The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Flavia de Luce is 11, doesn’t remember her mother, loves chemistry and just found a dead body in the garden. How did it get there, and is it somehow related to the argument she overheard her father having the night before? Flavia is determined to find out!

When this book was recommended to me, the selling point was Flavia, the narrator, protagonist and all-around likeable girl. “You’ll never meet a character like her,” I was told, and it’s true. I haven’t and I probably won’t again. Flavia is fabulously entertaining and a fantastic character. The other characters – her stamp-obsessed father, annoying older sisters, the kind-hearted but not-quite-all-there gardener – are also excellent, and Flavia’s 1950s English village is painted with plenty of loving detail.

The whodunit itself is good too. It’s a pleasurable ride with Flavia with some surprises and tender moments along the way. I look forward to acquiring more books featuring Flavia!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This third book of the Hunger Games trilogy finishes the tale of Katniss Everdeen and the things she does to survive against the Capitol. I enjoyed the ride and was glad to come (finally!) to a conclusion after two cliff-hangers in the previous volumes. The story, setting and characters are still very strong, particularly Katniss. I feel like I’ll have to go back and read the series again sometime, more slowly, so that I can really take in all the details.

If you are interested in science fiction, dystopian futures, or reality television, you’ve got to try this series!

Safeco Field, Seattle:

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Miller Park, Milwaukee:

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AT&T Park, San Francisco:

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Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City:

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U.S. Cellular Field (New Comisky Park), Chicago:

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Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati:

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Old Yankee Stadium, New York:

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Turner Field, Atlanta:

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PNC Park, Pittsburgh:

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Comerica Park, Detroit:

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Jacobs Field, Cleveland:

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Nationals Park, Washington DC:

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Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore:

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Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia:

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New Yankee Stadium, New York:

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Fenway Park, Boston:

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Doubleheader #7 gave us something that had only happened once before this year: a disappointing Mariners game and a satisfying Sounders game. In fact, this doubleheader was sort of each team’s 2010 season (so far) in microcosm: the M’s with a hopeful beginning and a frustrating ending, contrasted with the Rave Green having a rocky start but a quality finish.

After seeing the Mariners in 2 new parks on our road trip, it was nice to be back home. We were excited to see Doug Fister, who had pitched well in Baltimore when we were there, and he did have a quality start, going 7 innings and only giving up 1 run, although the Twins had 6 hits against him. Alas, Fister’s performance was wasted by a disgusting display of ineptitude by the Mariners’ offense. 2 hits, one each for Branyan and Lopez, were all the M’s could muster, and Nick Blackburn got the win for Minnesota. Seattle made him look like a Cy Young winner in the process. This will likely be our last visit to SAFECO in 2010, and it seems pretty par for the course for us this season.

To take our minds of the bad baseball played by the Mariners, we went to our favorite Szechuan food place in the International District and had some pork chow mein along with dry cooked chicken and string beans. Yum! It was tasty, filling, and an excellent way to use the hours between the baseball and soccer games.

This game for the Sounders against the Chicago Fire wasn’t quite must-win, but the Sounders’ playoff chances  would be much higher with another 3 points. Since Seattle is competing with Chicago for a playoff spot, this was actually a 6 point swing game – 3 points for the Sounders would mean 3 less for Chicago. Along with playoffs, there was also the drama of a returning player; Freddie Ljungberg, who was traded to the Fire in July was returning to Qwest Field for the first time. I had always liked Freddie, despite his tendency to whine too much to the officials, and was sad to see him go. Like many Sounders fans at Qwest, I gave him some applause when his name was called during the lineup announcements. After that, it was all business.

Right after the National Anthem, the ECS had planned a big tifo display that needed the upper sections too. We sit one section over, but since got into the stadium so early, we heard all about what they were going to do, and decided to help fill in a space if necessary. It turned out that several seats a few rows down from us were empty, so we went down to them during the Anthem and helped hold the blue plastic up. Here’s a picture of what the display looked like:

The banner at the bottom said “Fight for this City, its People, and their Spirit!” You can see where we were in the upper section on the far right just above the vendor in the red shirt. It was really neat to be part of such a big display! (Photo courtesy of ECS)

The Sounders went behind early in the 28th minute on a Chicago penalty that resulted from Jeff Parke handling the ball in the box. Really, all that happened was that Parke misjudged a clearance and the ball came off his arm, but when it’s that sort of situation, the referee (who had some really terrible calls later in the game) hasn’t got much of a choice. However, not much later, Tyson Wahl – in at left back for Leo Gonzalez, who had been given a red card in the previous match – made a brilliant cross to Fredy Montero, who controlled the ball, moved around two defenders, and scored right past the Chicago keeper. It was a great goal for Fredy, and a great assist for Wahl – we were very, very happy. While the Sounders didn’t score again in the first half, we went into halftime feeling good about our chances.

In the second half, the Sounders came out with a lot of energy, and created many more chances than Chicago. Osvaldo Alonso had (another) fantastic game, and he kept Ljungberg pretty much out of the action. In one instance, Alonso tackled Ljungberg and won the ball, the referee waved for play on, and Ljungberg put his hands in the air the same way we’ve seen him do so many times. It was an excellent play and the crowd, of course, loved it. As I said earlier, the ref wasn’t so hot with most of his calls – there was one especially bad non-call in which Alvaro “Flacco” Fernandez got brought down in the box as he was taking the ball between two defenders and no foul was given. It was a very similar play to one earlier in the season which gave FC Dallas a penalty in extra time and allowed them to draw with the Sounders in Dallas. So we were pretty upset about that one.

But in added time, Montero made us forget all that. The Sounders got a quick throw-in in the Brougham End, and Nathan Sturgis – whose play in midfield has been mostly solid but not inspiring – put a beautiful ball into the box where Fredy (who else?) was, as Arlo White said, “loitering with intent at the back post.” Fredy headed the ball right into the back of the net and we were ecstatic! It was a great finish and a fabulous game by the Sounders. After this match, Sounders fans are feeling much better about our side’s playoff chances!

Finals:  Twins 1, Mariners 0; Sounders 2, Fire 1 – Montero (36, Wahl) (90+, Sturgis)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve always been interested in history, and once I found the alternate history genre, it opened a whole new imaginative world for me. Thinking about how the quirks of history have caused things to turn out a certain way, and trying to figure out what would have happened if people had made different choices can be fun, harmless exercises. Sometimes they allow a greater understanding of the events in question. At least, that’s the premise behind the two volumes in What If? Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. No longer is the counterfactual just material for history class daydreams; real historians sometimes use it to examine causes and effects.

This collected volume covers much of human history, from ancient times to the 20th century. Alexander the Great, William the Conqueror, Luther, Zheng He, Washington, Napoleon, Bismarck, Lenin, Churchill, the potato and many others are spotlighted in short chapters written by experts on each era. The breadth of the collection means there’s something for everyone, although it did take me quite a while to get through it all. (That might be mostly because the book is so large.) It certainly gives a lot of food for thought!

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A quick, but challenging read, C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man begins as a critique of a particular school text book, then expands to encompass many of the 20th century’s assumptions about morality. While parts of the book are very rooted in 20th century England, there is still a lot that can be applied to our 21st century world.

Lewis spends most of the book arguing against the modern tendency to discard traditional morality in favor of “instinct.” He instead suggests that any belief system that is not grounded in “the Tao” – a first principles set which constitutes the basic morality common to all religious faiths. It would seem that this argument between those that use a basic morality to judge actions and those who do not hold to any sort of morality is still going on, making Lewis’ treatise an interesting read.
Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States by Andrew Coe

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My trip to Taiwan 5 years ago led to a fascinating discovery: the Chinese food you get in the United States is very different from what you get in China or Taiwan. How did the food get adapted to American tastes and become so popular? Andrew Coe’s Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States traces the way Chinese food came to the US, the reaction of European Americans to it, and how it evolved from a limited number of dishes from one particular region of China to a wide range of choices native to practically every region of the Middle Kingdom.

Coe begins with the (sometimes comical) writings of early American traders and missionaries, many of whom did not care for Chinese food. He shows how the rumors that Chinese eat things like rats (they don’t, obviously) got started, then moves on to the great migration of Chinese to California, the “Golden Mountain” in the mid-1800s. Most of these Chinese immigrants came from a specific region of southern China, which is why for many years, Chinese food in the United States consisted of only a few dishes (at least relative to the vast culinary smorgasbord that is China). Coe shows how Chinese people and food moved from California to New York and then exploded in popularity during the Gilded Age, stagnated after the second World War, and then came back to the forefront of American consciousness after Nixon’s visit to China to become an “ethnic” staple like pizza and tacos.

I learned a lot from this book, as its subject was completely foreign (no pun intended) to me. Coe’s chapters are a little long, but he often quotes primary sources, letting the people of the times – both Chinese and American, but most times the latter – speak for themselves. If you’re at all interested in cultural history and if you enjoy eating out at Panda Express, Mongolian barbecue or (if you’re lucky like us) your local fairly authentic Szechuan, Hunan or Cantonese restaurant, then you should check this book out.

From Day Out

This photo was taken from Seward Park, looking north and west at the city. Most of what you can see is the downtown skyscrapers (the Columbia Tower is the big black one in the middle) – notably absent are the Space Needle and Smith Tower. The Mt. Baker neighborhood is in the way; it is the houses and trees in the middle of the picture, while the Andrews Bay arm of Lake Washington is in the foreground.

It’s interesting to look at a place you know well from a different perspective, which is why I like this photo so much.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We’re on vacation in Philadelphia now, so we’re soaking up the history that buildings like Independence Hall have seen in their lifetimes. And we’re probably either eating a cheesesteak right now, or are just about to.

*those are actually pretty great things to be known for, when you think about it.

After a few days on the east side of the mountains, we hurried back early in the morning to make it to the Mariners’ 1:10 start against the Kansas City Royals. We got into the ballpark just in time to see Jason Vargas begin dealing to KC. Vargas looked a bit more like he had at the beginning of the season, and he did an excellent job of shutting the Royals down for 6 innings, only giving up one run.

The Mariners scraped out a couple of runs in the 6th off a surprising base hit by Casey Kotchman – who has been terrible offensively all year – which scored Ichiro! and Chone Figgins. Figgins and Ichiro! would combine for an insurance run in the 8th, which was important as David Aardsma gave up a pinch-hit home run to Alex Gordon in the 9th before getting the next two batters out and the save. It wasn’t beautiful baseball, but it was a win, and at this point in the season, a win for the Mariners is something to treasure as there have been so few of them.

Sadly, this would be Don Wakamatsu’s last game as the Mariners’ manager; he was fired the next day and didn’t take part in the game. While it’s way too late to expect this to change the M’s fortunes in 2010, a shakeup of management will hopefully bring positive results for the 2011 season.

For the Sounders, 2011 is not something to think about yet. They are still in the playoff chase in MLS, have the US Open Cup semi-final in September, and will be playing in Group C in the CONCACAF Champions League. Whew! That’s a lot of matches! We, however, were focusing on the opponent of the day, the Houston Dynamo.

It was only our second game seeing Blaise N’Kufo in a Sounders jersey; he started, along with an on-fire Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani, Sanna Nyassi and the rest of the usual complement of Rave Green. The first half saw some good Sounders chances in the North End, but no goals were scored by either side, although Houston were playing more of a rugby style than a soccer style. To our frustration, the referee was letting a lot of Houston’s play pass, and it looked like the Sounders might not get the points they needed.

The second half was a different story. A few minutes after a Houston goal in the North End was ruled (correctly) off-side, Kasey Keller launched a goal-kick three quarters of the way down the pitch, where it was trapped down by Montero who beat his defender before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner of the net…in the Brougham End! Finally! It was a beautiful goal, and it happened right in front of us – what a brilliant moment!

Just after Montero’s super goal, we were treated to another nice surprise, when Sigi subbed Alvaro “El Flaco” Fernandez in for Steve Zakuani. This was our first time seeing Flaco since the Sounders acquired him from Uruguay and since he scored the equalizer for the Sounders in their second-leg Champions League match versus Metapan in El Salvador. We were very excited to see this world class player in person and in our shirt, and Flaco did not disappoint. Once again, Montero showed his excellent form with a beautiful pass through the middle of the field to a running Fernandez. Alvaro almost seemed to lose the ball, but he kept control enough to beat the Houston keeper and give the Sounders a two goal advantage, right in front of us in the Brougham End.

The two goals for the Sounders would stand, and they came away with the necessary three points and a good amount of confidence heading into the next still-crucial match. We came away with tired feet and voices, some good memories, and the glow of a double victory doubleheader.

Finals:  Mariners 3, Kansas City 2 (W: Vargas; S: Aardsma); Sounders 2, Houston 0 (Montero, 64 (assist – Keller); Fernandez 88 (assist – Montero))

From Vancouver and White Rock, British Columbia

White Rock, BC, is just over the US-Canada border. We took this picture from the White Rock city pier, which juts out into Semiahoo Bay (isn’t that a great name? I think so).

While Mt. Baker may not be quite as tall as Mt. Rainier, as dramatic as Mt. St. Helens or as pointy as Mt. Hood, it is still a lovely peak. You can’t beat the blue sky, snow, trees and water for a great picture!

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The entrance to the Central Library in downtown Milwaukee is right below this beautiful rotunda. The entire building is pretty striking – it’s on the National Register of Historic Places – but it’s also a neat place to go and browse the stacks. They have a nice reading room, too, and a great space for children. I wish that more libraries had striking architecture like this; it tells you that the library building is Important and a place to Get Things Done, even if all you are getting done is picking out your next book to read. It also gives you the impression that information is important and powerful while also being available to you, no matter who you are. With all the changes happening in how we search for and receive information, these are things that should be remembered. Good job, Milwaukee!

You can find out more about the Milwaukee Public Library at their website.

From Day Out

The highway 520 floating bridge crosses Lake Washington between the Arboretum and the University of Washington campus. The UW shell house is a great place to rent a canoe, and it’s easy to paddle under the 520 bridge to the Arboretum. I liked how the sunlight on the water caused the reflection on the underside of the highway.

If you’re in Seattle on a sunny day and want something to do, go over to the UW campus and check it out!

Josh’s brother was in town visiting us, so he got my regular ticket. After eating a tasty dinner at Ivar’s, taking part in the March to the Match, and listening to the Sound Wave for awhile, Josh and Nathan went into the match. I went back up the street, looking for someone who was selling a single ticket. I got lucky and was able to purchase one for the price I wanted, and scrambled into Qwest to find my very different seat before the National Anthem.

We’ve had some matchday experiences with the “crazy people” – that is, the hard-core supporters who make up the ECS – but they were all away from Qwest: either at Starfire for US Open Cup matches or actual away games in San Jose and Vancouver. Being with the ECS in the Brougham End for a league match was something I wanted to try since part way through last season and this was the perfect time. Though my ticket wasn’t exactly for the ECS section, I knew that the group doesn’t care about assigned seating (standing, really) and that if I could get myself into the section, I would be able to stay as long as I gave my all in supporting the Sounders. Since I do that anyway, I figured I would fit right in. And I did. Everybody was really great and welcoming. I got to wave one of the big flags, and I even got to hold up a two- pole banner a few times.  I knew all the songs, and even though I had to drop out of the second pogo session, I knew that I had contributed to the atmosphere and support of the Brougham End.

Some great play from Steve Zakuani resulted in two goals, and Kasey Keller had another save of the week candidate. New Sounder Blaise N’Kufo (prounounced Koo-FOH) had a rather quiet game, but it’s understandable as it was his first league action in MLS after a full season in the highest Dutch league and an appearance for Switzerland in the World Cup. Whew! He’s probably still a bit tired after all that – and I’m sure we’ll see him make a bigger impact in future matches. Other Sounders that I was pleased to see were Patrick Ianni, Michael Seamon and Osvaldo Alonso, each of whom played fairly well, I thought, although I was a little busy supporting and didn’t see as much of the match as I normally do.

The Sounders aren’t in the playoffs yet for sure. But these three points are a great start and we are feeling much better about the Sounders’ chances in the matches to come!

Final: Sounders 2, Colorado 1 (Zakuani, 8; 17 [assist - Nyassi, Montero])

From Detroit, Michigan

Belle Isle is an island that is one big city park for the people of Detroit. It can be reached by the bridge that is in the foreground of the photo. There are lots of playgrounds, beaches for swimming, a golf course and many other amenities. It looked like a great place to spend a day, but we only had an afternoon. It would be great fun to go back sometime soon!

My favorite part about the Percy Jackson series is the way Rick Riordan weaves material from Greek mythology throughout the books. Some of it is obvious: many of the gods show up as characters in the books. However, there are other, more subtle nods as well, including the names of some of Percy’s friends, and some of the settings the characters travel to. This series is a great way to introduce kids to the Greek cannon and to Homer; the stories are interesting, memorable and fun.

I like Percy as a character. He is brave and loyal and also impulsive and a bit reckless. He’s also a great narrator. His friends, particularly Annabeth and Grover, are also interesting characters and the gods and demigods who are the antagonists in the stories are generally fascinating and well-fleshed out. The plots move quickly, with plenty of action and mystery. The series itself stands up well to re-readings – at least, the first four volumes do. I expect that when I re-read book 5 in the future, it will also remain entertaining.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Last Olympian is a fitting end to Rick Riordan’s excellent “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. The plot threads are resolved, Percy grows as a character, and the climax and finish are very satisfying.

Unlike the first four books in the series, which all centered around some sort of quest, The Last Olympian is mostly one big battle sequence that takes place in Manhattan. Percy and his friends must work together, as in previous books, but the action is not broken up into separate obstacles that Percy must overcome. Instead, the last half of the book is an climactic epic fight between Percy (and his friends) and the evil forces he has been battling throughout the series. It’s extremely difficult to put down, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to read it (and try not to start it right before bedtime!).

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was an excellent idea. A cure for society’s ills and the makings of an entirely new society. What could possibly go wrong? Just imagine: a place to put all of the criminals and the evildoers where they cannot get at everyone else – yes, a prison, but what a prison! – and govern them with a computer programmed to fill their needs and allow them to build a new society, a utopia! Incarceron would be the perfect civilization, the pinnacle of human achievement!

It’s never that easy, of course. Despite the philosophers and scholars who volunteered to enter the prison at its beginnings, and the ability of the computer to provide everything the inmates needed, Incarceron became a living hell, a mechanical cage that brought out the worst of everyone in it. Finn is no different than the others – he does what he has to survive, including stealing and killing – but he does have glimpses in his mind of Outside and the mysterious tattooed eagle on his wrist. No enters or exits Incarceron…but if that’s true, how can Finn remember the birthday cake?

Incarceron was a fabulous read. I can’t stress enough how very different it is from the other science-fiction I’ve read. The novel uses ideas from Utopia, Candide and Plato’s Republic in a creative way. The characters are fascinating, and the plot moves along quickly. The twists weren’t terribly surprising – but that’s my only criticism. Well, except for the fact that not everything is resolved in the end, and I’ll have to wait for the sequel to find out what happens. On the other hand, that’s not such a bad thing, is it?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Haven’t I read this book before? Or at least seen the movie? I’m pretty sure I have. Jenna was in a terrible accident; she was in a coma for two years and lost her memory. Now, she’s awake and alive, but something’s not right. As her memories start coming back, Jenna realizes that she has just as many questions as she did when she first woke up. Why doesn’t her grandmother seem to like her? How come her mother moved them to California while her father stayed in Boston? And why does she feel…just…different?

I figured out the answers to most of the questions pretty early on. And while The Adoration of Jenna Fox does have a twist that I didn’t forsee, the ending of the book was predictably dystopian and disappointing. Pearson begins to grapple with questions of what it means to be human and our relationship with technology, but in the end, she takes the easy way out, to the detriment of her story.

Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With a cast of wacky characters and a small-college-town backdrop, Maid of Murder isn’t your typical murder mystery (at least, not the kind that I generally read). In fact, it felt more like watching a wacky murder mystery TV show like Psych than like reading an Agatha Christie novel.

India Hayes works at the library at a small liberal arts college in the middle of Ohio. When her childhood friend Olivia returns to get married, India is coerced into being a bridesmaid and will have to wear an incredibly hideous gold dress. As if that weren’t enough, India’s brother, Mark, has to declare his unrequited love for the bride-to-be (and he’s not the groom) in the most embarrassing way possible. The very next day, Olivia is found dead and suspicion falls squarely on the unfortunate Mark. It’s up to India, hampered by a wacky family, small town rivalries and a pair of violent cats, to clear her brother’s name and find the real killer…

This book is a first novel, and in a few spots it shows. But overall, the plot moves along at a good pace, and the entertainingly crazy characters keep things exciting. This is a great “summer vacation” book.

We were looking for revenge, and it seemed like we would get it. In the 14th minute, Fredy Montero headed a lovely long ball from James Riley past the Dallas keeper and into the back of the net. 1-0 to the Sounders!

Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t so kind. In the first ten minutes of the second half, Miguel Montano (whom we criticized for diving in the Open Cup game, but we do love his ability to move the ball) went down on a hard tackle, and elbowed Dallas player Brek Shea in the head. Montano was shown a red card and sent off, and the Sounders were down to 10 men. The boys in green didn’t quite “park the bus” – that is, play defensively and not try for another goal – although they did seem to be a bit more careful with the ball. Alas, Dallas hammered at the defense and in the 87th minute grabbed another late equalizer. The final score was a 1-1 draw.

The Sounders looked a lot better in this game than they had on their previous two league games. Montano (before his stupid red card) and Michael Seamon played well, and a new combo on defense – Patrick Ianni and Jeff Parke in the middle, with Tyrone Marshall getting the night off – gave some new life to the team. I wouldn’t mind seeing most of these guys again (and Montano too, if someone will sit him down and tell him to play soccer instead of diving and practicing his MMA moves).  Without a red card, and with a full 11 men on the pitch, I have to think the Sounders come out the victors in this one. If it’s not one thing, it’s another! I have a little more hope now for the rest of the league season, and the Sounders are still in contention for the US Open Cup, so the promise of a trophy is still there.

However, this was another draw that felt like a loss. It’s entirely possible that at the end of the season, we’ll look back at these two Dallas games and lament strongly the  penalty, the red card, and the four points that we lost.

COME ON SOUNDERS, SCORE A GOAL! (or make the one be enough!)

Final: Sounders 1, FC Dallas 1 (Montero, 14′)