Erin's Book #50: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

YES! I did it! For a while it was looking kinda iffy, but I managed to pull it off.

Oscar Wao has been on my list for a while, but I didn't really know what it was about. It's an interesting book - Oscar is an aspect of it, but not the entire story. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Jersey, Oscar is a fat nerd that just wants a girl, but spends his time writing, reading, and watching sci fi, graphic novels, and anime. We are also introduced to his beautiful older sister, his cancer-stricken mom, and his grandmother, who still lives in DR. Each character has their own story, each more fascinating than the last. What I love about this book is how your perception of the characters change, depending on whose story it is. These characters have survived dictatorships, heartbreak, beatings, and worse, perhaps all because of a curse, fuku.

Oscar Wao is not the quickest read; Diaz includes lots of historical footnotes and there's a decent amount of Spanish in it, which slowed me down a little (kept translating in my head). But I found the characters and the world they inhabited fascinating.

Erin's Book #49: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

This is a tough book. Beautifully written, but tough subject matter. Frances Benedetto, fed up with being battered by her cop husband Bobby, takes her young son Robert and disappears, leaving behind her Brooklyn home and starting a new life as Beth Crenshaw in a small Florida town. She uses a program akin to Witness Protection, but specializing in abused wives. As Beth and Robert adjust to their new lives, they live in fear that Bobby will find them.

Beth is a strong woman, stronger than Frances. After being beaten for years, she finally leaves for her son's sake. But Bobby's shadow hangs over every page. Even as Robert makes friends and takes up sports, and Beth starts a new relationship and job, you just sense that Bobby is out there looking for her, wanting his revenge.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say it was somewhat shocking to me. I'm curious to read more by Quindlen, and I have a feeling this one won't leave me very easily.

Blythe's Book 50: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Here we are, the end of the year, and the end of the "project." Or experiment, challenge, whatever. I started out strong, but towards the end I really wasn't sure that I'd manage to finish fifty books. Nate told me I needed to-- that I'd made a commitment, and I think that was the push I needed. It now seems appropriate that I finished this project, my fiftieth book, on the same day we started our newest project-- raising a child. Cora was born at 11:30 a.m. on December 27th and was kind enough to doze in my arms on Dec. 28th as I finished the last forty pages of book #50. I hope that starting her first full day in the world with her face in a book bodes well for her and that she comes to love reading as much as all of us do. I really think books have been one of the greatest joys and comforts in my life, and I wish that for her as well.

I don't have a ton to say about The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, which is unfair to the author, because it actually is a pretty good book. The storyline follows the life of a woman named Laurel who enlists her crazy sister, Thalia, to help her discover how her preteen daughter's friend died. That sounds a little confusing, but it makes perfect sense in the book (and I'm working off of pretty much no sleep here, so bear with me). Laurel has chosen a life of comfort and quiet in a gated neighborhood near Pensacola; her sister, Thalia, is an actress who runs an experimental theater and despises the cozy, boring life Laurel has chosen for herself. Both sisters cannot come to terms with the life the other leads. Laurel thinks Thalia's life is a farce; Thalia thinks Laurel is hiding her head in the sand. I like that, even when the sisters are united in a cause, they still don't quite understand one another. Rather than tidying everything up in the end, there's still a level of difference between the two that suggests that, no matter how much they may love one another, they will always believe in different things and want different things-- there's a lesson in that, I'm sure; we can't judge what others are doing, or where their happiness comes from-- we may not understand it, but we can still respect it and allow everyone their bit of joy.

So now I'm off to revel in my new bit of joy, who is currently sitting under a lamp trying to get "unjaundiced." When they said she'd have to stay at the hospital for another day and that we wouldn't be able to hold her much while she's under the lamp, I was crushed. But now I'm feeling a bit better about it; she's getting her first suntan (no small feat with this nasty weather we've been having!) and I get to devote a few minutes to finishing this up properly. I'm so glad we all embarked on this together, and that I was given an excuse to do what I do best-- loafing around and reading, reading, reading. I've been exposed to new authors, new thoughts, and now have a list of about fifty MORE books I'd like to read, thanks to Pam, Erin, and Vanessa's posts... hmm, that sounds like a challenge for the new year :)

Happy reading,
Blythe

Blythe's Book 49: Star Island

At one time, I was a Carl Hiaasen fanatic. Once I discovered him, I read every piece of fiction he'd written and some of his nonfiction before taking a break... and then I realized that the only problem with Carl Hiaasen is that, in big doses, his work all kind of runs together. In fact, there've been two or three times I've started one of his novels only to get halfway through and realize, "Wait; this isn't a similar plot to [insert title here]...I've read this before!" However, Hiaasen never said readers should go on a frenzy and consume all of his work at once-- and you really shouldn't. His novels are best in small doses where you can appreciate the bizarre turns of events, the ridiculousness that is South Florida, and his idiosyncratic characters. And that is exactly what Star Island, Hiaasen's latest novel, delivers. I'm so glad I've taken a few years off from Hiaasen, because it allowed me to enjoy Star Island to the fullest extent. My favorite recurring character, Clinton Tyree, the former governor of FL, has a starring role in this novel and he's every bit as entertaining and eccentric as usual. There's a mutilated bodyguard complete with a prosthetic weedwhacker for an arm, a drugged-out, sex-crazed teen starlet, and several other memorable characters who fit perfectly into the South Beach scene Hiaasen depicts. I don't think this is necessarily Carl Hiaasen's best piece of fiction, but it was entertaining, familiar, and served to remind me of what had drawn me to his novels in the first place: Hiaasen knows Florida, and loves it in spite of all the drama and flash trying to overtake the natural. Through his characters, he can bitch and moan about the rich snowbirds, the pretentious starlets, the obscene real estate going-ons, but he still manages to show Florida as a place where there's hope for the wilderness and the people who fiercely want to protect it. He paints a picture of a land untamed and untameable, and in the end of his novels(here's one Hiaasen formula I like), sanity always wins out.

Erin's Book #48: The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

After discovering Berg through We Are All Welcome Here, I was eager to read more of her work. I couldn't pass up this one's cover. It was enjoyable, though it can't compare to Welcome.

The Last Time I Saw You features an array of characters, all preparing for their fortieth high school reunion. Some are hoping to reconnect with old crushes, some have something to prove, and one just wants his wife back. I had some trouble keeping all the characters straight and found myself flipping back to earlier chapters to remember who was who.

This was an enjoyable read, but it felt very lightweight, despite many characters wrestling with very real and serious issues. Because it dealt with so many characters (and it's only about 240 pages), I didn't even have time to make up my mind about who I liked and was rooting for. I liked it, but I won't remember it a month from now.

Erin's Book #47: Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

I snatched this book up after reading Belong to Me, which was the sequel. Oops. Turns out that, aside from knowing who the main character ends up with, it didn't really matter that I read the sequel first. In fact, I think I'm glad I did, as I liked this one much better.

The protagonist is Cornelia Brown, a young, single, smart but directionless woman looking for some answers. She thinks she finds them in the form of a handsome, wealthy older man. Through him, she meets Clare, a 12-year-old girl trying to keep her family together. The relationship between Cornelia and Clare is sweet and touching, and the heart of the novel.

Cornelia is a huge fan of old movies, particularly anything starring Cary Grant. The book is peppered with references to classic films, which was a fun touch. I felt this was a great opportunity to learn so much more about a character I liked, but didn't feel like I knew tons about. I read this entire book on a plane and it was a great choice for the flight - it was very easy to not put down.

Blythe's Book 48: Washington Square by Henry James

When I first decided I wanted to read 50 books this year, it was mostly with the intention of giving myself a reason to read the classics. Look over my past 47 posts and you'll see how that went. Miserable, epic fail. BUT... here we are, nearing the end of the year, and I have finally read ONE classic: Washington Square by Henry James. There were so many times in grad school when someone would say something to the effect of, "Oh (blah blah blah) is sooo Jamesian," and I would sit there, nodding sagely, having no idea what the hell a Jamesian sentence would look or sound like. Well, now I've read James, so there. I thought the plotline of Washington Square was pretty similar to some of Jane Austen's domestic novels: girl is raised by widower father who is to leave her a fortune; fortune-hunter comes, woos her, and father refuses to allow them to marry; busybody aunt tries to push the two together, and a bit of emotional chaos ensues. This is somewhat similar to the beginning of Persuasion, one of my favorite Austen novels. However, here's the problem: the heroine of Persuasion, Anne Elliott, eventually goes from a meek, self-sacrificing daughter to a woman who knows she must put her own happiness before others, and acts accordingly. She is rewarded for both her initial obedience and her eventual self-actualization and backbone. Catherine Sloper, the heroine of Washington Square , isn't as perceptive, wise, or generous as Anne. She is an obedient daughter, then a consistent lover, and eventually an admired spinster... but while it's easy to be sympathetic towards her, she isn't someone I really admired or connected to. Catherine is a pawn; her father dismisses her as a dull child only there to be amusing to him; her lover, Morris, is only after her fortune; and her live-in aunt, Mrs. Penniman, uses Catherine's complex love affair as an excuse to entertain herself, regardless of the fact that her involvement only causes Catherine more pain. In the end, Catherine is the only one we can still admire, or even respect-- but she is also alone and it just seems so sad and wrong. I'm glad I read Washington Square, but it certainly didn't leave me smiling.

Blythe's Book 47: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room is a really compelling read. Both the narrative voice and the storyline are so original and I highly recommend this book-- even though it isn't exactly cheerful or light. Room is told from the perspective of five year-old Jack and centers on the highly restricted life he and his mother, only known as Ma, live. Jack was born in an eleven-by-eleven room, which he has never left. His mother was kidnapped by a rapist at the age of nineteen, and since then she has lived in a shed that was converted into, as Jack calls it, "room." Impregnated by her captor, she and her son now live in this tiny room, and make the best of it that they can. While this sounds horrifying, Jack has never known any different, and to him, this is simply his life. Told in his idiosycratic voice, Jack details their daily schedule, his emotions towards Ma and "Old Nick"-- his mother's captor-- and lets you into his world. The aspect of this story that really kept me involved is Ma's love for Jack-- the activities she dreams up, the ways she protects him, the lengths she goes to to make sure his life is as good as it possibly can be-- it is heartwrenchingly amazing. Somehow, even when you're busy feeling sorry for Ma and Jack, you're also completely envious of their imaginative, selfless world. Room is a world where love is enough. It made me realize how very little everything else matters.

Blythe's Book 46: Mathilda Savitch

Mathilda Savitch is entertaining-- both as a main character and as a novel. Mathilda is a young teenager (we can assume) who is trying to deal with the year-old violent death of her older and much admired sister. Mathilda is obviously grieving, and voices this, but her parents seem utterly paralyzed by their grief and, because of that, are unable to provide Mathilda with the love and comfort she needs. Mathilda decides the only way to make them snap out of their zombie-like state is to be truly bad; she wants to shock them into waking up. She hacks into her sister's email account and sends their mother emails from Helene; she stalks Helene's old boyfriends, trying to piece together the life her sister left behind; she pinches her faithful dog, seeing if he's willing to abandon her as well. However, while Mathilda desires to be "bad," what she REALLY wants is to get her family back.

This novel wasn't always an easy one to read; Mathilda is prickly, and at times even a little creepy... her interactions with her best friend and the boy next door both made me uncomfortable sometimes, even though her emotions and actions obviously stemmed from grief and loneliness. She;s aggressive, frustrated, and angry. However, she is also irresistible because she loves so fiercely and will do anything to get her family back.

Erin's Book #46: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

I discovered Kate Morton's The House at Riverton several years ago through a book club. It remains one of my favorites. Her novels have a very specific style - a present-day (or at least modern) character has some connection to the past and the books alternate between two time periods, as the modern characters slowly discover the truth about the past. Her settings are incredibly lush and vivid; she's a genius at transporting you to another time period, filled with wealth and elegance.

In The Distant Hours, a 30-year-old woman named Edie works as a publisher in 1992 in London. She discovers that her mother was an evacuee during the war and stayed for several months in a castle called Milderhurst, where the author of Edie's favorite childhood novel lived. Edie stumbles upon the castle one day when she gets lost and finds the three Blythe sisters, now all quite old, still living there. What follows is a mesmerizing mystery of love and heartbreak, madness and guilt. What connection does Edie's mom have to the sisters? What happened to the youngest sister's fiance? And what does any of it have to do with the origin of Raymond Blythe's beloved children's story?

I had more difficulty getting absorbed in this one than Morton's other two, but once I did, I literally couldn't put it down. It's a tragic tale, but a gratifying one, as all of the pieces slowly fit together. A beautiful romantic mystery that I highly recommend.

Erin's Book #45: Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos

I have once again unknowingly bought the sequel to a book without reading the first one. Though in this case, I think it's less a continuation of the same story, and more just a different phase of a character's life. (Though I did just pick up the first book, Love Walked In, so I'll find out if that's really true).

From what I could tell, it really didn't matter if I read the other book first. Belong to Me follows three main characters in a suburban town - Cornelia, who recently gave up her city life for a quieter life with her gorgeous husband Teo; Piper, a frigid, snobby mother of two dealing with the impending death of her terminally ill best friend, as well as her own failing marriage; and Dev, the brilliant young son of single mom Lake, who has moved him from the east coast to, by Dev's best guess, find the father he's never met. Over the course of the story, these three characters' lives intertwine in unforgettable ways.

Although this wasn't a book that I couldn't put down, I did really enjoy it. I like de los Santos's style and I really enjoyed the characters, who are all more than meets the eye. There was a bit of mystery to it, and the cancer story hit me hard, as I lost a close mentor to cancer just before I started this book, and then my young upstairs neighbor died of it while I was reading it. Though the tragedy is just one aspect of it, and it serves to ultimately liberate Piper from the life she thought she needed. Belong to Me is full of heartbreak, victory, love, loss, and life.

Blythe's Book 45: Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Admission offered an interesting look at the admissions process to an Ivy League university like Princeton, where the story is set. Portia Nathan is an admissions officer who buries herself in the personalities, frustrations and dreams of the seventeen-year old applicants whose files she peruses for the better part of each year. There is a secret Portia is drowning under, which is alluded to throughout the book, but since it doesn't get unveiled 'til the end of the book, I won't go further into that. However, this secret greatly impacts Portia's long-term relationship, friendships, and creates a kind of personal inertia that she seems incapable of escaping... until she meets one special applicant and his exceptional (read: potential romantic interest) teacher, John Halsey.

I liked this book, although it's not one of my personal favorites, because it was informative and Korelitz is a strong writer. However, by the end, I was a little bored by the factual tidbits re: admissions and the personal rants Korelitz made about how misunderstood the admissions process and the officers are. It's clear this is a topic dear to her heart-- Korelitz is married to a Princeton professor and was, for several years, a part-time reader of admissions packets, so she knows what she's talking about-- but it seems like she was so eager to get in as much information on the admissions process as she could-- and sometimes at the detriment of the story.

Erin's Book #44: The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

I had a little bit of trouble getting into this book and I'm not sure why. I enjoyed it, but I think I liked it a bit more in theory than in reality.

The Wednesday Sisters are a group of friends in Palo Alto, CA in the '60s. There's Frankie, who has always nursed dreams of being a writer, Kath, who's struggling with a falling-apart marriage, Ally, who can't conceive with her Indian husband (which in itself was shocking at the time), Brett, who inexplicably always covers her hands in gloves, and Linda, a tough-talking feminist.

The five women, all in their 20s when the novel starts, discover they all have a passion for writing and decide to form a writing group. They meet Wednesday mornings and critique each others stories. Through their writing, they discover more about themselves - what it means to be a woman in the '60s, the dreams they abandoned when getting married that they can possibly recapture - and in the process find the best friends they can imagine.

There's a lot to like about this book - the characters are varied and sympathetic, the sprinkling of '60s history is entertaining, the feminist plot lines are fascinating, and it's a great testament to friendship. But I just couldn't breeze through it the way I felt I should. Sometimes I felt things were very obvious, but the characters didn't pick up on them until many chapters later. The ending was a little unrealistic, though cute. Though I wouldn't rule out reading something else by Clayton, it probably won't be first on my list.

V's Pick #51: Bright Lights Big Ass by Jen Lancaster

With the closing of this book, I've read everything she's written from finish to start. I didn't really mean to read her books backward, it just happened that way. Sadly, I saved the WORST for last, as this was her first book and quite frankly, I think it took her the first two in order to master the quippy humor and social disregard that is her signature (and the reason why I will probably read anything she writes). BLBA is funny, yes. I LOL'd a few times for sure, but it's also incredibly annoying. Well, Jen is annoying. Her schtick has long been that she's a fat (and doesn't care) white woman who used to have a lot of money, is married to a genius husband, has three overweight cats and two crazy huge dogs; her books are about the little things in life that make you laugh. Three years ago when I read my first Lancaster book, Bitter is the New Black I found her hilarious...a sort of Margaret Cho for suburban overweight women who used to be sorority girls, a kind of Jennifer Simpson with a higher IQ and larger bra size. But...reading her very first book, I'm thankful I started backward or I probably would have never gone forward. She does nothing but complain, complain, complain and complain some more in this book. And she makes me so mad at times I just want to yell - "Get off your fat ass and stop being such a little whiny bitch." There. I said it. Whew. The good news is, I've loved everything else she's done, especially her weight-loss memoir, Such a Pretty Fat.

Visit her blog for a real-time dose of the current Jen, but if you ask me, skip BLBA and go straight to Bitter to avoid her out-of-the-gate annoying writing and personality quirks.

Blythe's Book 44: The Piano Teacher

I went to Barnes & Noble in search of some new books and ended up with a long list of potential reads, which I promptly took to the public library. I am nothing if not frugal! One of the most intriguing looking books was The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee. This novel tells the story of Claire, a young British bride who follows her husband to Hong Kong in the 1950s, shortly after World War I. There she becomes a piano teacher for an affluent Chinese family, and, through her involvement with the family and her affair with a British man, she quickly becomes embroiled in a scandal with roots back in the war. The setting alternates between 1950s Hong Kong and 1930s-40s Hong Kong, and the (pre)wartime events are covered in every other chapter, where we learn about the past of the piano teacher's lover, Will, and his friends. Perhaps my favorite character is Will's lover, Trudy Liang, a spunky Hong Kong native who introduces him to Asian society before the war.

What I loved about this book, in addition to the well-crafted plot, was the historical information the author provided. Lee was raised in Hong Kong but educated at Harvard, and this shows in the way she creates Asian and Western characters. Her understanding of Hong Kong's culture, as well as the events and sentiments leading up to the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, made this a really worthwhile read. I'd never thought about Hong Kong's occupation, or about how interred Americans and Britains in Hong Kong must have felt-- and, therefore, this novel was a real eye-opener. I also liked the main character, Claire; she starts out so naive and unformed, but becomes a much stronger, more individualized person through her experiences in Hong Kong. A favorite quote: "There had been times when Claire felt that she could become a different person. She sensed it in herself, when someone made a comment at dinner, and she thought of the perfect, acerbic reply, or something even racy, and she felt her mouth opening. . . [but]She swallowed her thought, and the person she could have become sank down again, weighted down by the Claire that was already too evident in the world. But then came Will . . . She was out of context with him. She was a new person. Sometimes she felt that she was more in love with that new person she could be, that this affair was an affair with a new Claire, and that Will was just the enabler" (74).

Blythe's Book 43: Vanishing and Other Stories

I really liked Vanishing and Other Stories, but it's difficult to write about. I really like Deborah Willis' writing style, but her stories are so varied that I don't really know where to start. The characters she has created seem very realistic, flaws and all... most of her stories center around failed relationships, or unraveling ones at the least, but rather than being depressing, her stories are entertaining and relatable. (Is that a word?) I especially liked "Traces," the story of a woman trying to discover her husband's most recent lover, and "Remember, Relive," which illustrates how family complexities can influence one's love life through the story of a lonely young woman. I always enjoy short story collections because of the range of storylines and characters you get; however, the downside is that either the plotline or the character development is not drawn out enough-- the genre really doesn't allow an author to fully develop both. Willis' work is definitely character-driven; I loved her stories, but they often left me hanging... which was pleasurable in some ways, but also a bit frustrating. If you like short stories, I'd recommend this collection. One funny thing: the author is Canadian, and the setting of each story is in Canada. I found that so annoying-- I kept thinking, "God, can't she write about somewhere other than Cananda?!" Then it occurred to me: oh wait... the majority of American writers write about America when they use a generic setting... I wonder how other people feel about that. LOL-- just made me think about setting and how important it can be.

Erin's Book #43: The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

I have one major beef with this book: its marketing. The Kindness of Strangers is largely about the sexual abuse of a child and yet nowhere on the book's jacket does any indication of that appear. I would think that many people would find themselves unable to finish this book and might want to know what they're getting into ahead of time.

That said, this book is terrific. We begin with Sarah, a woman who lost her husband to cancer two years ago and struggles to raise her two sons alone. She is helped by her friend Courtney Kendrick, a wealthy woman whose son, Jordan, is the same age as Sarah's youngest, Danny (10 or 11). Sarah also has an older son, Nate, who has had a few run-ins with the cops and is frequently in trouble at school.

One day Sarah encounters Jordan walking in the rain, late for school. She offers to give him a ride. That day, both of their lives change.

It turns out that Jordan has been suffering from sexual abuse (the publishers may not feel that potential readers should know this before reading, but I do). The question becomes, was Courtney involved? Did she know? If so, why does Jordan seem dead set on living with her again? Sarah is dumbfounded, at first blindly refusing that it was even possible. It raises an interesting question - do we really know anyone? Sarah was convinced that Courtney was a dedicated, concerned, wonderful mother. Was she capable of molesting her son?

I won't reveal more about the plot, but Sarah's family bands together to come to Jordan's aid, ultimately strengthening their own ties. There are certainly some very disturbing parts to the story, and it's incredibly tragic, but it's also honest and somewhat uplifting.

Erin's Book #42: Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Something Blue is the sequel to Something Borrowed (which I'm really glad I read first). It presents the opposing side of the story - Darcy's, the beautiful woman whose fiance is stolen by her best friend. But it's not just her side of that story; it's also a continuation. Most of the book takes place after the fiance theft, following Darcy, to whom everything has always come easy, on her new single life as a pregnant woman.

I'd read a few reviews that said they hated Darcy in Borrowed, but loved her in Blue. For two-thirds of the book, I had the opposite feelings. When reading a story from the point of view of her best friend of 25 years who stole her fiance, it was easy to feel sorry for Darcy. Reading Darcy's own perspective, however, made it even clearer why Rachel deserved him more. Darcy is incredibly entitled, understanding from a very early age how much power her beauty allowed her. She expects to get exactly what she wants. It's tiresome.

Eventually, after heartbreak, regret, and fleeing the country, Darcy comes to terms with the fact that she's actually about to become a mom. Perhaps it's time to make some changes. She unearths a pretty decent person, consciously rejecting some of the more shallow aspects of her personality.

Something Blue was a nice change of pace from Freedom, as it was a quick and breezy read. I probably enjoyed Something Borrowed a little more, but you definitely have to read both to see how the story comes together. It feels much more conclusive now.

Erin's Book #41: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Wooh! This one was a beast! I hadn't read anything by Franzen before, but I knew this was supposed to be one of the year's hot books, so I decided to give it a try. Franzen didn't disappoint.

Clocking in at 650+ pages, this complex family drama is sprawling, intense, a little exhausting, and emotional. The book follows the Berglund family, husband Walter, wife Patty, and their children Jessica and Joey, plus Walter's best friend, Richard. Alternating between an omniscient narrator and Patty's autobiography (a therapy project), we follow the Berglunds from Patty's high school years to meeting Walter in college, and up through their children going to college. Franzen also tells us about their respective families as well (which can sometimes go on a little too long).

Franzen doesn't bother attempting to make the Berglunds likable. There are no real heroes here. I went from liking Patty to hating her to liking her to hating her to feeling bad for her to kind of liking her.... and so on. These are deeply flawed characters, capable of evil, vindictive betrayals. The lack of allegiance to each other is shocking. But it makes for a fascinating character study. There's plenty of other stuff sprinkled in - Walter's work for a conservation trust and his goal to reduce overpopulation result in pages of diatribe, but it's all interesting. Freedom is full of drama and tragedy, and Franzen weaves a masterful tale of the conflicts that might destroy the Berglunds forever. Worth the read.

Blythe's Book 42: I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass

I See You Everywhere is the first "grownup" book I've read in a while and I'm really glad I did. This narrative tells the story of two completely disparate sisters-- Louisa, the eldest, is bossy, overly irritable, and determined to have a family and her family's approval; Clem, the youngest, is spirited, magnetic, and often reckless and her passion for wildlife leads her to remote places and unique experiences. Each chapter is told from one of the sisters' perspective, and through this technique, we see their progression from rivals to almost-friends. Supporters, at the least. Their relationship is very complex, further complicated by their overbearing mother's comments and flaws, and the events in the story suggest that we never truly know the people we call family. I saw so many shades of myself in Louisa (and this was not at times an easy pill to swallow), but what came as the biggest of reliefs was that, no matter how irritable she could be, or how unsympathetic or unable to relate Clem could be (not at all like my sister), they still instinctively turned to each other. This is where Glass is her most convincing in her story-- maybe not all women will be able to relate to the strange blend of resentment and friendship that Louisa and Clem have created between themselves, but the message throughout is undeniably universal: when the chips are down, sisters turn to each other. And perhaps even more comforting, when sisters turn to one another, they don't have to think the same way, or react in similar fashion; they just have to be the person they have always been, the person the other expects to see and hear, and that will often be enough.

Blythe's Book 41: Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Ahser

I checked this book out from the high school library LAST year, lost it, had to pay like $20 to replace it, and just found it a few weeks ago. And since I'd already spent $20 on a book I was only mildly interested in the first place, I decided I should read it. What a mistake...

Hannah Baker is the new kid in town, and she's full of hope for how wonderful her high school experience will be. However, she quickly realizes how far from perfect high school can be. She makes friends who then turn on her and kisses a boy only to have him spread the information around school, earning her a "reputation." Hannah eventually becomes so mired down in the dramas of high school that she commits suicide. But not until she records 13 tapes (1 per each person who negatively impacted her life) letting everyone know why she killed herself and how they were to blame. These tapes are then delivered to the responsible parties, as well as to the narrator, Clay Jensen, who had a quiet crush on Hannah but never acted on it.

Hannah's message is simple: actions do have effects, and everyone is responsible for their actions. Some of the people she suggests contributed to her suicide don't act, but should have-- and she considers that as much a problem as anything else. I get her point, and I think it's important for teenagers (the intended audience) to a) understand that how you treat others has repercussions, and b) learn to speak up and reach out when those around you are in trouble or in pain... but I also think it's a bit farfetched to suggest that killing yourself over a few pretty mild rumors and some disappointments in the friendship department is anyone's fault but the person who makes the choice to end his/her own life.

People could have helped Hannah, which is what Clay comes to realize-- that he wasn't at fault (Hannah excuses him from blame) but still could have done more-- but ultimately, she made the decision to quit rather than fight, and the whole postmortem accusation seemed overly dramatic and just way too selfish for words. Not my favorite book-- I wish I could get my $20 back.

Blythe's Book 40: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Our high school's new literacy coach recently bestowed three copies of each of the winners of this year's Florida Teen Reads Award to each English classroom. Several were quite popular with my students, so I decided to pick them up and give them a whirl. My first pick was easy to make-- The Compound is a blend of postapocalyptic/ dystopian novel, and these are genres I really love. This story is about a family who is forced into an underground bunker when the U.S. is under nuclear attack. Eli is the eldest son, and also the narrator, and his father is a multimillionaire who has prepared for such a day by creating a lavish underground world called the compound, down to having his children trained in specialized fields (hydroponics, farming, butchering) so they can help sustain the family should they ever need to enter the compound. However, when such a day comes, the fallout is unpredictable; there are so many unanticipated glitches in the father's plan that affect the family in myriad ways. At times this book was almost too creepy-- there are definitely some lines the characters have to cross (or at least consider crossing) in order to survive, and much of the plot centers around the kids wrestling with touch choices. It is highly uncomfortable to think about how such a situation might truly play out... but I can totally understand why my students have been grabbing this off the shelf-- it's intriguing, chilling, and a highly imaginative scenario.

Erin's Book #40: The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

I had no idea such things existed, but apparently through the 1960s, there were home ec programs that taught college girls mothering skills using "practice babies", infants borrowed from orphanages.

Henry House (as in "house baby") is one such baby. Arriving at the practice house at just shy of four months old, he is handed off weekly to one of six different "mothers". The practice house is run by Martha Gaines, 48, a stern but lonely woman, still suffering from the loss of her own baby many years before.

Although Martha has helped raise many babies before, Henry awakens inside of her an intense longing. Despite her tough rules encouraging the mothers to teach babies not to expect being picked up every time they cry, she finds herself yearning to hold him all the time.

When Henry's time in the practice house is up, Martha decides she wants to keep Henry as her own son. And she does, raising him in the upstairs of the practice house while practice babies and mothers rotate downstairs.

As Henry grows up, he learns of the truth of his upbringing and grows to intensely despise Martha. As punishment to her, he stops talking when he's 9. For years. By ninth grade, he is sent away to a boarding school for mentally defective teens.

The book stays with him until he's in his twenties and, although he is the main character, my heart broke for poor Martha, the woman whose only desire in life was to love and be loved by Henry. And yet he hated her for the way she smothered him and the lies about his past she told.

It's a fascinating look at practice babies and the way their unusual first years shape them as adults. Another practice baby reappears later in the story, exhibiting the same restlessness, always ready to move on to the next person or place. The characters are vivid and intriguing. I enjoyed it immensely.

Pam's Book 44: Something Missing

When my friend Laurie recommended this book to me, it was with a caveat: Do not read the back of the book first! That said, if you are planning on reading this book, don't read my review. Seriously. This entire post is a spoiler.

Something Missing reminded me a lot of The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam, at least at first. Martin is a professional thief, except it takes a few pages before you figure that out. He has regular "clients" from whom he regularly steals items, mostly everyday, mundane items such as canned goods and laundry detergent. He spends months researching his clients before committing, and even then, he only takes what will not be missed (all pre-determined by careful research and investigation). The idea is that they will have no idea a theft is regularly taking place. It sounds improbable at first, that these people would have no idea of this thief lurking in their midst, yet Martin seems to have it all figured out. He follows a strict set of rules and guidelines that all but guarantee his clients will never detect him--until one day, all that changes. Martin, who becomes rather attached to his clients over the years, suddenly develops an altruistic streak.

The book is heartwarming, Martin appealing. You'd think the reader would be creeped out by the idea of a thief regularly entering her house without her knowledge, gaining all sorts of extremely personal knowledge (yes, he reads diaries and emails)--and yet, Martin is irresistible. I was rooting for him the whole time. He is sweet and innocent and undeniably naive. The book has a romance aspect to it, but I don't want to go into that at all in case anybody does want to read this. It's part mystery, part romance, part suspense, pure escapism. Matthew Dicks has this obnoxious way of interrupting climactic moments with flashbacks, which only adds to the suspense. It's annoying, yet without them we wouldn't understand Martin's character, we would not empathize with Martin, and empathizing with Martin is key to the enjoyment of the book. Good recommendation, Laurie!

Erin's Book #39: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I've said before that I enjoy chick lit every now and then. But I do have standards - it has to be decent, not poorly written crap (I'm looking at you, Sophie Kinsella). I grabbed Something Blue at a book sale and then realized it was the sequel to Something Borrowed, so I figured I'd better read this one first.

This definitely qualifies as good chick lit. Giffin takes what could be very standard bad chick lit fare and elevates it to something more. Something Borrowed centers on best friends Rachel and Darcy. Since they were little kids, Darcy has always been the beautiful, perfect, gets-whatever-she-wants type. Rachel has always played second fiddle, giving in to whatever Darcy wants. As they've gotten older, Darcy has become even more selfish and entitled.

On Rachel's thirtieth birthday, she has a little too much to drink and winds up in bed with Darcy's fiance, Dex. Rachel was actually the one to introduce Darcy and Dex, figuring that the gorgeous, smart law student was out of her own league. Well as it turns out, that's not the case. Rachel and Dex fall for each other, while Darcy plans her wedding.

It's a risky move, making the Other Woman the protagonist (the sequel, Something Blue, focuses on Darcy instead). I was conflicted reading it, knowing that Dex is much better with Rachel, but feeling that the whole thing was, well, just wrong. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted it to end. I enjoyed Rachel as a heroine though; her issues and doubts made her easy to relate to and root for. I'm looking forward to reading the follow up.

Erin's Book #38: We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

The backstory to this book, which Berg explains in the introduction, is almost as fascinating as the book itself - a fan wrote Berg, begging her to write a story about her mother. Berg told her that she was a fiction writer, so if she wanted a true story, she should go elsewhere. The woman replied that she wanted Berg to do it, however she wanted. She also included a picture of her mom, which convinced Berg to write it.

As she specified, this is not a true story. But it is inspired by a real woman.

Thirteen-year-old Diana's mother contracted polio while pregnant with her. She gave birth in an iron lung, where she remained for three years. Since then, she has been completely paralyzed. Diana shares caregiving responsibilities with two other women, most notably Peacie, their tough but kind-hearted day worker.

This is a beautiful story of a young girl, coming of age, and her incredible mother. Paige is a tremendous character; Diana says that people often forget that she's paralyzed and that comes across on the page. They are very poor, forced to rely on the money they're given for a night caregiver to instead by groceries, but they have all have a strong bond.

I really really enjoyed this book and have already bought one more by Elizabeth Berg.

Erin's Book #37: Shopgirl by Steve Martin

He's a comic legend. He plays the banjo. He writes. Is there anything Steve Martin can't do?

I'd always been curious about Shopgirl and was pleasantly surprised by it. Although it's a much sexier book than I expected, Martin can really write. With some celebrities/actors/singers/etc that try to write, it's clear that they're only published because of who they are. Not the case here.

The main character is Mirabelle, a lonely twenty-something artist who is quite content to work the glove department at Neiman's. Ray Porter is a fifty-year-old millionaire who splits his time between Seattle and LA, where Mirabelle lives. Recently divorced, Ray courts younger women while also looking for "the One." Mirabelle becomes the object of his admiration, though the two want very different things. Meanwhile, in the background is Jeremy, a young slacker Mirabelle went on a couple mediocre dates with.

Martin is delightfully clever and astute (I read aloud to my boyfriend several passages I particularly enjoyed). He writes a female perspective really well. I felt the end came rather abruptly, though the conclusion was natural. All in all, a very entertaining light read.

Erin's Book #36: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

After seeing the trailer for the film adaptation several months ago, I was intrigued by Never Let Me Go, but didn't realize it was a book until Blythe wrote about it. Her post convinced me it was worth reading, so when I found it at a sale for $1, it was a no brainer.

It's difficult to write about the story without giving anything away. The only thing that's immediately apparent is that Hailsham, the boarding school that the three main characters (Kathy, who narrates, Ruth, her best friend, and Tommy, Ruth's boyfriend) attend is somehow out of the ordinary. The specific hows are revealed slowly throughout the story. Ishiguro is a master of drawing you in and intriguing you, though his reveals are natural. He drops enough hints to let you come up with theories and never presents information like it's shocking; instead, it's almost casual, because the narrator assumes you already know. In a way, that makes the truth even more haunting.

It's also very hard to put this book down. Ishiguro has all sorts of tricks to keep you reading, like ending most chapters with things like, "That's why what happened in the Square was so surprising" and "What Ruth said that day in the cemetery changed everything." (Note: those aren't actual examples, but they give you an idea). It takes great discipline not to keep reading to find out what happens.

Engrossing, creepy, and beautifully written, I highly recommend Never Let Me Go.

Erin's Book #35: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

I had always heard of this book, but never had any particular desire to read it until I found it in the dollar bin at a bookstore. I breezed through it in less than a day and really enjoyed it.

Tita is a young girl madly in love with Pedro, but her ridiculously, horribly mean and tyrannical mother forbids her to marry, clinging stubbornly to the family tradition of the youngest daughter caring for the mother until her death. So Pedro marries Tita's sister, Rosaura, in an attempt to be near Tita. Their love endures births, deaths, moves, and more.

It's an interesting format - broken up in monthly installations, with each chapter beginning with a recipe. Food figures heavily into the story as Tita is the primary cook for their ranch and expresses her emotions through her food. It's also her path to Pedro.

With touches of magic realism, the book explores this dysfunctional Mexican family and the boundless love of Tita and Pedro. I think I'll rent the movie next.

Erin's Book #34: Shelter Me by Juliette Fay

Much like V and Red Hook Road, Shelter Me represents a great fear: Janie, mother of 2 (4-year-old Dylan and baby Carly), loses her beloved husband Robby in a bicycle accident. Shelter Me follows her first year as a widow as she gets closer to people she barely knew and even disliked prior to the accident. She leans heavily on her crazy, overbearing aunt, her nosy neighbor, her understanding priest, and eventually the hunky contractor her husband hired to build her a porch before he died. She has no shortage of romantic interests, if she can find it in herself to move on.

It is a testament to Fay's writing that Janie, a self-proclaimed angry, bitchy, and sometimes downright mean woman, remains endearing and intensely likable. Most of the time, she is holding on only for the sake of her young children. Janie and Robby had a truly happy, wonderful marriage, which makes his absence that much more painful.

As a reader, I shared the character's sentiments - wanting her to move on, yet feeling guilty for that desire. As the shattered family moves through the year, celebrating birthdays and holidays without Robby, the hole he left gradually feels like less of a blow. Fay's writing is so vivid that I found myself responding to the book in ways I haven't in some time, feeling incredibly caught up in the story. A beautiful book I highly recommend.

Pam's Book 43: Faithful Place

I have to admit that since the beginning of the school year, this blog has been pushed to the back burner as life has been just a little busy. I haven't had a whole lot of time for reading, and when I do, I don't seem to have the time or energy to write about it. I read (and blogged about) Tana French's second book, The Likeness, a couple months ago. I loved it. Faithful Place, in typical Tana French style, stars a peripheral character from her previous book, so I already knew Frank Mackey a little and was happy to see him return.

When Frank was a young man, he and his girlfriend Rosie planned to run away together from Ireland to England, get married, and get cool jobs. Not many people escape the tenement Faithful Place, but they were going to do it. Only Rosie never showed, and Frank has been fighting pain and confusion in the 22 years since. Now, all this time later, Rosie's suitcase shows up, then a dead body that could possibly be Rosie's.

The perceptive reader can puzzle out what's happened before the end, but it's not a disappointment. This book is at least as much about familial and neighborhood relationships as it is about the mysterious disappearance of Rosie Daly. French is a genius at capturing atmosphere; in this case, working class urban Ireland. Frank got out of Faithful Place, stayed out for 22 years, but the values and morays learned as a child are buried deep, not gone. The language is spot on. (I had intended to include some quotations in this post, but I had to return the book to the library before I got a chance to write this.) I've been avoiding French's first book because I've heard the ending is less than satisfactory, but I guess I'll just have to suck it up and read it sooner rather than later...

Erin's Book #33: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

I've wanted to read this book since seeing (and being very impressed with) Michael Pollan in Food, Inc. He's written several books on nutrition and the food industry, but this one seemed like a great one to start with. I plan on reading them all eventually.

There are so many conflicting reports on healthy eating that it's very difficult to know what's right. I can't be certain that Pollan's approach is right, but it makes a lot of sense to me. His basic assumption is that we shouldn't be trusting scientists and nutritionists to create our food. They take something natural that people have been eating for hundreds or thousands of years and take stuff out of it that they think is bad and add stuff back in that they think is good. Why should we trust them over nature? Especially when one of the first processed foods of this sort, margarine, initially was loaded with trans fat. And we all know how that turned out.

In Defense of Food launches a pretty scathing attack on the food industry. It's full of terrifying and disturbing statistics, such as:

• A child born in the year 2000 has a 1 in 3 chance of developing diabetes.
  
• Bread, which can be made using flour, yeast, water, and a pinch of salt often contains 40+ ingredients.
• There are 17,000 new food products introduced each year

Much like our healthcare system, which treats illness instead of preventing it, the food industry does the same. Diabetes is becoming such a prevalant problem that instead of trying to prevent it, which would fundamentally change the Western diet as we know it, we create ways to make patients live longer. The slew of diet-related health problems we face in this country means a heap of new products to treat them.

Yes, Pollan's a bit cynical. But it seems hard not to be. It's completely outrageous the lack of control we have over our food. The typical Midwestern farm used to grow over a dozen species of crops and animals. Now it grows two - corn and soybeans. If you hadn't heard, they are in EVERYTHING.

Where Pollan differs from other stuff I've read is on the subject of "health" foods and low-fat foods. This goes back to his basic supposition. Scientists are removing fat, and often with it nutritious benefits, and then adding in a bunch of crap to account for it. And since the study of nutrition reduces foods to the nutrients they contain rather than the foods as a whole, we really don't know much. It may seem like this vitamin or that antioxidant are the key to healthy living, but it could be the other nutrients they interact with.

And while organic food contains more nutrients than industrialized food (not to mention the obvious benefit of the lack of pesticides), much of our organic food is now coming from China, thus traveling farther than our industrialized food!

But there is hope. Pollan suggests utilizing farmer's markets and CSA (community-supported agriculture) for as much food as you can. Beyond that, he's created a set of rules:

• Eat Food. In other words, avoid the food-like products that populate the grocery shelves. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup. Avoid food products that make health claims. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and avoid the middle.
  
• Eat mostly plants. Especially leaves. You are what you eat eats too (the diet of the animals we eat has a bearing on the nutritional quality of the food itself, from meat to milk to eggs. Most animals now live on grain, instead of the grass they're born to eat. Buy pastured eggs and grass fed beef). Eat well-grown food from healthy soils (this means organic but don't overlook the small farms that are organic but not certified so). Eat wild foods when you can. Be the kind of person who takes supplements (There's a lot of research that suggests supplements don't do much unless you're old, but people that take them tend to be healthier). Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism. Don't look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet (We don't know what specific ingredient or combination of nutrients make traditional, non-Western diets work. They just do). Have a glass of wine with dinner (Hooray!).
  
• Pay more, eat less (We spend less money on food than most cultures and eat more of it). Eat meals (Don't snack all day. Eat real meals. With your family). Do all your eating at a table. Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. Try not to eat alone. Consult your gut (Americans rely on external cues to stop eating - e.g. the plate is empty. The French stop eating when they're full. How novel! Use smaller plates). Eat slowly. Cook and, if you can, plant a garden (Change your relationship to food. Understand it better).

This may be a massive post, but I've only skimmed the surface. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend you read it.

Erin's Book #32: Ape House by Sara Gruen

Ape House is by Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen. Since Elephants was one of my favorite books this year, I was excited when Ape House was released.

Though it doesn't quite compare to Elephants, I really enjoyed this book. Isabel Duncan is a researcher at a language lab for great apes, working closely with a group of bonobos who have learned to communicate with humans. They can understand spoken English and talk back in ASL. John Thigpen is a struggling reporter whose story on the bonobos is hijacked by a competing reporter. After a terrible event ends the lab's work, the bonobos are sold. Isabel, who considers the apes her closest family, sets off to uncover the truth and find the bonobos, while John reclaims the story to prove himself as a writer.

Much like Elephants, Ape House is meticulously researched. Though I probably wouldn't have picked this book up based only on the subject matter, that ended up being what I most liked. I appreciated the characters and the curious (though sometimes a little too serendipitous) turn of events, but the apes were the real draw. I had no idea that this kind of work was being done and how smart and human-like bonobos are. Their relationship with Isabel, and with each other, was truly touching. I'm currently reading In Defense of Food as well, and though that one's due back to the library this week, I found myself gravitating toward Ape House more and more.

V's Pick #50: Cleo by Helen Brown

I've noticed as I've gotten older that I cry more than I used to. Perhaps that's the first tick of the maternal clock or perhaps I've just seen more of life and thus appreciate both beauty and sadness in strident, deeper waves. My watering eyes know no bounds - TV commercials for underwear, a spectacular moment of growth in a student paper, an especially sweet gesture from John. And for the last week, pretty much every time I'd read a section of Cleo.
In Helen Brown's words, I found a little more of myself. On the surface it's a story about a cat, but I will tell you without hesitation that it is really a story about life. It's a story with many lessons, but one of astounding clarity which I have learned this year: life is not really living unless there's a cat involved.

Despite having and losing many cats growing up, including the cat who was in the family before I was (Creampuff was 21 when my boyfriend and I buried her in the garden) I have never really considered myself a "cat person." Oliver was mine because my dad found him by the mailbox and he just sort of never left my lap. Foxy was mine because I was walking our family dog (our Cleo) and this (what I thought...) little boy kitten waited for and followed me for three days straight. Many others I had and lost before those two were both heartwarming and sad. I actually wrote my first poem because our cat Tigger, hadn't come home during a thunderstorm. However, I still could never admit to myself that I needed a cat.

2010 opened with Oliver's death. Gruesome and sad, he drug himself across the floor on the night we knew he was expiring as I attempted to leave. He hadn't made a sound in three days as we sat in vigil but before I could escape to John's place for the night, he flung himself toward my feet, olive-green eyes locked on mine and let out the most truly animalistic sound I've ever heard. I said goodbye in my own noises and came home promptly the next morning to bury him with my mom. Losing him was hard; I'd nursed him back from the dead as a kitten and he'd been one of the shortest living cats in our brood - 10 years. But Foxy was thriving living with John and I knew I'd soon join her so the healing was a softer process.

In August, coming home from Wisconsin, I felt war-wounded. Having kissed Foxy's head a week earlier and knowing she had a clean bill of health from her vet visit a few months prior, I had nothing to equip me to deal with the silence her absence left in our lives. The phone calls from John mid-week had quickly gone from "Foxy's missing" to "Foxy's not missing" to "Foxy's dead." I couldn't really cry - I'd buried all of our family pets and that was my grieving process...but with this one, the one cat who throughout the years I'd really felt was so eternally mine, I would have to let go without digging. Our neighborhood was extremely helpful, and John's parents stood next to him as he buried Foxy two days before my plane was to touch down. Her final resting place is idyllic for a cat who was wild for seven years before spending her last seven with me: under a willow tree next to a pond, with a handmade stone marker, as much carved out of the earth as the tears John spilled while making it. I wish I could say I did the right thing when I came home, but I didn't. I panicked. Foxy had been with me through everything in college. She'd been my only reason for sleep during the waiting period FSU put me on to decide MFA criterion. She'd been my solace when I'd come home with a broken heel, a broken bank account or a broken heart. Her purr could fix anything and selfishly, I was kind of mad at her for leaving me before she could help me figure out how to fix this.

A bizarre week passed; looking back it seems it flew, but inside of it, time seemed to stand still. I kept her litter box and bowls a few days too long. I refused to vacuum her fur off the furniture. I tried to cry, but it was like something inside me had rusted. Her 7 pound absence in our apartment weighed at least a ton. We didn't eat much, we didn't talk much, we didn't do much. And then, laying in bed one night, John asked if I wanted to get another one... Positive I could never find a cat that would make me feel anything ever again, I declined his offer, but reminded him that I had been wanting a dog since before Foxy's time.

Writing this now, with Sadie on her back at my feet, rolling around with her stuffed chicken in her mouth, and Jude sneezing in the living room from under the TV stand, I feel like I'm on a different planet in just over a month's time. Love is an amazing elastic thing. Meeting Sadie allowed me to grieve for Foxy and while the tears I've cried in no way equal the love she brought my life, they're a start. A small offering to the animal gods that I can do it again. And meeting Jude two weeks ago, well, that's just how cats work. John and I had discussed getting a kitten at some point; dead set on making sure Sadie grows up to be one of those cool and socialized dogs who can live with anything, we knew a cat was in the future somewhere down the line. However, while the right thing to do, picking one out at a shelter, just isn't my style. Cats, unlike dogs, just happen. And it was way too soon for me to consider alternatives.

At Sadie's first vet appointment, this oddly familiar woman approached me with a black and white kitten. She works at Aloha (my vet clinic) and runs a kitten fostering program with the Humane Society on the side. I later learned that she came over to me because she said there was just something about Sadie and I sitting there that told her I could give a kitten a good home. While the black and white kitten wasn't ours, I was happy to pet a tiny morsel of furry life and really felt connected to Linda and her cause. Half an hour later, waiting for my bill, she returned with a gray kitten who promptly walked past me and curled up next to Sadie on the bench. Frail and so tiny, I was almost afraid to touch him. He didn't care...he looked up at me with unmistakeable Siamese eyes and mewed his way into my heart upon contact. Like all the great cats in my past, Guston, now Jude had found me. Named for a tropical storm and a song that speaks of loving again, Jude's purr has began to stitch my heart back into fullness. And beautifully, one of his favorite places in the world is to be perched on me or John's shoulder...something I *never* thought I'd find in another cat after Foxy.

Cleo found me too - on the day we ended up bringing Jude home, I was walking around Barnes and Nobel with a stack of books in my hands. I saw this one and knew it was the only thing I wanted to read that day. I didn't even make it home, stopping for lunch as an excuse to tear into it, I was three chapters deep on my way to vet to pick up our sick little dude. So, that's part of my story. If you love cats, or just even like cats, you need this book. Brown is a modern-day philosopher and most amazingly, she shares my thoughts:

"Cats aren't something to be "got." They turn up in people's lives when they're needed, and with a purpose that probably won't be understood to begin with... Life is contrary business. Sometimes what you think you don't want and what you need are the same thing" (285).

V's Pick #49: Be The Pack Leader by Cesar Milan

Sadie's foster recommended reading Milan and while I was skeptical at first because of his TV fame, I figured as the owner of a puppy who still doesn't get why pooping our closet isn't okay, I didn't have a lot to lose beyond maybe another pair of shoes.

While this book isn't about dogs like Sadie, who just have mild little manner issues and general puppy learning curves, it is an incredible read about humans' roles in dogs lives. And very unexpectedly, it's also about a lot of the problems we have as humans in our own lives.

Here are some highlights:

"Without being in touch with our instinctual side, we are dangerously unbalanced" (4).

"Dogs live in the moment. Dogs are happiest being dogs; they should not be replacement children, spouses, etc. Discipline and punishment are different; discipline is order" (45).

"The way I see it, most animal abuse comes from unbalanced human emotions and our own repressed negative emotions" (70).

"In many ways, dogs are neotenized wolves" (183).

"Humans often seek extra drama in their lives to complicate things. A balanced animal knows that life provides enough drama already" (186).

"I like to explain dog submission and open-mindedness" (223).

Urging dog owners to get their own houses in order (no pun intended) before they write off their "bad" pets, Milan writes a Zen approach to god companionship. While I still don't think his word is final, I totally agree that "calm-assertive" energy is what one needs to connect with a dog...and college students, if you want the truth. I feel like I possibly learned as much about teaching humans from this book as I did dogs and the major take-home was that in all the lessons, the big picture was to relax and be firm.

In just a few days since reading this book, I've almost taught her "down," she's had only one accident, went from TOTALLY freaking out during her baths to being only barely displeased and perhaps the coolest...is a whole new being in my eyes. As she snoozes next to my feet, I now see her not only as our loving little puppy with an knack for agility and maybe someday, locksmithing... but as this incredible machine of an animal, capable of so much more than even I.

I'm not going to go out and buy his collars, but I will say, Milan's place in my pack has risen greatly too.

Erin's Book #31: The Toynbee Convector & Other Stories by Ray Bradbury

I'd only read two things by Bradbury - Fahrenheit and Something Wicked This Way Comes - and thought both were fantastic, so I was excited to snatch up this compilation at a book sale for $1.

It's compiled of many, many short stories, generally just a few pages long. The stories sort of run the gamut - most have a sci fi/supernatural angle (a lot of ghosts and a little time travel) but then some are just about people being people.

A few I enjoyed quite a bit, some others I wasn't too fond of, and some I didn't totally get. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the collection. Some of the stories just weren't that great. And almost all of them were too short to really flesh out any idea or character. I don't regret reading them, but I probably won't buy another short story collection from him.

V's Pick #48: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Confession: I've never read Nicholas Sparks. Yes, I saw The Notebook and yes, I totally cried...but something about his novels just never appealed to me. After going into my second semester learning that nearly every female student I have taught or currently teach has either read him or is reading him, I thought I better at least give him a try. 

I chose The Last Song because it's his most recent novel and the library had a nice, newish paperback copy. I threw myself into it over Labor Day weekend and while it's taken me a while to finish because I only read a few minutes before bed every night, it's been worth sticking with. In fact, I find it a benefit that I don't feel guilty not reading more of it during the day, or fighting myself to chose work over play. It's my bedtime book and when I pick it up, I go right back to where I was the night before without absolutely zero confusion. Score one for Sparks. 

Along those lines, while I'm tallying points, I might also add that I'm a big fan of his storytelling based on this novel. As with most popular fiction, I find his plots kind of expected (first love, dying dad, teenage angst) but his plot twists are totally rewarding (turtles? fireballs? church burning?) - the last thing I expected to find in a novel like this was anything that surprised me...so that, surprised me! 

At times it got a little too preachy for me. I'm not sure if religion is always included in his novels, but there were definite moments when this one was pushing the Chicken Soup for the....envelope. I was entertained, and Sparks has earned his "Bestselling" title because he is a fantastic storyteller. However, it's still very mass-market and as such, meets various conventions of airport fiction. Read: this book will not change your life. But, it was a worthy read to me in the sense that I've come to be able to appreciate an author I never had intention of liking who my students (and most of America it seem) really connect with. And, because one book isn't enough to really grasp an author, I'm going to try to read Dear John next. See you in one month when my two-pages a night schedule will get me through my next put-downable and pick-upable Sparks' novel. 

P.S. I will NOT see the movie version of TLS because Miley Cyrus makes me want to kill bunnies.