Dispatches From the Peninsula by Chris Tharp

Firstly, I need to apologize to Chris. I should have posted this review weeks ago when I finished his book but somehow I messed up and forgot to post. Menopause brain once again rears it's ugly head. (I don't know what I'm going to blame when this season of my life moves to the next but for now - that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

There are lots of 20-somethings who head off to the great unknown and try their hand at teaching English in various areas of Asia. I have family members who have taken this path and I'm sure most of you at least know of the trend. Never had I heard, however, of one of these young adults teaching in South Korea. It's not even a country that registered on my radar for this kind of activity. But South Korea is where Chris Tharp ended up. I loved the beginning of the book. We start out exactly where Chris started out in Korea. We arrive with him and, if you are anything like me, share the same knowledge base of the country and what to expect. It all seems a little overwhelming at first as we (Chris + the reader) meet new people and a new culture and try to keep it all straight.

In 'Dispatches from the Peninsula: Six Years in South Korea', the reader is introduced to this amazing culture through the eyes of an outsider. Chris explains what he sees, feels, learns, eats, etc. from the vantage point of an uninitiated citizen. The experiences for Chris start out new and wonderful and confusing just as they would be to the reader were he there. And we progress along with Chris to a point where it all becomes 'normal'. It is a journey of fun and not-so-fun experiences and not a few laughs.

Chris Tharp does an excellent job of describing his temporary country: the friends he makes, the people he meets and the experiences he has while there. The narrative is vivid and inspiring. Reading this memoir has given me a new place to add to my 'to visit' list. I fell in love with the country and the people as I read.

While I found the book to be interesting and easy  to read, it needs to be said that it does read like a memoir and not like a novel. The writing flows well and the editing is fabulous but I did not ever get to the point where I thought I was reading fiction. This is not a criticism, just information. 'Dispatches from the Peninsula' reads like what it is. I appreciated that. It kept the reading real for me. The only time I wished the book were more novel-like was at the ending. It felt abrupt. The experience and the book were just over. I know I can't have it both ways but I was left feeling just slightly not done with the book even though the book was done with me.

I know I've read a quote somewhere about books allowing the reader to travel the world, and beyond, while sitting in his own armchair (or something like that). 'Dispatches from the Peninsula: Six Years in South Korea' did that for me. I felt literally transported to a fantastic, new country and then put the book down and realized I was still comfortably settled in my own living room. It was a good feeling.

in the rearview mirror by Lee Livingston

Do you ever read a book and think 'this would make a fantastic movie'? I can't even count how many times I thought that as I read 'in the rearview mirror' by Lee Livingston. I kept forgetting it was a memoir. No one should have that much fun. It's 1961 and Lee and Dango (if you want to know about the nickname, read the book) need to get from California to Cleveland - without a car (they broke it). And really, when the choice is Greyhound bus or hitchhike and the choosers are 18 year old boys ... well, I bet you can guess the answer to that one.

The fun they have, the situations they find themselves in, the people they meet are all interesting, and very often laugh out loud funny, but this book is about so much more than that. It is about a friendship that defines the word and it is about the innocence of 18 years old in 1961 and it is about growing up and coming of age.

There was a lot of jumping around during the story as the author tried to explain past events and how they related to the big road trip. I enjoyed the vignettes but wished there had been another way to include this info. I'm not a big fan of flashbacks. Luckily, the book was good enough, well written enough, to pull me through the flashbacks.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this book will only appeal to older readers because of the time frame. It will appeal to older readers who remember the 60's. It will also appeal to anyone who is, or has been 18. I'd be a little reluctant to let my not yet 18 year olds read it, though, not for the content but because they may end up with a lot of ideas I'd rather they not follow through with.

Probably the best thing I can say about Lee Livingston's adventures is that, for the first time ever, I was grateful for the four hours I was stuck at the car dealership while they worked on my car because it gave me uninterrupted time to finish this fabulous book.

Just a note - I'm giving it a 4/5 for romance not because of any male/female romance but because of the romance of hitchhiking across the country as a teenager with more moxy than brains.

/5      

Character Development          5

Editing                                     5

Sex                                          2

Violence                                  0

Romance                                 4

Readability/Flow                    5

The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides by Barbara Brabec

When Babara Brabec contacted me about reviewing 'The Drummer Drives' I responded that her book sounded like a treasure. Having read it, that opinion stands. Whether the nature of the book appeals to you or not, the fact remains that it is a lovely memoir - both of Harry Brabec and of the history of the music industry in Chicago and elsewhere in the USA.

Harry Brabec was heavily involved in the music world of Chicago through the 1950's, 60's and beyond. His wife of 44 years and widow of five, has put together this collection of stories, memories, anecdotes and life from scrapbooks and journals. I have read a few memoirs and most, no matter how well written, will really only find an audience within the family of origin. When it comes down to it, most lives are strikingly similar: filled with happiness, struggle, family, and the business of just living. To create a memoir that will be of interest outside of the original family, there has to be an element of general interest. In Brabec's book - in Harry's life - that interest comes in the form of backstage peeks into the lives and personalities of entertainers of the period, and the workings of politics within the music scene in Chicago at the time.

Harry and Barbara had their ups and downs but their optimistic, positive attitudes pervade the book. Harry's humour and Barbara's dedication come through in each page. Each chapter is headed with a quote or joke, many from Harry himself, that set the mood for the stories and snippets that follow. Two of my favorites: I'm too old to pimp, and too young to die, so I'm just gon' keep playin'. - Clark Terry, world class trumpeter; Getting older isn't so bad; it's trying to maintain your oldness that wears you down. - Harry Brabec

Barbara also includes little side notes (always one for a pun - I loved the idea of 'notes' in a musical memoir). There are historical side notes, musical side notes, personal side notes, all designed to keep the reader in the loop. There is also a website companion to the book, www.theDrummerDrives.com,  where readers can go for more information, to hear and download music and video clips, see pictures and read articles and programs that relate to the book and Harry's life in music.

If the reader has any interest in the entertainment industry of the time, and especially in Big Band era music, many of the names of people, and of places, will be familiar. You will enjoy Barbara's straight forward, easy writing style. If you have no interest in the entertainment industry of the time, you might want to find another book.