Stuck in the Intro

I had tried to read The Pillars of the Earth twice, and both times I was so bogged down by the introduction that I just moved on to a different book.  I had no idea why people were so interested in this book.

On my 3rd attempt at reading it, because I had just finished

Half Broke Horses, which is a fantastic read too, and did not want to research which book to read next, just picked one on the Kindle.  So I skipped the introduction and was hooked by the very first page.  What an amazing book this was about dreams and goals and facing down your demons...even when they continued to resurface.  I was so enthralled with it, that I was not ready to have it end.  In the 1100's life was so much different than it is today, and yet you can see that people struggle with life no matter what the year is.  Life always comes full circle, and I really enjoyed reading a book that fulfilled that promise, even when at times it seemed like things were too bleak to ever come around.
What a great read, and I am excited to start on his second  book about this place!

Disappointing Endings

I have been reading so many good blogs and websites lately, that it sometimes cuts into my novels, but I've managed to go through 5 novels this last month.  Happiness is having time to read in the sun as your children and their friends play in the sandbox, swim, run through the sprinklers or whatever else seems to keep them entertained.   

Ever finish a great book, only to be disappointed that it ended?  That happens to me a lot, especially when I feel like there may be more to the story that the author should have got out.  Books need more sequels like movies seem to overuse but always want to do if the first one was great.

Reading The Lantern was suppose to be similar to reading The Thirteenth Tale and I always love to read a good ghost story. I am not much of a scary movie girl, but love to read them.  

The book is about a couple that move out to the country and purchase a run down cottage and farm.  The isolation that ends up occurring is strange but predictable in such a remote location.  The main character is less likable since she seems so willing to just give up everything to be with her fiance.  She seems obnoxiously able to go about living a life that she doesn't really enjoy, because of her fiance.  Yuck.  The flashbacks to the ghost are much more entertaining and interesting.  Here is a woman who is strong, is willing to stand up for herself and even thought she is not always willing to accept the truth right away, comes around to figuring out what is right and what isn't.   It wasn't nearly as scary or as suspenseful as The Thirteenth Tale, but it was worth reading...until the end...and then the author seemed to just run out of steam.  I needed a much more exciting ending...but that's just me.

Before I Go To Sleep was so good.  It's the story of a woman who loses her memory.  I was so enthralled and could not wait to see what new things she discovered each day she woke up and read her journal.  This book was hard to put down, because you knew she was on the verge of figuring something out...but the ending, again was disappointing.  Very anticlimactic, even though the actual story line was good.  I'm not sure how an author can keep you so engaged only to make it seem like the end just wasn't exciting enough.

Enjoy reading...but sometimes I feel like I should be an editor!

Light and Funny Reading

Love Tina Fey, and was so excited to read the new book that she put out.  I was definitely not disappointed in it.  She is so funny and really does act more like a real person than a movie star.  As a comedian, she seems so relaxed and calm, and it was funny to see all that goes into making her appear that way.  Fey is down to earth and talks about things like motherhood/coworkers/men in a way that you can completely relate to and also laugh out loud at.  I'm one who works hard at taking a difficult situation and finding a way to make it better, and I love it when a comedian takes that same situation and embraces it for what it is and turns it into something funny.  I admire women, even if it's just a book and possibly all made up, that turn things around by laughing at themselves and what happened.  Life is so complicated and busy, it's great to read a funny book about someone else's complicated and busy life.  Very fast, fun read and I really enjoyed it.

Read these two backwards (in the wrong order) but I still liked them.  Emily Giffin puts out some great books.  She is very light, but she writes in a way that's easy to get sucked into.  I know I've read one of her earlier books...something about When Harry Met Sally was mentioned right away in the book, and whatever context it was written in, I really enjoyed.  Anyway, the order of these two should be Something Borrowed and then Something Blue (which of course makes senses later) but they were very good stories about two very different friends and how life really did not seem to be going so well for either one, and then really worked out in the end.  I am going to put her next couple of books on my list for reading when I need a break from the heavier reading.
I seem to be very good at getting into a "rut" with books and then having to dig myself back out.  I've been reading heavy novels and then I read a comedy and two very light books.  I really need to work on my balance of reading...ideally, first something dark and mysterious, something funny, something deep and then something light.  I've read these last few books so fast that I felt the need to jump right back into my heavy reading, so I didn't lose my mind in simple, uncomplicated, very little thought involved novels.  Not that I don't enjoy it occasionally, and need it when I've read a big, thick (how would I know anymore if a book is literally thick, since I read everything on my iPad), complicated novel, but I worry that I'll lose my status as the nerdy, smart chick if I read too much of them.

Little, Tiny, Red Haired Lisbeth

I'm almost finished with the series of books by Stieg Larsson, starting with The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.  I read the 1st book months and months ago and decided to skip the next two books.  I wasn't sure why everyone seemed to love the book so much.  It seemed dark and dreary and "The Girl" was hard to relate to and get to know much.  Of course I did love the fact that she was tiny and red haired.  Made me feel a little kinship...but other than that, it just didn't seem like that amazing of a book...except that the story line kept you hooked until the end, I may have even given up at some point.

Recently I've been devouring some fun, and sometimes nonfiction books and I was ready for a good, deep novel again.   So I started the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire.  And I fell in love.  It was so much better and so much more about Lisbeth and so, so, so entertaining.  Lisbeth is a strong, independent woman and is quite willing to take control of her own life.  She's a survivor and even when the unthinkable continues to happen to her, she does not give up.  She is not a victim and I respect that.  Lisbeth takes what life has given her and fights back.  I'm always impressed with characters who don't feel sorry for themselves or want anyone else to feel sorry for them.  I love it when something bad happens to a female character and instead of blaming everyone else, they figure out what is going to make them happy and do it.  Sometimes life throws you for a loop, sometimes things happen that seem out of your control, but it's all about how you react and deal with the situation, not really about what has happened. It's hard not to admire the character that holds her head high and says that what you do does not change who I am.  
Again, Larsson writes books that make you keep reading, because the mystery is only solved at the end and it's so worth it.  Especially when it had to do with Lisbeth and her life.

The third book has stayed more like the second and I am so happy for that.  It's so great to get involved with characters in novels, especially when the author does such a great job with the story line!  I now see why so many people are upset about Larsson's passing.  What a great series to read and I wish there were more of his work!

Reading on the iPad

Happiness is finally reading books again on a full page.  I have been reading on my iPhone for a year now, and I have enjoyed how easy it is to get books and read them whenever and wherever I want, but until I started reading them on my iPad, I had no idea how much harder it really is to read on your iPhone.  It's nice but not nice at the same time.  The iPad is fabulous and I was even able read in the sun...so I didn't have a problem with glare.

On the Divinity of Second Chances was a pretty good book.  It was about a dysfunctional family where each person was able to come to terms with what was causing them issues and deal with it in the way that worked best for themselves.  This is so important, something that I've really come to terms with myself.  It's hard to change your attitude about things when you've been stuck in a rut for so long.  Once you do make the decision to make the best of what you have and go forward, you really can see amazing things happen.  For me, when I decided to change my outlook, my business not only picked up, but is so busy that I have had to bring on instructors that I didn't think I would need.  My relationship with my husband and kids has always been good, but when I started making time to be with people who I didn't see since I went thru my post partum, I realized that I had neglected a whole part of my life that was just waiting for me to come back and welcomed me with open arms.   For me, just like most people, when I'm depressed I gain weight, but once I made the decision to take care of myself that changed.  I started working out 5 days a week, and not only saw my weight drop down to my ideal and my body fat get down in the teens again, but I love love love it!  I am good at running, and I enjoy it and the endorphins that I get from it just makes it so much better.

 

 I think one of the most important parts of this book had to do with accepting people for who they are and accepting them into your life in the capacity that you are both happy with.  The husband and wife thought their marriage was over.  They had no relationship at all with their son.  One of their daughters was not living up to her full potiential.  Everything seemed to be irreconcilable. And yet it wasn't.  They didn't know if they were really ready to give each other a second chance.  But once someone takes a firm grip on taking care of themselves, it seemed that the other issues just worked themselves out.  They were all willing to see that life was not going to be the same but they needed to accept that if it was going to work, they had to let it be what it was going to be.   Life changes, and even though you are ready for things to be different, sometimes it doesn't always work out the way that you plan.  I think the books shows that you need to do a good job of accepting people for who they are, and be happy to have them in your life, in a way that works best for everyone.  So many positives can come from just accepting change and giving people a second chance.  I've found this to be so true and have found that I am so much happier just accepting people for who they are and not expecting anything more from them.  Actually that includes everyone but my husband and children.  From them I expect only their best.  I do believe that from them, I would be doing them a disservice to not help them live life to the fullest, and that includes trying their best in everything that they do.

The Colorado Kid was not a typical Stephen King novel.  It was good, and entertaining but did not keep me up all night, scared to death and needing to know how it ends so I don't have to keep one eye open while I try to sleep.  It's very mellow and very calm and much  more of a mystery than anything else.  I liked it, and it was a nice easy read.  And it's given me a taste for King, which means I'm going to have to research and find one of his scary books I haven't read yet!

Believe in More than Luck

I recently read two books that had so much to do with death and what happens with what we do with our lives after someone we love dies.  The first book I read was What the Night Knows by most favorite popular fiction writer, Dean Koontz.  I have loved reading Koontz since I was in high school.  When I found him, I made it my mission to read all of his books.  He's a fabulous writer, who takes just enough sci fi to make it seem like it could really happen. 

In this book, I was so entertained by the parts of the book that dealt with why, as a society it's so easy to believe in luck, in karma, in evil and so hard to believe in God.  It talked about people using God as a way to "get out" of their bad behavior by saying God forgives them, but that's not actually how it all works.  I feel like we do live in a world where people want to believe in other things, even bad things, before they want to believe in God. 

I'd like to think that what you put into something you get out of.  I put my heart and soul into my relationship with my family, I work hard to make my business successful, I have the most amazing and supportive friends, who I love and support too.  I want to believe that my life is as wonderful as it is, because I am willing to work for it.  I don't think that it's up to God whether I have a good marriage, happy children, strong friendships or a successful business. I think that is up to me.  But I do think it's important to believe and trust that there is a higher power.  I think that God is someone or something that we should believe in, especially when you truly want to make a difference and not use God as a crutch.

Which has very little to do with the book, but leads me right into the next book, The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud.  This was a very entertaining read.  Quick and easy and yet gives you hope and the desire to believe that life after death does not need to be angels in heaven but really can be about our loved ones still wanting to be with us and still be a visitor in our lives. 

Both books deal with death and what happens afterwards.  Charlie St. Cloud is happy and gives you hope while Dean Koontz write about the scary side of death and all that can happen with that.  Interesting to me that I read them back to back.  Funny how life works out...



Catching up on Reading

Wow, it's been such a long time since I've written on this blog.  I started this one, because I felt like I was getting so lost in motherhood.  I felt like everything I did, everything I said, everything I was, had to do with raising Sawyer.  I wanted to make sure I took care of me at the same time.  And not just by working out and eating healthy, by mentally being a person outside of being a mother.

I, of course, have been reading and cooking these last two years, but just not documenting what books I've liked (or don't) and what great recipes I've found (or haven't had time to find).  I started to track my books on facebook and realized that I was willing to blog about books again.

My most recent and favorite book that I've read is Room.  What a fantastic book.  I didn't know what the book was about, just grabbing it off the list of books in Sarah's kindle library (which has been so much fun because now we read the same books, at the same time and can discuss them right away), and when I realized it was being told by a 5 year old boy, I was very skeptical.  A boy, that is living in a room, with his mother, and they don't go outside or leave the room at all.  It's a book about overcoming the cards that life has dealt to you.  It's about how to adapt and how someone really can take a situation that is so overwhelming, so difficult, so awful and yet turn it into something else.  I love it.

Oprah was not a book that touched me, or made be feel anything or showed me how to be better, live better or have more compassion.  It was a book that made me realize all it not always as it seems.  I realized that someone who you can feel like is so compassionate, so caring, so insightful and asks all those hard questions, really may be just doing it all to increase her bottom line.  May really be in it to win it, and not to help save the world from itself.  May quote things like, "Live you best life", which is an amazing way to look at life, but was really just saying it so that the average housewife would want to watch the show and try to see what Oprah says to do next.  I still appreciated all the great things Oprah, the show opened my eyes to and all the great advice people on her show gave (such as making sure to love your husband and then to love your kids)and, of course, Dr. Oz and his book You on a Diet.  But I am less impressed with Oprah, the person, now that I have read this book.  She's definitely a hard worker, and person that has amazing drive and determination and definitely deserves everything she has...but it's just what she's done along the way that is so interesting to read about.  It's the other side of Oprah that was really eye opening.

     

There are a number of other books that I have recently read and have enjoyed.  I just would like to start writing about books that I have just finished instead of going back and reviewing all the books I've read in the last 2 years.

Reading with Reed

I have been reading a lot. Not because I have so much extra time on my hands. A newborn is a lot more work than I remember. But since I spend 30 minutes every 3 hours nursing, I have had a lot of time to catch up on my reading. During the day, with Sawyer and Scott around, I'm usually talking with them...but in the evenings it just me, Reed and my books.



I started off reading Duma Key by Stephen King. It was, as all great Stephen King novels, wonderful. I was freaked out by some of it, but the storyline made it worth the read. I was torn some feedings, in the middle of the night, if I really wanted to read about any more scary paintings, but lucky for me I was already sleep deprived so if there were nightmares, I slept through them. Duma Key gives you just the right amount of drama and suspense with just a little of the unbelievable mixed in. I really enjoyed this book.

Then I started the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer. Thanks to Sarah, I could enjoy reading all 4 books, one right after the other. I can see why everyone loves this series and why it's been made into a movie. Who doesn't love a good love story, where the two lovers can't seem to be together. The first book and the last book were my favorites. In the middle of the night, I despised the fact that during some feedings, all I had been able to read about was a recap of the last book, and sometimes the story did drag but overall I this was a fabulous series. They were very easy reads, and I enjoyed the suspense along with the drama. Things I assumed might happen, didn't, twists in the story caught me off guard. I can't wait for the movie!

And finally, during the last 6 weeks, I've also read a comedy. Lamb by Christopher Moore. This book is hilarious. Especially for someone who grew up Catholic. I love Biff and his crazy adventures with Josh aka Jesus during the 30 years he was alive. It takes a very different and entertaining view of what happened in the years between Jesus being born and Jesus being a prophet. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait to read all of Moore's other books.

the other Boleyn girl

I have been working for 4 days straight (and that's a lot of for me) and I've come home tired every day....but I've been reading like a mad woman. Scott even got me TiVo and I've yet to use it. I've been under the spell of the other Boleyn girl. It's a fantastic book.

I read the 650 some odd page book in record time and that is a lot to say about a historical fiction novel. I was enchanted with the royal court, the drama, the intrigue, the lust, the deceit, the love. I highly recommend this book....and I am so excited that it's going to be a movie. I hope they capture even half of the wonderful descriptions and plots given by Philippa Gregory. She does a great job of capturing the feeling of the time and I really felt like I was a part of everything. I can't wait to read all her other novels!

Mixed Reviews

I've read 4 books in that last few weeks and I have two great reviews and two luke warm reviews.

Dean Koontz will always hold a special place in heart. I fell in love with his writting as a 14 year old, and it's been true love ever since. I haven't read his very latest book, but I did read The Good Guy, definately not as sci-fi as most of his novels, but it was still wonderful to read. I, of course, read it in two days. Who really cares about sleep when you can curl up with Koontz!!!

Next I read A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. I actually read the second installment, She Got Up Off the Couch last year, and loved it. The first book was just as great. It's a light read, but it's so fun to read about someone else's childhood in the 70's. She's older than I am, but I can still relate to so many things. I love the small town feel and the ways she describes people. It's definately a must read.

Now two my two disappointing books. I read Disobedience by Jane Hamilton and Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee. Neither one of these books did much for me. A son in love with his mother, who is having an affair on his father. A man loses a limb and loses his will for life. I really rushed through the ends of both of the books because they seemed to drag too much. I will be taking both of these back to the book store.

The Bean Trees

Since I have a stack of books to read, I've been pulling them out at random, or more specifically whatever suits my fancy at the time. The Bean Trees is a shorter book than the ones I've been reading lately, so I decided to take it with me on my quick trip to Boise. It was a great book. I actually enjoyed this book more than any of the other books Barbara Kingsolver has written. Well, maybe I enjoyed the resolution of the ending more.
It deals with some issues hard to read about, and then hard to think about, topics, but she presents the material in such a way that you don't have to dwell on the horrible things that happen. I liked it a lot and I would recommend this book as a quick and entertaining read.

The Red Tent

I'm in love with this book. I mean, I'm in love with this book. It's so wonderful. If you haven't read this book, you must do it as soon as possible.

It is based on the story of Jacob, in the bible. But this time, it's not about the man. It's about the women. And, in my opinion, it is usually the story about the women that is much more entertaining. His only daughter Dinah is the narrator and from the introduction I was more than hooked, I was enthralled.

I have to admit that the women all sharing one husband seems at first to be such a horrible position for the women, while reading this book I feel like the relationships between the whole family was more important than the relationship between the couple.

I was enlightened to the fact that my life as a woman is touched just as much by my female relationships as it is with my husband. If I had "sister wives", Sarah would be the one who could sing all the songs, play all the games, and organize all the functions. Lisa would be the one who would keep us all in line, take care of the ones who needed taking care of and figuring out new solutions to all the problems.  As for me? We'd all be happiest if I was the wife who took over the cleaning, and organizing of our living conditions. I'd be the one who took care of the babies. Or at least that was my vision of how a life with one husband and many wives would look like.

And the Red Tent. Oh the Red Tent. How wonderful would life be if we were able to stop everything and sit back and relax in the quite for 3 days out of every month. It sounded so idealistic, but nice.

This is one woman's idea of what may have happened during Dinah's lifetime. I loved it.

The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency

I have always enjoyed a good mystery. Before I become a literature snob, I use to be so excited waiting for the next Kinsey Malone (Sue Grafton), Alex Cross (James Patterson) mystery. Now I find more enjoyment with books that may not be quite as suspenseful, but leave me feeling like I may be a better person for reading them.

Thanks to Stephanie, I found a nice mix of both. Alexander McCall Smith has written a series of books about a woman who decides to become a detective in Botswana. Mma Ramotswe's adventures are not only entertaining but even a little insightful.

I loved the resolution for the man who comes in wondering what his wife really does all day, and who is really paying for his son's education. I love the stories of people who live a simpler life and yet still need help resolving those ever present mysteries in their lives. I love reading about the lives of people living in Africa.

These are great books and I would recommend them for anyone that loves books about women detectives.

Oranges and Strawberries

I just finished Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. It was a wonderful book that Molly recommended to me. I enjoyed the story line and the questions that worked themselves out throughout the book. The little girl's nickname is called "Boise" and being from Idaho I read it that way...even though I'm sure it's something else. We all struggle with remembering our pasts and thinking sometimes things were so much worse than they really were. I enjoyed reading about how she came full circle to accepting and being able to love her mother and daughter.

I also read Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson. This was a nice easy read. A story of two women learning to live again by learning how to care about each other. Some tragic things occur in this book. I can't relate, but I can enjoy the read.

I finally finished

I just finished Love in the Time of Cholera, and I've never been happier to be done with a book. Isn't that horrible to say about a book that is suppose to be so amazing? A love story....not really. By the end I think it all came together, but it was a hard read. Long sentences, long paragraphs, long chapters. I sound uneducated, but it's difficult to read sometimes without a rest to absorb what you're reading.

One line I really enjoyed reading and do believe there is a lot of truth to it.

"But in her loneliness in the palace

she learned to know him,

they learned to know each other,

and she discovered with great delight

that one does not love one's children

just because they are one's children

but because of the friendship formed

while raising them."

(This also gives you an idea of how long the sentences are. I just made it look pretty for the blog.)

And since this was a love story, I do have to say there were a number of parts that talked about the realities of love, loving someone, and learning to love without perfection that I really enjoyed.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone that doesn't just LOVE reading. It took me over 2 weeks to read this book of less than 350 pages (usually I read 2 books a week). I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I think I should have, and am glad I'm done.

***Sorry for sharing it Stephanie...maybe you'll like it better than I did!***

Personal Legends

While on vacation in Boise, Sarah gave me The Alchemist to read. She had checked it out from the library and told me it was a quick read. I started it at the cabin and wasn't able to get too far into it. But once I got back to the townhouse, I was enraptured. It is a story about a boy's search for his Personal Legend, and I was so inspired by the time I finished the book, I realized that there are more things I can do with my life. I am looking for a book club in town that would be a good fit for me. I'm a quick reader, and I want to join a club where people will read the book and be able to finish it fairly quickly. I've been disappointed in the past, but I am excited to do this. Reading is a passion of mine, and I want to develop it. The second inspiration was to expand my business. I'm happy and content with how busy I am, but I know I could be doing more and I think I would truly be happier if I was out training more than a few times a month. It is a book I will search my Used Bookstore for, and it will be one that I will read at least every other year...for inspiration to keep living life to it's fullest.

Once home, I was able to start The Thirteenth Tale. This was said to be a ghost story but turned out to be so much more. A story about families. A story about siblings. A story about sisters. A story about women trying to find themselves...their lost selves! Such an amazing book. Such a wonderful twist.

The women in my family are starting a book share, where we will each pick out a book to pass around and share with each other....then to discuss when we've all read it. Sarah and I felt like we might be well on our way by sharing one of my favorite Amy Tan novels, The Hundred Secret Senses...but my grandmother wasn't as impressed...so I'm looking for a different flavor, for her sake. I believe The Thirteenth Tale might just be that book.

Child of My Heart

I just finished Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott and I can't wait to share it. It was a very easy read, but it so easily transported me back into that time between your childhood and adulthood. Where you have to be responsible, but not with the weight of the world. I wanted to be Theresa or at the very least be able to spend time with her. She has inspired a number of fun play times with Sawyer, since I started this book. I recommend this novel as a great way to bring back those times when life still held that childhood magic and innocence.

I read Here on Earth right before Child of My Heart. It's by the other of Practical Magic and has that adult mystery of a little magical obsessive love. It was slightly dark, but very entertaining. The transitions made by her only daughter was one of my most favorite aspects of this novel.

I'm off to Boise with 2 new books on tape to listen to (I'm driving). And 4 new novels. I doubt I'll get through more than one on the trip...but it's all vacation, so you never know.

Too many sad books

The books I've been reading this month have not really been all that uplifting. They've all been books I've really enjoyed reading and I feel like I've gotten something from all the books. But they've been heavy reading and I think I might have to read something light and trivial before I start feeling too down.

I finished The Kite Runner and once I was done, I found out that a movie based on the book is just finishing production. The Kite Runner was a good book, but the main character loses my sympathy and compassion early on and never really recovers. I enjoyed reading the book, and Meghan called right when I got to a part that had me in tears, so I can't say I wasn't entertained...but I'm sad with how it ended. It seemed like it took a wrong turn and then never fully recovered. I realize, of course, that I want it to be a perfect and happy ending and that's not how it ends.

After The Kite Runner, I started The Poisonwood Bible. This is a fairly thick, Oprah's Book Club Book (which I refused to read anything in her book club due to the continually depressing stories, but I've returned) and I read it fairly quickly. It reminded me a lot of We Were the Mulvaneys (which was the whole reason I quit reading OBC selections). The Poisonwood Bible is better in the way that the father didn't totally destroy the lives of his family. It's the same in that the father goes insane and all rest of the family is helpless for way too long. I'd recommend The Poisonwood Bible, it does have a better ending and it's nice to see people overcoming problems set in motion before they had control over their lives. The setting of the book draws at my heartstrings with the way we've taken over land/people/a way of life, in the sometimes detrimental thinking that we're helping.

Then I moved onto my favorite book of the month, so far. I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. The beginning of the book had me so thankful that the most painful thing I had to endure during my early years, was a number of trips to the ER for stitches. This story is about a woman, who writes to her friend about why she lived her life the way she did. It's so well written and it's a life that at times I was so envious of the close knit groups and bonds women had together, while at others I felt sadness that women had to live lives determined by others, and with no control over anything or anyone, especially themselves. I loved this book, but it has so much sadness throughout the story.

I really think my problem is that the weather is so gray right now, I need uplifting stories that are inspirational, all around...not just a certain points.

I Judged A Book By It's Cover

I admit it. I'm a person who does judge a book by it's cover.

And now, I also have to admit that it's robbed me for the past 3 years of enjoying an amazing book.

The front cover has a picture of Afghanistan. The back cover says the book is about a boy coming of age before the Russian invasion. Nothing about this book said, yelled, whispered, "Read Me!!"

So many people told me what a great book it was. I smiled and nodded and went back to reading whatever Amy Tan book I was on at the time (last year I was compelled to read everything she wrote...including her personal memoir).

The cover just looked boring and the title made me imagine money runners (ie. when you "kite" checks with different banks). What interest did I have in that??? None.

I WAS WRONG!!!

This summer Sarah gave me A Thousand Splendid Suns to read. Actually I forced it out of her, because she owed me about 845 books over the past year that I'd recommended and lent to her. One evening when Sawyer and I were over for dinner, I made her pay up. She found two books I hadn't read yet (and that weren't mine), so I carted them home with me. I really enjoyed the main character with her struggle of haunting memories and unfulfilled dreams.

Three days ago I took a list of books that my friend Molly had recommended to me and went to the used bookstore on Edgewater. I did not find even one of the books Molly had recommended to me. But next to A Thousand Splendid Suns, I did find The Kite Runner.

I began reading it while Sawyer went to her second class of ballet, and was hooked from the opening line...

"I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975."

Can something happen to you at such a young age to define the adult you become? I was intrigued.

And still am...I've only made it half way through the book. I trained 3 classes since Monday, and have always promised myself that I would never place reading a book in front of spending time with my child. And because of this promise, I have only been reading while she's at school and/or in bed.

I can't wait to finish. Sarah tells me the end is sad...and this is one of those books that I just don't want to end.

Summer Reading

Five years ago I stopped defining who I was by the things I thought or did and I began defining myself in relation to my child. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. I think it is an important concept to realize that when you choose to bring a child into this world, you then stop being just another person and become someone's parent.
As my daughter has gotten older, I also realize that there are times when I like to define myself outside of just motherhood. I enjoy reading. I enjoy running. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy being outside. I enjoy working. I enjoy being a friend. I doubt that I have ever lost myself in motherhood...I'm just not that great of a mother. But I do get carried away with being a mother and I need to remember me sometimes.
I read a few novels this summer and I was very impressed with a couple of them. I don't belong to a book club, so I will just talk about the books I read and why I liked them.
One of the last ones I read, Me & Emma, was amazing. I was so impressed with the book that once I was finished, I actually had to go back through and started reading it again. I adore a book that can make me want to go back for more. As are many novels, it was not a happy, light story, but it was definitely worth reading. I felt like I wanted to just take the girls and wrap them up. I just felt such a need to help them. I should probably write more about it, but if you haven't read it, I don't want to ruin any of it.
Water for Elephants was a wonderful story. I definitely don't ever want to run away to the circus, and even after reading it, I'm not so sure about attending...but the story was captivating and I really wanted him to save everyone.
I also read The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and was impressed with the story. I think what I took from this novel was more about how decisions we make in life, sometimes can change us forever. Imagine being in a situation where you want to do the right thing, but because of the choice you made, your family can never be who they really should be. How horrible to try to protect your family, only to hurt them.