Wednesday, December 29, 2010

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

2 comments:

  1. YAY!!! I'm so excited for you and Nate! Cora's so beautiful!

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  2. Blythe,

    You are made of awesomeness. I wonder what Cora will think years from now when she understands this picture? Probably that her mom is pretty darn cool (and a huge nerd) - both of which we all know are accurate. <3

    Congrats on your new addition and on finishing your 50 books :-)

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