations.”

This from Booklist’s Carolyn Mulac:

To paraphrase Ira Gershwin, “on every [page] that you turn you meet a notable with a statement that is eminently quotable” in this collection. According to editor Shapiro, this is “the first quotation book to be compiled using state-of-the-art research methods to seek out quotations and to trace quotation sources.” He compares his approach with that of the Oxford English Dictionary: he, too, traces words back to their earliest possible usages. Using a variety of electronic sources, such as JSTOR, LexisNexis, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, andTimes Digital Archive, scores of quotations were verified, and in many cases reverified. The more than 12,000 quotations collected here span a wide array of subjects, from literature, philosophy, and history to science, business, and politics.

Quotations are presented alphabetically by the name of the author or speaker. Shakespeare and the Bible, the mother lodes of quotations, are amply represented, but emphasis is on “modern and American materials.” Children’s authors, who are often ignored in other dictionaries, are quoted here. There are a number of special sections devoted to particular types of quotations, among them advertising slogans, ballads, film lines, political slogans, and radio and television catchphrases. Song lyrics are entered by the name of the composer, and film lines appear either under the film title in the special section devoted to movie lines or, if they originated in a book or play upon which the film was based, under the author of that literary source. Proverbs span the centuries and often include evidence of a saying’s first print appearance. A keyword index, an essential element of any quotation dictionary, rounds out the text.

Don’t disappoint me, bro…go check out “The Yale Book of Quotations” now!

- Alexander

Long before Orange County, Calif. became “The OC”, a young Steve Martin used Disneyland and other county landmarks as backdrops for honing his stage and comic skills.
Martin’s book, “Born Standing Up“, is his memoir of the first half of his life…including an Orange County from a different era.

Martin and excerpts from “Born Standing Up” were recently featured in an article in the OC Register:

Take a tour of comedian Steve Martin’s Orange County
The comedian and writer grew up in Garden Grove, worked at Disneyland as a kid and cut his teeth as a performer at Knott’s.

By Peter Larsen

If we are shaped by the places we go and people we know in our childhoods, then Steve Martin is an absolute product of Orange County in the ’50s and ’60s.

Young Steve Martin worked at the magic shop at Disneyland. (courtesy Steve Martin)

From the well-known outlines of the actor-comedian-writer’s life we already knew that Martin grew up in Garden Grove, worked at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm as a teen, and launched his career as a comic in the long-gone folk clubs here some 40 years ago.

But with the recent arrival of “Born Standing Up” (Scribner, $25), Martin’s memoir of the first half of his life, the details of his years here – the significant places on the map of his life – are revealed in the star’s own words and memories…

Full story/OC Register

Janet Maslin of The New York Times writes that “Born Standing Up” is a “lean, incisive new book about the trajectory of [Martin’s] life in comedy…”Born Standing Up” does a sharp-witted job of breaking down the step-by-step process that brought Steve Martin from Disneyland, where he spent his version of a Dickensian childhood as a schoolboy employee, to both the pinnacle of stardom and the brink of disaster…tightly focused…”Born Standing Up” is a surprising book: smart, serious, heartfelt and confessional without being maudlin.”

This from Jerry Seinfeld in GQ: “Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written.”

Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss reviews: “The writing is evocative, unflinching and cool. When Martin takes a scalpel to his life, what you feel is the precision of the surgeon more than the primal scream of the unanaesthetized patient…”Born Standing Up” is neither fanfare nor confession. It gives off a vibe of rigorous honesty. With lots of laughs.”

Having lived “behind the Orange Curtain”, Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up“ is an inspiring break-out story, also reminding me of the sweet smell of orange blossoms that once permeated the air.

- Alexander

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Sue Grafton is one of those authors who has me running to the bookstore the very day her latest offering goes on sale. I have not yet been disappointed at my haste, and not yet been able to stop reading one of her new books until it’s done. So it was yesterday at precisely 12:09 a.m. that I reluctantly closed the book on the 20th installment of Grafton’s alphabet mystery series, “T is for Trespass.”

For those not in the know, the books detail the life and cases of private investigator Kinsey Millhone. In this latest book, Kinsey investigates a private nurse who has been hired to care for a cranky octagenarian neighbor after he has had a bad fall. Initially all seems well, but Kinsey and her landlord/friend Henry Pitts become convinced that something sinister is happening. The novel deals with not only elder abuse, but also identity theft. “T is for Trespass” is Kinsey at her best — absolutely out for justice and kicking … well, you know what.

There are a lot of disturbing characters in this novel, some frustrating and some just evil. The novel jumps back between first person (narrated by Kinsey) and third person (describing the behind-the-scenes action of the main antagonist, a thoroughly wretched character).

I don’t want to give away a lot of plot details, but this one is a page-turner. I was not totally satisfied by the ending, it seemed to close up too quickly or maybe the plot device was lacking. In general, though, this is a great addition to my Kinsey Millhone collection.

Grafton’s writing just never really disappoints. Now I will have to start counting the days until the next book. U is for Umbrella? Unitarian? Ubiquitous?

– Jane Leisteiner

Sue Grafton, my most favorite mystery author ever, has released the 20th book in her wonderful Kinsey Millhone/alphabet series (T is for Trespass). I love Kinsey Millhone. I love her because she’s smart, she’s funny, down-to-earth, and loves food almost as much as I do. I love Sue Grafton because everytime she offers readers a new book, we know it will build upon the last one. Kinsey keeps maturing as a character, not just a rehash of the same old stuff everytime.

I could mention some mystery authors who need to kick it up a notch, but out of politeness I will refrain. Instead, I offer to you my top 10 Kinsey Millhone books, in alphabetical order.

• A is for Alibi - The first one. A great introduction. It’s a quick, fast-paced story with terrific characters.
• C is for Corpse - This was actually the first Kinsey book I ever read. My mother (Thank You, Mommy) handed over her copy when I was about 19. I have re-read it probably three dozen times. I can practically read the entire book in my head from start to finish. This book opened up the world of mysteries for me. I remember thinking that Kinsey was pretty old (she was 32!) when I read it. Now that I am a wee past 32, I have a slightly different perspective.
• E is for Evidence - The characters in this one have me hooked. Grafton is great at creating some twisted dysfunctional families.
• F is for Fugitive - I love the stories where Kinsey has to reconstruct a crime from years ago. (S is for Silence and Q is for Quarry have similar plots.)
• G is for Gumshoe - The coolest story. This one is more about Kinsey than the actual mystery she solves, hence the gumshoe in the title. This one is my favorite in the series.
• I is for Innocent - Is David Barney innocent or guilty of killing his wife? Well, you don’t find out until the end, but you won’t like him either way. In fact, I didn’t really like the victim, but I love this book.
• K is for Killer - Again great story and characters combine to make a terrific read.
• M is for Malice - Another great story. I love the character of Guy Malek.
• O is for Outlaw - I like this one for the glimpse the reader gets into Kinsey’s past.
• Q is for Quarry - This one has an interesting spin. The mystery is a cold case brought to her by two local cops. Kinsey has to reconstruct a crime. This fictional book is inspired by an actual cold case from the late 1960s.

This was a tough list to create, I really wanted to add B is for Burglar and H is for Homicide, too. And L is for Lawless is good, too. Oh, just go out and read all of them, you won’t be disappointed.

I plan to hit the bookstore bright and early on December 4 to pick up my copy of T is for Trespass. Maybe it will replace one of my Top 10 picks.

– Jane Leisteiner

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: I have read many Dean Koontz books, and none have left me feeling as tormented as the author’s latest novel, “The Darkest Evening of the Year“. Koontz offers up an array of hideous antagonists, the worst of which made me literally sick to my stomach. Part of the torment comes from his graphic descriptions of dog abuse and child abuse. Koontz’s beloved dog, Trixie, passed away recently, and that sorrow is obvious throughout the book. Having lost my own beloved dog recently, I thoroughly empathize.

Dogs, specifically Golden Retrievers, are some of the most vivid characters of the novel, which centers mainly on the life of Amy Redwing, whose life revolves around rescuing dogs. The novel opens as Amy and her boyfriend, Brian, are in rescue mode, attempting to save a dog from a wife/child beater who doubles as the killer of the family pets. After saving both the family and the dog, Amy takes the dog in to live with her other beloved Goldens, but Nickie, this new dog, is special, forming unusual bonds and connections with both people and other dogs.

The novel flips back and forth between the protaganists’ (Amy and Brian) story and the villains, an unsavory cast of lowlife private detectivies, hitmen, and two others who will make your skin crawl. I enjoyed getting to know Amy, but I never felt like Brian became a full character. I didn’t feel the sympathy for him that Amy and several others garnered. Some of the book felt a little rushed, unusual for a Koontz book, which can sometimes be a bit overburdened with detail.

This is a dark book, darker still if you are a true dog lover. Anyone who can read this book and not want to rush down to the nearest animal shelter and bring home a couple dogs (or a cat) to love, has a heart of stone. The thing to love about Dean Koontz is that he has no illusion that the world is not a dark and evil place, yet he always offers to the reader protagonists that defy the darkness and manage to find hope and peace. “The Darkest Evening of the Year” is no exception.

I still say “Life Expectancy” (which I just reread for the fourth time) is his greatest work, but any true Koontz fan should enjoy this latest book. Now that I have devoured this latest, I will try to patiently await the release of the next Odd Thomas book, which is scheduled for April, 2008. In the meantime, I will try to convince my husband that we need to make a trip to the local animal shelter in the near future.

– Jane Leisteiner

Amazon has released a podcast excerpt for the audiobook “Rhett Butler’s People” by Donald McCaig. The book has received solid reviews, and the excerpt runs just more than 6 minutes.

“In the capable hands of narrator John Bedford Lloyd, Donald McCaig’s Rhett displays just the right mix of pride and swagger,” writes Amazon. “Listen now and get a taste of one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of the season!”

Publishers Weekly says: “Was it strictly necessary to our understanding of Gone With the Wind’s dashing hero to flesh out his backstory, replay famous GWTW scenes from his perspective, and crank the plot past the original’s astringent denouement? Perhaps not, but it’s still a fun ride. In this authorized reimagining, Rhett, disowned son of a cruel South Carolina planter, is still a jauntily worldwise charmer, roguish but kind; Scarlett is still feisty, manipulative and neurotic; and the air of besieged decorum is slightly racier. (Rhett: “My dear, you have jam at the corner of your mouth.” Scarlett: “Lick it off.”) But it says much about the author’s sure feel for Margaret Mitchell’s magnetic protagonists that they still beguile us. McCaig (Jacob’s Ladder) broadens the canvas, giving Rhett new dueling and blockade-running adventures and adding intriguing characters like Confederate cavalier-turned-Klansman Andrew Ravanel, a rancid version of Ashley Wilkes who romances Rhett’s sister Rosemary. He paints a richer, darker panorama of a Civil War-era South where poor whites seethe with resentment and slavery and racism are brutal facts of life that an instinctive gentleman like Rhett can work around but not openly challenge. McCaig thus imparts a Faulknerian tone to the saga that sharpens Mitchell’s critique of Southern nostalgia without losing the epic sweep and romantic pathos. The result is an engrossing update of GWTW that fans of the original will definitely give a damn about.”

Click here to listen to Amazon’s podcast excerpt of Rhett Butler’s People.

Below is a a very short trailer for the book:

Ready for consumption like a mocha frappuccino, “Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture” by Taylor Clark hit bookstores this past week. BookOpinion has compiled reviews from several media outlets.

Clark, a Portland-based journalist, has felt this topic brewing (last pun from us, we promise) since the Starbucks chain opened three branches in his small Oregon hometown. Hundreds of interviews and countless hours later, “Starbucked” was crafted into a “witty and often biting book,” according to the New York Post.

Publishers Weekly summarizes the book: “His coverage begins with a Seattle trio who set out to emulate the high-quality coffee of the California-based Peet’s chain, before Howard Schultz took over the company and laid plans for its massive expansion. While Clark grudgingly admires Starbucks’ ability to repackage coffee as beverage entertainment for a hyperprosperous society in search of emotional soothing, there’s a lot he doesn’t like about the company. He’s convinced that Starbucks diminishes the world’s diversity by ruthlessly outmaneuvering local competition on a global scale, and dubs the baristas’ work as a textbook McJob. Even the quality of the coffee, he says, has gone downhill.”

The San Francisco Chronicle gave the book a good review, “Entertaining, illuminating and reflective are not qualities usually associated with corporate histories. But Taylor Clark, former Willamette Week alt-weekly journalist, Dartmouth College graduate and Portland resident, has written a story about one business that’s all of these… Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture‘ is the eminently readable result. Clark explains that his purpose in writing the book was ‘to tell the story of how a major corporation, peddling a simple, age-old commodity, influences the daily life and culture of the world.’”

The New York Post digs into the topic further:

October 28, 2007 — In 2004, residents in Portland, Oregon, tried to firebomb a new Starbucks store that had opened in the face of intense community opposition. The Molotov cocktail bounced off the reinforced glass, burning harmlessly. Starbucks, a corporation with a worldwide reach of 13,000 stores from Seattle to Paris, Beijing to Saudi Arabia (where there are separate seats for men and women), has long fortified itself against local enemies. Despite the disgruntled neighbors in Portland, the new Starbucks stayed open.

Starting in 1971 as a storefront selling fresh-roasted gourmet coffee beans to coffee fanatics in Seattle, Starbucks has evolved into a ubiquitous player in the American cultural landscape, making us into caffeine addicts and connoisseurs of expensive coffee. In “Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture,“ journalist Taylor Clark has written a rollicking account of the social phenomenon, which has become our national meeting place, filling the void left by the churches and marketplaces of the past…

…Clark has many funny asides. Using Internet map searches, he found that the farthest place from a Starbucks in America is the hamlet of Saco, Montana, which is almost 200 miles away from any of the pervasive green coffee shops. The derogatory nickname of “Charbucks” comes from the burned nature of the beans of the Starbucks dark roast. Clark briefly muses over the possibility that burned beans may encourage people to buy expensive milk-based drinks like venti lattes.

The Starbucks’ juggernaut continues unabated worldwide, with the company opening as many as six stores a day and serving 40 million customers. Starbucks penetrated the horrified British, French and Japanese markets and made new coffee drinkers in droves. Like McDonald’s, Starbucks is reaching its saturation point. The coffee giant’s prestige is evaporating. “Starbucks is just going to lose appeal as it grows,” pop-culture analyst Robert Thompson told Clark. “Anyone can get Starbucks now. There’s no exclusivity anymore. They’ve moved into volume, volume, volume.”

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The Wall Street Journal writes about how the book delves into the success of Starbucks:

A major part of the Starbucks story has to do with real estate, since the company obviously favors a kind of neighborhood saturation. “Through a combination of cunning store-placement strategy and ruthlessness with competitors,” Mr. Clark writes, “the company attempted to make it so customers couldn’t help but go to Starbucks.” One Starbucks real-estate dealmaker, who was turned down for an attractive commercial space, discovered that the refusing landlord was a doctor. She made an appointment to see him, pretending to be a patient, and repeated her pitch at his office. He caved in, and Starbucks got the space. As for what space is best, Starbucks prefers to be near dry cleaners and video stores, because they require two visits — for dropping off and picking up.

The company has been no less relentless about its image. The high prices signal not just quality but luxury, and the specialized vocabulary (”venti,” “doppio” and the like) elevates a mundane form of consumption into the realm of cosmopolitan taste. In the same vein, Mr. Schultz strives to make each Starbucks a “third place” between work and home. “We’re not in the coffee business serving people,” he likes to say, “we’re in the people business serving coffee.”
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