"The Historian"

Spoilers ahead: It took me longer than expected but I finished reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. I was really impressed with this book with its depth of story and interesting characters. The story is about a father (Paul) and daughter, Americans who live in Amsterdam, and the unfolding of the father's past, intertwined with the present. The story is about the search for Dracula and how this search effects the lives of everyone involved in the story. The plot was well thought out and very thorough. However, I was disappointed with the last 10 pages of the book, the climax. I was waiting for the end to be this long, well thought out ending with at least an explanation of the events after Helen was found and Dracula was killed (supposedly). But the end was just 10 pages with little elaboration regarding the final events. Overall, I enjoyed the book, especially the relevance of the title to the story (Dracula himself was a historian and it was historians who found and killed him).

Next up: "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The Gorge Amphitheater

So I haven't posted in a while and I wanted to describe The Black Crowes/Tom Petty concert Kevin and I went to a few weekends ago. This was my first time to central Washington state and it's amazing to see the geographical differences between areas west of the Cascades and areas east of the Cascades. Portland is in the valley between the Coastal Range and the Cascades and it's full of rolling hills, green grass and lots of trees. Central Washington is in that baron wasteland on the east side of the Cascades. It's basically a desert with few trees, brown grass and tumbleweeds. The one bright spot that winds its' way through the region is the Columbia River. This is the backdrop for the Gorge Amphitheater. You walk in at the top of the ridge with the stage at the bottom of the sloping lawn and the Columbia River Gorge in the background. It's absolutely beautiful and the best outdoor venue I've been to. We were even treated to watching the sun set while listening to The Black Crowes! The concert sounded great. Best audio quality outdoors that I've heard.

I must now go back to the Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band and my concert going experience will be complete. That, and seeing them play at Red Rocks!

Concert Time

I haven't been to a live show in a month or so, I believe the last show was The Pixies with Jacinta. Anyway, this weekend Kevin and I are taking a quick road trip up to Gorge Amphitheater for the Black Crowes and Tom Petty show. Then Saturday night we'll catch Garbage at the Schnitz in Portland. Should be 2 great shows in 2 days! I'm looking forward to it and spending some quality time with Kevin since he's been out of town for a while. Party on Wayne! Party on Garth!