Kills Houseplants

My Sister's Keeper

Nothing says "summer fun" like a book about a 15 year-old's battle with lukemia and her family's struggle to balance life and death. But, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was a great read.

The book, soon to be a major motion picture, was a wonderful, if not upbeat, read.  The book is written from a multi-narrative point of view from the six main characters in real time. The book takes place within one pivotal week in the life of the 15-year old lukemia patient, her 13 year-old sister and their family (with a couple of noteable flashbacks). Each voice is visually represented by a chapter shift as well as a distinct font, reflective of the characters personality.

It was a quick read (about 6 hrs total) but well worth the time investment.  I am certain the movie, starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin will be well done, but I would hate to see what they cut out. The book deftly weaves the 6 main characters stories together in a loom of longing, love, loss and death. It is beautifully crafted and unpredictable. The struggle of the parents resonates with us as we see in their struggles our own failings as guardians and shapers of our children. The decisions of how to save a child when it might hurt another is a choice you can empathize with the parents as the deliberate and simultaneously pray that you will never have to face. 

The love of family, the pain of growing up, the strength of heart and the gift of yourself - pick up My Sister's Keeper. You won't be sorry. Or borrow mine.

It must be summer because I started a book and finished it! Whatcha readin?

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My - Well - Werewolves and Vampires at Any Rate

About a year ago a friend and I started a book club. We were tired with the one we were previously in and wanted something fun - the result was "Drinks and Dramatic Interp".  We meet once a month to discuss a recent read, have some cocktails and visit with some friends. If the spirit moves us, or to be more accurate if the spirits move us, we might read a scene from the book. (Actually, I am the only one who really embraces this portion of the evening. A little drama days leftover you might say.)

Last month the group selected Twilight by Stephanie Meyer as our October read. I wasn't thrilled about this selection, but went with it because I can sometimes let things be out of my control. (no, really, I can, I grant you, not often, but I can) 

I was not thrilled because the book was getting a lot of hype and it was "the read" of many book clubs. I wasn't thrilled about reading a "teen novel" and felt it a bit to young for me to read. I became acquainted with the novel through my addiction to flair on facebook.  There were a number (I mean a large number) of flair buttons saying things like (SPOILER ALERT - don't read these if you want to be surprised) "Team Edward", "I love vampires", "My other boyfriend is a werewolf", etc.  I was over that and coupled with the soon to be released Twilight movie I didn't think I wanted to be a part of this mass-marketing campaign. But, I went along with the selection - at least ostensibly. 

I did not however rush right out and get the book. I had resigned myself to the liklihood that I would attend the book club meeting and not have read the book. This is a big personal no - no for me and would have been the first!  However, YTBN got sick last week and I had some time on my hands. A quick trip to Wal-Mart for some milk and I wound up with Twilight in my cart.

OKAY -

I am a Twilight fan - I admit it. I was wrong and it is a fun read.

We are not talking great literature here, but easy to pick up and hard to put down. The size of the books is a bit daunting. Books of this size usually bring up images of trudging through War and Peace - but these books are a breeze. Once you can get your brain wrapped around the concept that vampires and werewolves are exist today and of course your average 17 year old girl falls in love with one of each - you are set.

This is a series; Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse and New Moon. It is a fun, fresh, romance series aimed at the mid-teens. The first three books are relatively chaste, but it is my understanding that the fourth is not. While I am certainly not waiting for it to get any Pulitzer nods, it is escapism at its best.

I highly recommend it.  Read it and then let me know;

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

May the best man 

monster win.

Laugh Out Loud

A few weeks ago, when it was still summer and I felt like I had spare time, I picked up David Sedaris' latest release When Engulfed In Flames. For days on end it sat quietly on my counter, without complaint, as I ignored it and unceremoniously shuffled it from one pile to the next. Last Thursday I decided, against all evidence to the contrary, that I had time and started reading. 

Good thing I didn't start earlier as I could have gotten myself committed. Reading this book while surrounded by others would leave them little recourse but to decide that you are chemically unbalanced and check you in to one of those nice hotels with the padded walls and really snug fitting robes.  

Sedaris is hysterical and this book is his best, in my opinion.  I have read them all and love them, but this book lacks the glimpses of darkness of some of his other collections.  

If you aren't familiar with his work, you may have caught him as a guest contributor on NPR (yes, I realize I am one of only 3 people who regularly listen to NPR) and found yourself laughing on your drive.

If you think you and I share a similar type of humor - than I recommend you read any one of these titles:

Barrel Fever

Naked

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Holiday on Ice

I know some of you don't enjoy reading and so will totally dismiss this post  - but on the off-chance I can persuade you, please allow me to put in a brief excerpt.  This is from his story titled "The Man in the Hut" from When Engulfed in Flames and details his struggles to learn French while living abroad. In this section he is wondering if language acquisition would be easier if immersed in it - like in a prison.:

"Glaze" is one of those words that shouldn't be too difficult to learn, and the same goes for "shapely". I'm pretty good when it comes to retaining nouns and adjectives, but the bit about applying the glaze to the shapely jug - that's where I tend to stumble. In English, it's easy enough - "I put this on that" - but in French, such things have a way of biting you in the ass. I might have to say, "Do you like the glaze the shapely jug accepted from me?" or "Do you like the shapely jug in the glaze of which I earlier applied?"

For safety's sake, perhaps I'd be better off breaking the one sentence into three:

"Look at the shapely jug."

"Do you like the glaze?"

"I did that."

If I spent as much time speaking to my neighbors as I do practicing imaginary conversations in the prison crafts center, I'd be fluent by now and could quit making excuses for myself. As it is, whenever someone asks how long I've been in France I wonder if it's possible to literally die of shame. "I'm away a lot," I always say. "Two and a half months a year in America, and at least two in England, sometimes more."

"Yes, but how long ago did you come to France?"

"What?"

"I asked, 'How. Long. Have. You. Been. In. France?'"

Then I might say, "I love chicken," or "Big bees can be dangerous," anything to change the subject.

Get your copy of When Engulfed in Flames or any of his other books today - just read them in the privacy of your own home or you might wind up practicing your French with your new neighbors in the mental ward. Yes, it really is that funny!

Looking for Another Book

Just finished

Virgin Earth by Phillipa Gregory

She is the same author who wrote The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance both of which I enjoyed.  Those dealt with the English court in Henry VIII. The Virgin Earth is later during the reign of King Charles the First.  I didn't enjoy it as much as the others, but did use this historical fiction (which was light on love story - boo hiss) as a jumping off point for my own quest for knowledge and now know more about how England's government has developed. A constitutional monarchy doesn't happen over night. Jake was not as interested in the true story behind Cromwell and the key players but humored me all the same.  Interesting but not great.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall, Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

I went into this book a bit skeptical. The jacket says "a modern day slave" and I thought this to be hyperbole.  I found a book that really carries an impact with regard to homelessness and people in general.  It is a great read and strongly recommend it for anyone. If you are a North Texas resident you will enjoy it as the principals in this true story are in Fort Worth and the city serves as the backdrop for the story.  Easy read but strong message and wonderful story - pick one up.

Chick Lit

Since we have officially kicked off summer I selected a light beach/pool read -

Lauren Weisberger's Chasing Harry Winston.

This is the same author who wrote The Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing.

I read Prada and enjoyed it, but found Chasing Harry Winston to be predictable and flat. While reading it I felt like I was reading a script for Sex and The City - one I had already seen.  The story is quick and easy, if not a flattering portrayal of its own heroines. I struggle with books aimed at female readers that don't offer female characters that are strong, independent and realistic. It is a fluff read that is easy to put down, perhaps too easy.

What are you reading?