I am a list maker. Mainly, because I like to cross things
off. Sometimes, I’ll even add to do items after completion just so I can feel
the accomplishment of crossing them off the list. I am a woman on a mission. And
I’m on a deadline. Before August 24th, I need to:
- Go through
numerous boxes, shredding, filing, and tossing (Notice the comma after
filing? You’re not going to change my ways so easily
- Organize my office. Okay, it’s also my bedroom. Whatever!
- Get rid of the ugly shed. Delegated to my son and so it's done (told you I added items after the fact)!
- Clear the yard, make a budget patio, build container boxes, and plant things that don’t easily die…thinking lots of succulents.
- Get in better shape. I recently joined a gym and I’m determined to look good in a bikini again. So what if I’m in my 40’s and my metabolism is slowing down? I was able to lose all my baby fat within 6 months of having my second child, so why can’t I do it again? Wait…oh, right, I was 29… Again, Whatever! It stays on the list.
- Resolve issues at the office. Long story and not really funny.
- Find inner peace. Now, that’s funny!
The list goes on and on, but last on it is… READ, READ, READ
for enjoyment.
Why, you ask, must I complete my list before August 24th?
On that day, my life will change for at least 2 years. You see, I am returning
to school. Again. This time it’s graduate school (this comes from another of my
lists of life goals – no deadline). On August 1st, I begin my
pre-req class to the Library and Information Science Master’s Program at San
Jose State University
Back to reading. I have been devouring books for the past
three months or so and following, are my “tweet-size” thoughts on what I’ve
read. Think of my exclamation marks as thumbs up. The more there, the better I
liked it. Included are some I haven’t finished and may not. I’ve marked them
with a $ denoting money that probably could have been better utilized. I will
try to keep them in order read, counting down to what I finished this morning. I
will purposefully be brief – time’s awastin’!
- House Rules – Jodi Picoult. Asberger’s, death, family. Read it !!!
- Darkfever: The Fever Series – Karen Marie Moning. $
- Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare – Stephen Greenblatt. Cheated and listened to the audiobook. !!
- Dream Big: Finding the Courage to Follow Your Dreams and Laugh at Your Nightmares – Lisa Hammond. Quick read. Positive affirmations we all need !!
- We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver. $ Had to put it down because the woman from whose perspective it’s told is SO infuriating, but I will be picking it back up (probably today) because I’ve read so many great things about it. And it’s coming out as a movie in the fall.
- Faithless – Joyce Carol Oates. $
- The
Hangman’s Daughter – Oliver Pötzsch.
- Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese. Excellent. Be patient, it takes a while to get into. !!!!
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot. Great book. Cells. Family. Civil rights issues. !!!!
- Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher. Awesome. Fisher takes an hilarious look at her painful, dual diagnosis life. She’s beyond sarcasm and irreverence. One sentence sums it up: “If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” Read it !!!!!
Well, that’s it for now reading fans. Now it’s back to the
books before I start hitting the books (but hopefully not the bottle!).
A Scattered Life begins with the classic boy meets girl. Even more is the time-honored: boy comes to the rescue of the girl and they fall in love. The story opens as Skyla, the girl, is ending her shift as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant in Wisconsin when she is caught in the middle of disgruntled (translated - drunk) patron's fury when he is refused a tequila shot. Skyla bears the brunt of his actions and is knocked unconscious. Thomas, the boy, is at her side when she revives. Thus begins the start of their lives together. Sweet, right?
After that set up, I was expecting an entertaining read. I must say that, overall, I was disappointed. Author McQuestion had the elements of an enjoyable story - Skyla's quirky and upbeat friend/neighbor of whom Thomas disapproved, an over-bearing mother-in-law whose disapproval oozed through the family, and a funky store replete with a fortune teller. For the most part, the characters were static - especially Skyla. Events happened in her life, some of them life-changing, but that's just it. They happened and then the story ended. No great climax. No visible transformation. This was a quiet story of regular people in regular circumstances. Granted, there was one tear-invoking moment, but I wasn't entranced. I finished the book because I kept hoping to root for the heroine, but there really wasn't one.
Perhaps A Scattered Life was much like peeking in on those who are quietly discontent and choose to remain in a pedestrian life.
After that set up, I was expecting an entertaining read. I must say that, overall, I was disappointed. Author McQuestion had the elements of an enjoyable story - Skyla's quirky and upbeat friend/neighbor of whom Thomas disapproved, an over-bearing mother-in-law whose disapproval oozed through the family, and a funky store replete with a fortune teller. For the most part, the characters were static - especially Skyla. Events happened in her life, some of them life-changing, but that's just it. They happened and then the story ended. No great climax. No visible transformation. This was a quiet story of regular people in regular circumstances. Granted, there was one tear-invoking moment, but I wasn't entranced. I finished the book because I kept hoping to root for the heroine, but there really wasn't one.
Perhaps A Scattered Life was much like peeking in on those who are quietly discontent and choose to remain in a pedestrian life.
Why did I wait this long to read Drowning Ruth? This was definitely a "difficult to put down" read. Beginning in the early 1900's, this is a story about the intricacies of family. The author, Christina Schwarz, skillfully weaves a tale of familial love, loss, secrets, and the torment left behind. She successfully wraps events around the characters' interpretations of the events. She has a talent of bringing characters to life; at many points, I felt as if I was watching events unfold through the eyes of Amanda and Ruth.
The story begins in the early 1900's. Amanda and Mathilda - Mattie - are sisters. They are close, but underlying is the rivalry most of us feel at one time or another with a sibling. Amanda aches to break away from the confines of country living, and she does. Mattie stays behind, marrying a local boy and tending to their aging parents. After an incident that leaves Amanda fragile, she returns to her hometown and to Mattie's welcoming arms. An horrific event occurs and we are left at the mercy of the author to find out what really happened. Schwarz is masterful at slowly unweaving the web of events that ensue.
One of Oprah's picks back in the day (2000), Drowning Ruth is an excellent, compelling read. Enjoy!
The story begins in the early 1900's. Amanda and Mathilda - Mattie - are sisters. They are close, but underlying is the rivalry most of us feel at one time or another with a sibling. Amanda aches to break away from the confines of country living, and she does. Mattie stays behind, marrying a local boy and tending to their aging parents. After an incident that leaves Amanda fragile, she returns to her hometown and to Mattie's welcoming arms. An horrific event occurs and we are left at the mercy of the author to find out what really happened. Schwarz is masterful at slowly unweaving the web of events that ensue.
One of Oprah's picks back in the day (2000), Drowning Ruth is an excellent, compelling read. Enjoy!
Set at the dawn of the 20th century in a small Wisconsin town, A Reliable Wife, tells the story of deception, betrayal, loyalty, and love. Ralph Truitt, widower, stands alone at the train station waiting for his new mail-order bride. He is wealthy; he is revered in his hometown. He is somber and lonely. He is a man of loss and regret.
Mr. Truitt placed an ad in several city newspapers commissioning a wife - a mail-order bride. What steps off the train catapults him to the extremes of love and life. Catherine Land is a modest woman, by the look of her, who carries a deep secret. The secret is carefully revealed within the pages of A Reliable Wife; however, Catherine Land is a multi-dimensional character. She develops dramatically throughout the pages. Author Goolrick slowly unfolds and reveals us to her.
An exceptional book has been created through the character development. A Reliable Wife is a brooding accomplishment of disaster and love.
Mr. Truitt placed an ad in several city newspapers commissioning a wife - a mail-order bride. What steps off the train catapults him to the extremes of love and life. Catherine Land is a modest woman, by the look of her, who carries a deep secret. The secret is carefully revealed within the pages of A Reliable Wife; however, Catherine Land is a multi-dimensional character. She develops dramatically throughout the pages. Author Goolrick slowly unfolds and reveals us to her.
An exceptional book has been created through the character development. A Reliable Wife is a brooding accomplishment of disaster and love.
