Rainy Day Bliss

I asked for the day off and got it. The nervous me hesitated because I'm running to the end of my time off. I'm afraid I haven't planned out all my needed time for doctor's appointments and such. On Wednesday, when I woke up I thought it was Thursday. I had psyched myself up that the next day would be Friday before a 3 Day Weekend. So, when I went to work again on Thursday feeling like Groundhog Day...I asked for Friday off. Voila, I had the day off.

This morning looked like a Seattle day with a grey sky and soft, light rain. As Jordan and I went out on our errands I felt homesick or nostalgic (I'm not sure which) for our Northwest home. 

After our errand, I wanted to stop at B&N, "just for a minute", so I could pick up a sweet, happy novel. My goal was to really live the dream. The one where I'm on the couch with my novel with a cup of hot tea and loving the soft sound of rain outside. What better way for me to spend what is likely my last real vacay day of the year? 

I told Jordan I would just run in and run out...so he could wait in the car. --If we both got in there we would never get out and my opportunity for rain, book, and tea would be lost.

I've had trouble finding novels that capture me like I longed to be captured. I planned on asking the salesperson to help me find a novel with these requirements: 1. Sweet, 2. Happy 3. Not dark, dreary or sad.

But, I thought "I can do this". So I raced down the fiction aisles looking for new books by my known and trustworthy authors. --All of my authors must be between books. Choosing an unknown (to me) author can be tricky. I did not want to regret my book on my Ferris Bueller Day Off.

So, to the YA aisle, I went. I was happy when I found Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. It's been on my list for a while. I chose two other books and almost skipped out of the store. 

Books in hand, we drove to Starbucks for a favorite, vanilla latte and banana nut bread. Yes, this day off was going to be everything I ever wanted.

And it was. I finished my first book in pretty much one "sitting". I did take a bathroom break or two and I ate some lunch...but my nose was back in the book very quickly. 

The book that held me all day (and for many days to come, I believe) is The Memory Book by Lara Avery. 

Sammie, the main character, grabbed me on page one. She wrote to herself so she could remember what she needed to remember. A rare condition causing memory loss at the early age of 18 had taken residence in her body. It sounds like the story would be depressing, but it really hopeful. Sammie wrote down things to remember as she continued to work on her goals of being valedictorian and going to NYU. She was basically already valedictorian, she just needed to hold on to her grades for the last school term. 

Sammie was strong, she was determined, she was ME! 

I recognized her dedication to her goal which was to get to college on a scholarship. My goals didn't include a scholarship, but they did include taking the academic side of school very seriously. I recognized Sammie's need to stay in control. The need to control the things "you can control" because there are so many things we can't control. Sammie could control how much she prepared and studied. She could taste the end goal.

In the middle of all of this, of course, is a complicated love story. --That is the sweet part. So, so sweet. So worth it.

I was in Sammie's world the entire day. I was wanting to help her make the "right" decisions. You know, like when you tell the girl in the movie not to open the door? Like that. But Sammie has a strong mind of her own. She didn't really need my help. 

So, there you have it. My last day off for no reason, except to do exactly what I wanted, was a success.

Reading Yassmin's Story

I've just finished re-reading Yassmin's Story: Who Do You Think I Am? You read that right...I re-read it. This is one of the fastest reads I've had in a long time. In this memoir, 24-year-old Yassmin tells of her experiences as an immigrant to Australia from Sudan. Her experiences are magnified by the fact that she is a Muslim woman who chooses to wear the hijab.

I was drawn to the book by the power of Yassmin's personality and her diverse "identities". As Yassmin says, she has "the privilege and blessing of taking on multiple identities." At the mere age of 24, Yassmin has an impressive and diverse resume. She is a mechanical engineer/supervisor on an oil rig.

In the prologue, Yassmin describes her refuge, the helideck. She says "I'm sitting on the helideck in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from any land. It's the dead of night, the only time I find peace and the chance to be alone on an oil rig..."

OKAY, hold on.  I want to take a moment to really think about where Yassmin finds refuge. She finds it on the helicopter deck of her oil rig.  To fully appreciate this, you may need a visual. This is a photo of an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean.

Source

Yassmin can share her experiences in a candid, easy style. She shares on a granular level how her parents' lives were changed by the overthrow of the democratic government. She shares what led them to leave their family, home, and country.  

She identifies with several minority groups, but not always at the same time. She is a woman. She is African-Australian. She is Muslim. She is a woman engineer. She is a woman supervisor on an oil rig, which is still a predominately male field of work.

Yassmin shares observations of different forms of bias and oppression that affect Muslim women in western society. She shares this without bitterness. She gives what can be considered an alternate point of view of Islam and women's choices and freedoms. Acknowledging that there are women around the world who are oppressed and that some of these women happen to also be Muslim, Yassmin explains, "But their Islam is not the cause of their oppression; the cause is usually the regime they are in, their economic circumstances or the patriarchal environment and culture." 

Yassmin's story is uplifting. It's an "I can if I think I can" story. She can share her perspective of societal norms that may need to be challenged. At the same time, she shares so much gratitude for her life. She is grateful to both parents for their sacrifices that included leaving their country to ensure a better life for her and her brother. She is grateful for a stable childhood and she is grateful for her privilege of having a good education. She is grateful for the "...privilege of having a stable job, the privilege of wealth that allows me to access technology, food, and media freely..."

It was a pleasure to read this young woman's positive outlook and positive accomplishments. It's eye-opening to see and understand more clearly how systems appear to someone with a different point of view. It is refreshing to be reminded of the gifts of privilege that often goes unacknowledged. 

If you read this memoir, I hope you share your thoughts with me. 

Cheers!

~Kimberly

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reading About a Tiger Heart

I've been reading again. This book was a joy and a very quick read. The book is Tiger Heart, by Katrell Christie and Shannon McCaffrey. 

The Synopsis

Katrell Christie shares her story of India. The book opens and we are right in the middle of the action. Katrell receives a phone call that is more of a summons with an intimidating directive. "The Indian Defense Minister wants to see you. Be here in twenty minutes."

This is how Katrell begins to tell her story of how she came to be in India and how she came to be summoned by the Defense Minister. 

Katrell has an eclectic list of snippets that she used to describe who she is. It's interesting to see the list that she chooses as her quintessential definition of herself. My favorite snippets include the fact that she skated competitive Roller Derby. --That right there impresses me. I've watched Roller Derby...I've been to a Roller Derby and marveled at their speed and grit.

Another favorite is that she once made a living going to Italy to buy art for a client. And she opened her own tea shop. (Though she says she prefers coffee.)

Lastly, she says "And on a restless whim, I took a trip to India."

I was hooked right away. This woman has a heart for adventure. How does one go from what she calls a "spontaneous jaunt" to India to sitting with the Defense Minister? As Katrell says, the trip turned her life in a new direction.

I was in the perfect place to read about an adventure to India. I think because my yoga practice has me thinking about Sanskrit I've been visualizing the country. 

Katrell began her adventure by joining a friend on a work mission. Her friend is working with the women that create pearl necklaces. Their goal is to teach women how to turn their work into a sustainable business.  This ends up being a very small part of Katrell's trip. She finds other ways to become involved. 

One of my favorite scenes is when Katrell first arrived in India she is alone. She will be meeting her friend in another city in a few days. She decides to take a train to Varanasi, the holiest of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Katrell chose this as her destination based on the photos in her Lonely Planet book. --I'm telling you, I believe this woman and I could be friends.

When she arrived at her hotel in the middle of the night, she asks the hotel owner for tips on local sights. He answers with "Before dawn, follow the orange."

And so, Katrell ventures out (before dawn) to find and follow the orange. First, she sees one monk dressed in a traditional orange robe and she sets out to follow him. As she begins to follow the monk a crowd grows and she is "swept up in a sea of orange." To avoid any spoilers, I will simply tell you that Katrell's pilgrimage that morning is richly rewarded. 

When Katrell joins her friend working with the women who string pearls, she decides to volunteer at the school. It does not take long for Katrell to fall in love with the people she is getting to know. 

Katrell candidly shares her experience that grew into a huge part of her life. One that she has championed beyond her story. Through her telling, I fell in love with the people whose lives she touches and whose lives touched hers. I highly recommend this read.

One last thing, Katrell told her story with the help of Shannon McCaffrey. I don't want to minimize McCaffrey's contribution. This was the first opportunity I had to read any of McCaffrey's work and I found her writing to be completely beautiful. I speak of Katrell throughout this post because the book is told from her point of view and it is really her story. Together, through the magic of collaboration, the story is told beautifully.

Have a great weekend!

~Kimberly

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Hygge and Not Working

I've mentioned the few days where we hibernated at home and did our version of hygge. This included reading the novel, Not Working, by Lisa Owens. that I really enjoyed. It was a perfect book for that weekend. 

Here is the Amazon synopsis:

In the tradition of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary and Allison Pearson’s, I Don’t Know How She Does, It comes a wise and laugh-out-loud debut novel that captures a young generation trying not to have it all, but to figure out what it all means.

Claire has just resigned from her job without a plan for her next move. As she struggles to explain herself to friends and family, she experiences the emotions and minutiae of day-to-day life as only someone without the distractions of a regular routine can—and discovers what happens when she seeks true purpose in life.

Just the weekend before I watched Bridge Jones Diary on Netflix. I hadn't seen the movie since it was in the theaters (oh so long ago) and I longed to see Bridget conquer. So, when I saw that Not Working is compared to Bridget Jones I was mad to read it. 

* Claire, the protagonist is English (from London). 

There is something about English and Irish writers and characters that I love from the first word. Claire's observations are sometimes so funny. She has a dry sort of way of telling you about the absurdity of situations.  I felt for Claire, I'm sure she was like "Really? They really said that?" Or, "This is happening?" 

I absolutely love Claire. She's my kind of girl. When she's "supposed" to be applying for jobs she gets completely sidetracked. She described her day below:

Who hasn't been there, am I right?

Claire also speaks Truth when she talked about Spin Class. 

This book was perfect for a PJ and socks day.

Cheers!

~Kimberly


I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Why We Write About Ourselves

I read Why We Write about Ourselves between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I meant to write about it then, but somehow it fell through the cracks of Christmas Cheer and New Year thoughts. Tonight I realized I hadn't written about it, so I read it again. It's an easy and enjoyable read.

New Book: The Homemade Kitchen

I'm trying to get/stay inspired. ~I'm hoping to become so inspired that home cooking becomes part of our "normal". As much as I love kitchen appliances and gadgets, I am surprised that I'm not a cook. When I was growing up I was a fairly good baker. I liked trying new recipes that I found in my mother's magazines.

Alas, I have not fulfilled any potential of becoming a cook. I wonder why that is.

Sure, I know how to make spaghetti; you know, boil the noodles and warm the Ragu. I have a friend who doesn't give me credit for cooking when I make my spaghetti. She always looks at me incredulously and says, "You cooked? Or did you heat?" I'm still working my mind around what the difference is. I told her that if my stove, oven or microwave is turned on, it's cooking.

Whenever I want to teach myself to cook I look to books (of course). The thing is,  many of the beautiful books have way too many ingredients. Seriously! Others have beautiful photographs of things that I would never actually make.

I'm guessing you have guessed that my newest book is  The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure by Alana Chernila.
I really have enjoyed this book. You're probably wondering if I've used any of the recipes. The answer is not yet. But I will. I'm taking baby steps.

One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the author shares her personal stories of being in the kitchen.  In her very first paragraph, I knew I was reading a book by someone that "gets me".

The world of home cooking can be a challenge to navigate. On one side, we're encouraged to eat real food...photo-worthy food, cooked at home and blissfully enjoyed....On the other hand, all this focus on the redemptive power of home cooking can feel oppressive and judgmental.

So with that kind of honesty, she goes on to say that sometimes she doesn't want to cook either. Though, on the whole, Alana finds something akin to zen in the act of cooking. ~This may sound cliche, like "chop wood, carry water", but Alana's explanation is so simple and so real.

For me, the kitchen is the place where I get to have problems with easy solutions. There are enough problems with hard or no solutions elsewhere in the house and beyond, so I take the easy ones where I can get them. 

The first chapter, Be a Beginner,  is really encouraging, with a reminder that "Homemade food is the opposite of perfection." She tells us to "Take a deep breath and remember that we are all beginners. It only gets harder when we try to prove otherwise."

So, what about the actual recipes? Well, there are a few that I will absolutely try. A few are Stuffed Winter Squash, Easy Coq Au Vin, and Rhubarb Snacking Cake. 

If I remember, I'll share how the dishes turn out.  Give it time, though, I'm no Julie or Julia.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Mindy, Mindy, Mindy

Remember my vacation read...it was none other than Mindy Kaling's first book. I was excited to see a new book was coming out. --Look at the lovely cover. A couple of weeks ago I read Mindy's new book: Why Not Me? 

It's taken me a while to actually write my review and this is why. I love Mindy. I mean I feel like I know her. She is funny and irreverent and she is not afraid to call BS. So many things I love and admire about her. 

As much as I loved her first book, this one didn't move me quite as much. It wasn't quite as compelling. What I loved about her first book is that it felt more like a memoir. She shared stories about middle school friendships. Being part of a group and ultimately choosing to be true to herself and her BFF. She tells us what connected them. We see clues to the future comic writer that Mindy becomes.

This book is more a set of essays that center around more current life events such as working as a writer on The Office and then getting her own show. The snippets she shares about how she chose to develop the characters on The Mindy Project  are interesting.  Though the essays that talk about "what it's like to be a celebrity" are not nearly as engaging. She is certainly funny and even self-deprecating,  but the essays aren't nearly as personal or intimate.

If you like Mindy, you'll find the book worth your time. Her unique voice comes through. I'm glad I read it. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I read about Mars...I liked it

"The Martian 2014"
Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia.

I ventured out of my comfort zone with my most recent read, The Martian, by Andy Weir. It's science fiction, which I haven't read since Junior High school and even then I wasn't a fan. You can guess by the title (and other clues) that it's about space travel. --Again, not something I ever saw myself being interested in.  But, I chose to give this book a try.

The biggest surprise about this book? I LOVED IT!

I knew when I started the book that it was being made into a movie, with Matt Damon. Before I read the book I thought, "that's a Matt Damon movie I don't plan to see." You know, Mars? I couldn't see the appeal.

I read the first chapter before choosing the book and was hooked. The book starts out with:

I'm pretty much @*!#ed. That's my considered opinion. @*!#ed.
Six days into what should be the greatest two months of my life, and it's turned into a nightmare.

Those are the first words of astronaut Mark Watney. Resist reading I could not. See what I did there? Yoda speak.

The story pulled me in. Weir deserves a lot of credit for writing a sciency, techie story that doesn't read like gibberish. I read it within the span of a single weekend.  As I immersed myself in Watney's world I was immersed on Mars. Let me just say, Watney is crazy smart. That's part of what was so engaging. With each of Watney's innovated solutions for survival, I felt myself getting an "AHA" moment. Thoughts of *hand slap to forehead* "of course that's what you should do!"

Let me also say that the book has hold your breath suspense. I totally believed every premise in the book.

PLOT TWIST: I'm totally going to see the movie.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

What I've Been Reading: The Book of Joan

I recently finished Melissa Rivers' book, The Book of Joan.

Joan Rivers was such an icon. So many people felt like they knew her. Her edgy humor and "Can We Talk" catch phrase made her comedy feel like a conversation. 

Melissa Rivers wrote a sweet and fun (and funny) tribute to her mother and she and her publisher timed the release to be just before Mother's Day. 

As soon as I saw the book I knew I wanted to read it. I wasn't sure what to expect. The answer is that this is not a pure biography as much as it is a memoir. It's Melissa's memories of her life with her mother. Melissa also includes some background that she gleaned from relatives.

Melissa Rivers' book is a celebration of her relationship with mother. The best parts are when Melissa shares the "Oh Mother!" types of moments that every daughter understands. And Melissa writes about these "can you believe this?" moments with the humor of a friend telling you about what they've been dealing with.

My absolute favorite story is: Joan being pulled over for traffic violation and her trying to explain what happened to the police. Even funnier, Joan called her assistant and made her swear not to tell Melissa about the incident. The secret would have been safe if not for CNN covering the story before breakfast.

The book is a really fun and easy read. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

What I've Been Reading

I mentioned in my Cruise Thoughts post that I spent some time reading a book on the ship. I spent one of the late afternoons on the "secret deck" with a view of Cozumel and of the ocean with the nicest breeze. It was bliss. 

I finally read Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I really can't explain how/why it took me so long to get this book. I knew I wanted to read it as soon as it hit the stores. [How in the world did it take me four years?]

Spoiler Alert: I loved the book.  

Another "What I've Been Reading"

The Rosie Project is told from Dr. Tillman's point of view. Don Tillman is socially awkward. He realizes this but is never quite sure where he went wrong. 

Tillman's own views of the world are quite rigid and he has little tolerance for deviations. To Tillman, spontaneity is not a virtue but a flaw that can be "cured" with discipline and planning. Yet, to his chagrin, social mishaps keep happening.

Let me pause here. Dr. Tillman is a genetics professor and one of the first lectures we see him give is about Asperger's syndrome. He may or may not also have the syndrome, but I believe this is not the point. Many of us have what we believe to be "completely reasonable" ideas about how things ought to be. I don't believe anyone can be objective about their own perceptions of the world. 

Part of the fun of the journey with Dr. Tillman is that you can see how he falls into social faux pas. He seems used to the social mishaps "by now." One of my favorite scenes is when he is going to meet Rosie at a very "posh" restaurant and she is not early. (Which means to Tillman, of course, that she is not "on time.") In a matter of minutes, a misunderstanding erupts to an embarrassing scene just as Rosie shows up. 

"No one was seriously hurt," Tillman says, "but it was an awkward social situation, and I could feel my mind shutting down." When Rosie looks to Tillman, he says, "You're late, we have a social problem."  [Of course, that's an understatement.]

Rosie is a smart, self-confident woman with an edge. She has bite. I love that. She is very comfortable with spontaneity. In fact, she sometimes insists on it. Rosie contradicts everything Tillman believes to be the "correct" approach to the world. Their interactions become magic. 

I'd love to know if you've read it what your favorite part(s) are. I re-read much of it today just for fun.

What I've Been Reading

This weekend I read the book A Fifty-Year Silence: Love and War and a Ruined Home in France by Miranda Richmond Mouillot. I was pulled into the story even before I opened the pages. 

The book's synopsis piqued my interest:

"A young woman moves across an ocean to uncover the truth about her grandparents' mysterious estrangement and pieces together the extraordinary story of their wartime experiences."

The grandparents, Anna and Armond, built a life together in the midst of war. Together they were able to escape Nazi occupied France. When the war was over, they returned to the South of France, bought a house and had two children. Five years later,  and without explanation, Anna left Armond. She took the children (and the typewriter). The two never spoke or saw each other again.

Even so, their ties to the heart were never fully severed. Armond never forgave Anna for leaving and Anna never stopped caring for Armond's well being.

To untangle their story, Mouillot tries to decipher each grandparent's non-answers to her questions. She tires to piece together the remnants of their memory along with the things that are not said. 

Ultimately, Mouillot tells an intimate story that is as much own as it is grandparents'.  Her story is as much memoir as biography. Mouillot writes with open curiosity and touching tenderness. It is a strong story that is well told.

I could not put the book down. Partly because I could see my own grandparents when I read about Anna and Armond. The events are told so well that I felt truly connected to all three of them (Anna, Armond and Miranda). I love how Anna is able to see the little miracles that helped lead her and Armond to safety.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy.

What I'm Reading

It's been a while since I read a book that grabbed me and held me captive. This summer, as part of my "clean out" project, I read lots of books that had been waiting on my bookshelf. Looking back I realize that they were non-fiction I do and did enjoy them.  But fiction can be so wonderful.

As I get older I find that it is harder and harder for me to get my interest piqued. I'm sure I've shared that I have a low tolerance for boredom so it's imperative that I get pulled into a story quickly...or I just don't have the "stick to it ness" to, well, stick to it. When I go to bookstores I usually end up with seven or so books to sit down and evaluate. I read the book flaps. And

What I've Been Reading Lately

You know I've been furiously de-cluttering and giving away things. I'm getting into the "Less is More" groove. One of the obstacles...nay...opportunities...was that I have a ridiculous number of books. I found several books in my "to be read" category. They were not in a single place. No, they were all over the house. One here, one there. 

I did my "organizing" during the weekend, so during the evenings on work nights I dedicated myself to reading the books I've been meaning to find time for. I'm sharing about the books that moved me. 

Let me say that I read one book that I was bored with and thought when does it get better. Turns out...it didn't. I won't re-hash that one for you. (You're welcome.) I do want to mention that it was fiction and it had way too many characters that got to tell their point of view of the same events in alternating chapters. Note to author: some of your readers (me) can barely keep up with the narrative of her own family/husband...much less more than one or (at the very most) two narrators in a novel. 

Interestingly, the books that enthralled me were memoirs.

I read I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship on a vacation last Fall. LOVED IT. This one is staying in my possession...even with my self imposed policy to donate or share books I've already read. I just can't part with this one yet. As you can imagine from the title and cover, it's writers sharing stories of their complicated relationships with their dogs. Many are purely sweet and most are laugh out loud funny.

The Daily Coyote is a book I was reading and misplaced...mid read. {I'm telling you...organized I'm not.} I knew I would find it and during my "cleanse" I did. The first thing that struck me about this book is the breathtaking photography. Shreve Stockton has an eye for amazing images. Of course, the coyote is a pup during the early portion of the book...so cuteness does abound. But, the landscape really stands out, both visually and as an important part of the story. Stockton fearlessly lives her dreams, including riding a Vespa cross country before "landing" in a small Wyoming town for this chapter of her life. I enjoyed the vicarious experience.  One of the things I appreciated is that Stockton tells her story without sentimentalizing it. She never loses sight of the fact that the coyote she cares for is, at his core, a wild animal.

Let's Take the Long Way Home is beautiful and soulful capturing a precious and deep friendship that is so rare. Both women have a strong connection with her own dog before they "really" meet each other. Their friendship grows as a result of the outings that they each take with their dogs.

Their friendship deepens as they each push to further their sculling skills. There is something about sharing in this physically demanding sport that enhances their friendship.

It's a rare memoir that explores the deep bonds that women have in their friendships.

I don't want to give too much away here. The book is equal parts "woman and her dog"; "woman excelling in a strenuous sport" both individually and together; "woman and her best friend".  It's powerful.

Weekends with Daisy may be the best "My Dog Changed my Life" stories I've read.  BONUS: The dog does NOT die! Sharon Luttrell is mourning before she meets Daisy. She's mourning the loss of her German Shepherd, her long time companion. She's mourning the change in her relationship with her children as they pull away in adolescence. Joy and purpose are fleeting for her. 

Luttrell enters a service dog training program. The program is primarily focused on prison inmates being paired with dogs that they train during the week. Weekend trainers/puppy raisers provide additional real world exposure for the dog. The weekend trainer must make sure that the dog learns to stay focused no matter where they are or what is happening. Things like going to the grocery store, or to a restaurant or the doctor. Absolutely every errand or trip that is made includes the service dog trainee. 

It's not all cuteness and rainbows. This type of training doesn't come naturally for Luttrell. It's work. Daisy's primary trainer (and inmate) becomes a mentor for Luttrell adding to the depth and richness of the experience.

After writing about these I want to read them again. I think I read them too fast. I want to re-read and savor. Unfortunately for me....these books are already in transit to their new homes.

Read 'Em If Ya Got 'Em

Goodreads is kind of cool. Feel free to connect to me.

Though....I don't go on there often...and sometimes I lie about what I'm actually reading. Not really. 

But anyway...it's cool. I joined the "Chick Lit Club" on Goodreads, thought, I haven't actually participated in the club portion...I do enjoy seeing what books they are planning on reading. This month I got an email that said they have chosen the Marian Keyes novel, Watermelon. You may not know this...but it is one of my all-time favorites. I was captured on the first page.

February the fifteenth is a very special day for me. It is the day I gave birth to my first child. It is also the day my husband left me. As he was present at the birth I can only assume the two events weren’t entirely unrelated.

I love that last sentence! So, if you haven't read this one you may want to check it out.

Thinking about some of my favorite books, you may remember my most recent favorite is: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? And one of my classic favs is Three Wishes. Plus, I love everything I've read by Jen Lancaster.

Going down memory lane I thought I'd share two other fun reads. The book, Heart Conditions made Sara Lewis one of my all-time favorites. It is Alice who finds out she's pregnant just after her boyfriend splits! (What is it about women having to do the whole pregnancy and birthing and maybe mothering thing alone that fascinates me?)

To make matters worse (or better?) Alice goes to help her grandmother and gets to do things like chauffeur her to the hair dressers during a blizzard. That's the kind of good granddaughter she is.

Here's a snippet:

"Shall I ask Mary Lou if she has any ideas about your hair?" Mary Lou was my grandmother's hairdresser."No," I said."I like my hair," I lied. Gram said, "That's unfortunate."  See? Priceless.

And finally, there's Katherine Center's, Get Lucky. Sarah Harper is a girl after my own heart! Here are the first lines:

First I got fired for emailing a website with hundreds of pictures of breasts to every single person in our company. Even the CEO and chairman of the board. Even the summer interns. 

Looking back, I may have been ready to leave my job. I'd like to give myself the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes the crazy things I do are actually very sensible. And sometimes, of course, they're just crazy.

Wicked funny! 

Let me know what you're reading this Spring. I hope it makes you laugh.

Random Recommendations

Happy Weekend! I thought I would share some of my recommendations for fun things. If you want to see a funny movie.  (And I mean really funny.  So funny we still laughed the next day).  Go see Hit & Run. Dax Shepard wrote and starred in this film. I didn't really know who he was until he was on Conan telling us what a kick a$$ movie this is. So, the next night...I had to go. It also stars his fiance, Kristen Bell.  And, oh, Tom Arnold KILLS! Don't read any reviews. Try not to see any trailers. Just go into this movie completely cold and you will come out so happy.  **I hope you tell me if you liked it.**

Celia Rivenbark's New Book



Celia Rivenbark

I want to give a shout out for Celia Rivenbark and her new book that was released today. Her new book is: You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the Pool. Several months back, I wrote a blog that included discovering Celia Rivenbark at a local Independent Bookstore. I loved the title of the book "You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning". I basically read the first chapter right there in the store. Of course, I actually bought the book.

I felt like Celia gets me...or I get her. Neither of us would be mistaken for a "cookie-cutter" mother of the year. I felt like I was reading a kindred spirit when she explained why she yells "BOOOOO" whenever kids claim their perfect attendance award. I mean, I totally get that. Perfect Attendance? Let's put school and life into perspective, shall we?

When my daughter was in elementary school, they got all uppity because she was tardy once or twice (a week) or so. I drove my daughter to school each day...so often the tardiness was a reflection on me. I still remember her sweet voice saying, "Mom. You have to come inside to sign me in when I'm late." I'd be all "What makes you think you are late?"  She would say things like, "We are the only ones in the parking lot, Mom". So...I would park illegally and walk my cherub into the school office to "sign her in". The sign in late sheet was basically the school's record of me acknowledging that "Yes, I know my daughter is late (again)".  The sheet also required an explanation for the tardiness.  I couldn't use the "she missed the bus" excuse (after that first time). And, I never actually wrote, "Because, duh...I'm late," or "We're not morning people".  I usually wrote something like "traffic". But one day...I simply wrote: "You don't even want to know".

So, like I said, Celia gets me.

Tonight I went to another local independent bookstore to hear Celia read and talk about her newest book that was released today. My hubby went with me...and I grabbed his arm several times when the hilarity was just so right on. My favorite essay that she read was about her daughter's science fair project that was entered into the Science Fair competition. No spoiler alert here.  Suffice it to say Celia's impressions are dead-on funny.

So...I'm putting the word out.  The goal?  Helping Celia Rivenbark's book make it onto the NY Times Best Seller list. That could be really cool.

Elizabeth Gilbert Stopped By for a Chat...

Elizabeth Gilbert is on her book tour promoting the memoir, Committed, which was just released in paperback.  This week, her visit to Durham was sponsored by the Regulator Bookstore. This past Monday evening, I was part of the audience at the Durham Armory listening to Ms. Gilbert read from her book and engage in discussions with a Q&A.

Until fairly recently, I had been unaware of just what her most recognized book, Eat, Pray, Love, was all about. I tend to make it a point not to read anything that has been, or looks like it could have been, on the Oprah Booklist. This probably sounds like I'm a book snob...but not so.  I really enjoy reading both contemporary literature as well as the lighter "chick-lit" fair. I've read several Oprah books and found a certain sameness with undertones of melodrama.  For me, Oprah's book choice formula became "Oprah cliche".  I honestly do not know if Eat, Pray, Love is on Oprah's list, but when I saw the title it sounded very Oprahesque, so I didn't risk it.

I have to admit here, I still haven't read that book...though I did see the movie. Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem are both beautiful and I couldn't resist. For the most part, I enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed seeing the connection between Julia and Javier and the beautiful landscape they inhabited.  Though I must say I grew impatient with Julia's anguish before she decided to take that year off to "marvel at something".  

When I decided to go to Elizabeth Gilbert's reading I still knew very little about the author or her actual writing.  Curiosity pulled me to the reading.  Let me begin by saying that Ms. Gilbert is utterly enchanting. She read an excerpt from the fourth chapter entitled "Marriage and Infatuation".  Towards the end of her story, I was hooked.  Ms. Gilbert's humor is exactly what my doctor ordered.

I'm sure everyone reading this blog has either read Eat, Pray, Love, or seen the movie, so I don't need to do a spoiler alert here. At the end of the book/movie, Elizabeth/Julia falls in love with Javier Badem (very understandable).  But as both were previously divorced, they planned on living happily, unmarried, ever after.  The sequel, Committed, begins with the US government forcing a decision of either matrimony or exile for the couple.  Technically, only Javier/Felipe would be exiled, but couplehood without actually living in the same country seemed doomed. This new book is about the research and soul searching that Gilbert did as she began to reconcile her fear of marriage with her decision to enter into it with Felipe.

In the chapter that Gilbert read on Monday, she explores the difference in infatuation and the gritty reality of what it takes to be truly committed and why infatuation is not enough for the long haul.  Gilbert's interviews and research seemed to show that the less romanticizing of a relationship the stronger the commitment may be. Caution against romanticizing is not to say there should not be romance.  In fact, Gilbert acknowledges the beginning of her relationship with Felipe was classically romantic.  As she said, "for pity's sake, we met on the tropical island of Bali". During the heady time of early romance with Felipe Gilbert wrote her sister who was back home with kids and a house renovation.  Her sister's response?  "Yeah, I was planning to go to a tropical island this weekend with my Brazilian lover, too...but then there was all this traffic."

Now I'm hooked. I will read this book.