Of the 50,000 Reasons I Love Book Club

1.  My sides still hurt from the laughter.

2.  I will never think of knitting the same way again.

3.  Bread!!

4.  Just so you know we're really loud over here!

5.  The waitress wanted to join our book club cause we're so dang funny!

6.  The chocolate calories consumed were voided out by the sheer amount of belly laughter.

7.  My eyes are puffy from the tears that were shed due to said laughter.

8.  There isn't a room that can truly contain our large voices, personalities, and wonderfulness.

9.  Never has three hours passed so quickly and so enjoyably.

10.  I have a new appreciation for Valium!

11.  I love all the members dearly!!!  (It really needs more exclamation points)

12.  Oh, and we get to read books to.

13.  Sometimes we even discuss them!

14.  Mostly we just laugh.

15.  I'm not even sure what about right now, but I'm certain it was good.

Survey says...

There's nothing wrong!

Yep, you heard me correctly.  We met with Dr. Hatasaka today to review the test results of blood, timing, and every other little thing, and well, it seems we're just fine.  Which does nothing to explain the whole no child, no pregnancy, no person to feel guilty about putting us in the rest home when we finally lose it. 

Sigh.

Some would call this good news.  Others, myself really, would call it bad.  Although it's good in a way cause... well we know there's nothing wrong... k, so at least we can move on to...  Nope.  Still bad for me.  I was hoping that these tests would say "Hey Lora, here's the problem!  It's been here all along you just needed to do this."  Or "Oh, now I see it.  Clearly there's nothing to do now but this." 

Verdict:  Unexplained Infertility
Plan from here: 4 rounds of Clomid and IUI (in utero insemination) If that doesn't work they bring out the big guns.
Foreseeable complications:  If I have a cyst... deal off.  New plan: get rid of cyst.  (stupid cyst)

I confess it took me a bit to get comfortable with this idea.  I really was hoping to forgo the Clomid thing and jump right into IVF.  It's probably just me but I think that's where we are headed anyways, so why not just skip the preliminaries?

But then again, maybe I'll be surprised.  Perhaps this is just where we need to be.  Perhaps this was part of the plan always.  Perhaps...

On a brighter note, I have an amazing find for book lovers everywhere.  It's called Jenson Books and it's by the S.E.I. factory outlet here in Logan.  I got these:

For $7.00!  Not $7.00 each, $7.00 for the whole shebang!  Seriously, where has this been all my life!  I like to just sit and stare at it.  It makes me happy.

Every day really does have a silver lining if you look hard enough.

Outcasts United

Each year the Connections Program on campus picks a book for the year.  This year it is "Outcasts United" by Warren St. John.  It is about a small town, Clarkston, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta that has become the home of refugees from no less than 50 different countries.  Many are driven from their homes due to the violence there and know little English if any.  They have come to the country legally and try to find their way in a new and strange land in a town that has difficulty accepting the forced change in their home.

The story is about the young boys who come together playing soccer.  There is hope and encouragement throughout, but there is also a disturbing look at a complicated life.  I can't help but think what I would do if placed in the same situation.  Not that of the boys playing soccer, but of the residents of Clarkston.  Their quite little all-American town changed right before their eyes in a matter of 10 years or so.  People from all different nationalities complete with authentic dress, became part of the everyday scenery.  It made them uncomfortable and a lot of the residents chose to hide from rather than embrace the change.

I couldn't help but think of my last ward.  The Riverwalk apartments were included in the ward boundaries.  There was a family from Burma that spoke the Karen language.  Do you know how hard it is to find someone that speaks Karen?  Let's just say we spend a lot of time smiling and gesturing.  I didn't realize it until this book that they were also part of the refugee relocation program.  They had originally been placed in the Salt Lake area where they joined the church.  Now they are in Logan trying to find their way in this new life.  How am I going to react?

Our neighborhood has a lot of non-caucasions.  The Soccer World Cup brought out Brazilian flags and cheers from around the neighborhood.  Some from El Salvador, some from Mexico, and of course Brazil.  The United States, even in little Logan, Utah is becoming more diverse with each passing year.  Are you going to embrace the change and help those going through it, or run and hide behind closed doors and hope to wake up one day and find it all gone?

Something to think about.

Story line:  Excellent.  Hope, tenderness, tough love.

Language: Clean actually. The coach allows no swearing on the team. Two f-bombs in quotes though.
Difficult/adult content: minimum.  Some stories of the team members past are difficult but nothing scaring.

Some Girls, My Life in a Harem

In the realm of books all that is good, I'm finding it difficult to peg this one.  I belong to Goodreads.com and as part of it you get to rate the book on a star system.  5 being the best 1 being the worst.  Most of the time this method works just fine but then there are those instances where a book just doesn't fit.  It's too complicated to be summed up with multiple stars.

So I'm going to do my own rating system for a more accurate picture.  It may change over time, but that's okay because it's my rating system.  But first, about the book.

Some Girls My Life in a Harem  is a true story of an 18-year old high school drop out who find herself in the "industry" and winds up spending 18 months of her life in a harem for the Prince of Brunei vying for his attention.  That's the simple plot.  The real story is much more complicated and hard to sum up.  Just like it's hard to sum up anyone's life in a simple statement.  Difficult to judge because I've never walked in her shoes.  This story is about Jillian Lauren finding herself and figuring who she really is and what she really wants out of this life. 

I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I can't say that I hated the book.  I can't say that I can safely recommend the book, but I can say that I am still thinking about the book.  I'm still trying to figure it out.  I'm trying to get over the sensationalism of the actual facts, places, deeds that are so completely foreign to anything that I grew up with or have ever been exposed to, and find the real story.  I almost want to read it again because know I now the facts of the story and I want to spend more time on the heart of the story.  In it's way, it's actually a beautiful story.

So, here's my rating system with a bit more depth than 5 stars allows me to give.

Story line:  Excellent.  A lost girl beats the odds, finds herself and stability.
Language: Lots of f-bombs, lots.  Don't judge me.
Difficult/adult content: lots of sex talk, not graphic, but slightly uncomfortable.  Only one that I would have skipped entirely.

Recommendation:  you be the judge.  Coming from an English Major background I learned to filter out some language as I read for survival.  I may not have approved of the language but I still had to write a paper on it.  I can honestly say I don't regret it though.  There are lots of ugly things around that distract from beauty.  Find the silver lining.  Figure out what's really being said.

"Fireworks Over Toccoa"

I recently finished reading "Fireworks over Toccoa" by Jeffrey Stepakoff.  I confess I'm still not sure what I think of it.  Well, I guess that's not true.  I do know what I think of it and it's not entirely good.

I tried very hard to not be tainted by it's Nicholas Sparks-like draw.  (I'm not the biggest fan of sappy love stories about people who don't know what it is to be in love in the first place.  They kind of remind me of sappy high school love stories or bad country music songs.  And while I'm at it my least favorite in that genre is "Don't Take the Girl" by Tim MaGraw...  Seriously can't stand that one and I'm a country music fan.  Cheese. Bomb. But I digress.)

I wanted to go into it with an untainted mind, open to the possibilities of it's greatness. I suppose it would be prudent to tell how I got this book in the first place.  I am happy to say that I didn't spend a dime to get it.  Tawnya, the founder of our book club, got in on a deal where every member of our club would get a free copy if she would blog about it.  Very difficult to pass up free books.  It was decided that if it turned out awful then we could have a thoroughly enjoyable time "MST 3000"ing it. 

I confess I was drawn into the story as it got going.  There were some historical facts that I found interesting.  Like how Coca-Cola was so very much a part of WWII.  It explained why my grandparents usually had Diet Coke around for breakfast as well as every other meal of the day.  Overall I was okay with the characters.  The part that I wasn't okay with was the "love" story.  Only in cheesy romance books/movies/songs do people know each other for barely two days (one of which is spend in the throws of passion, be sure to close your eyes during that part) and decide that they are the love of each other's life.  Seriously, it takes at least 6 months for your best behavior to wear off and get down to the real you.  Love in two days?  I don't think so.

I can't say that I recommend the book, but I can say that I stuck through to the end. 

And Tawnya, hope this doesn't ruin the next book club, but I couldn't help but blog about it now.  Either because my life is pathetic and all I have to blog about is a book, or because I hope to fill in the next few weeks with many other books and I'm afraid that my pertinent fresh-in-my-mind impressions would be gone by that time.  Sigh.  Oh, I think we should totally cast the movie too.  I might be able to get over the shallowness of the love story if the main character was hunky enough.

Roots

I recently finished reading Alex Haley's "Roots".  I have been curious about it for a long time but really haven't know what it was about.  I knew it had something to do with slavery but I had no idea about the ride I was in for.

This is the story of Alex Haley's family.  Through something that could only be called miraculous, the story of his African roots were passed on to reach his ears even through the horrors of slavery.  One of my favorite classes in college, in fact the class that helped me change my major to history, was Black American History.

We took a good look at slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, Jazz music, the Civil Rights Movement and everything inbetween.  It was focused mainly on the modern Civil Rights Movement.  Malcolm X is a fascinating person.  I highly recommend his auto-biography that was written by Alex Haley and dicated by Malcolm X.  I am fascinated with the time period and horrified at what happened.  It still amazes me that a human being can treat another human being so poorly simply because of skin color.  That's for another day though.

I picked up Roots, all 895 pages of it and read.  Alex Haley has done a masterful job.  His research and his family ties have put together a story that tells the whole of Black American history through the eyes of a family living it.  History is traditionally written by the victors, but this history is written by the victor in another sense.  A stronger victory.  The victory of a family who knows who they are.

When I was in my Black American History class I was appalled at how ignorant I was.  Appalled that none of this had been taught in high school.  Or if it was it was glossed over.  Basic information with no heart. Such a sheltered life we lead sometimes, never knowing anything of the ugliness that also scars our country.  Don't get me wrong, I love the United States.  I love the freedom that we have here.  I love the ideal that we strive for.  But I never have been one for blind faith.  One can only move forward if one knows where one stands.

Simplify

"With our pitchers, we attempt sometimes to water a field, not a garden."

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I've been trying to simplify my life lately. It seems to always come after Christmas when every nook and cranny is full of something related to the Christmas season. The candlestick holders are adorned with red ribbon. The already full book shelves have holiday figurines keeping them company. House plants find a new home while the nativity is set out for a temporary showing. Then it is time to take every thing down.

Sometimes a bare wall is soothing to the already troubled and cluttered world. The nook and crannies not only become deprived of their holiday visitors, but seem to lose some of their regular occupants as well. It's a time to go through the sometimes massive amounts of stuff and re-think their value. Some items simply get boxed up for awhile until I miss their company in which they will make a reappearance at a later date. Other, less sentimental? get boxed up and shipped off to the second hand store where I'm positive someone will find them, take them home and love them as I once did. Either way, I find it easier to breathe.

I've been reading "Gift From the Sea" by Anne Marrow Lindbergh. It's a very thought provoking book, small but significant. One that even though you could read it in a day you would be cheating yourself in doing it. I confess it did spark this post, but not the need to de-clutter. I go through that every January. The tree goes out and the room opens up and airs itself out. I sit in my living room and find that my mind is less strangled. The openness of the room gives my sense of self permission to do it's own airing out. Take stock of what's been cluttering up my mind and decide if it has use or enough sentimental value to take up the space. In the limited amount of energy that I have through out the day is this worth dwelling on?

If only it were as simple as clearing off a shelf.

How do you clear your head and take stock of your life?

When did this happen?

When did I turn so cynical? So full of the "reality" of life that I pick things apart.

Let me start from the beginning. I just finished reading Stephanie Meyer's "The Host". I'm pretty sure that I won't spoil anything for anyone because if you've been sucked into the "Twilight" series then you already know she has an affinity for happy endings. This is where my cynicism comes in.

After finishing "The Host" and I must say I really did enjoy the read. It was much more adult than her other books and I found myself sucked into the characters whether I wanted to be or not. The main character, Wanda, was definitely a Meyer's character though. Impossibly good and self-sacrificing but it's okay because she's from a different planet, not subject to human foibles, and therefore easier to swallow. Naturally there was the love interest because you have to have it. Isn't our ability to love and hate with equal fervor so very human?

K, on with my internal struggle. As I read praise for the book consisting of such phrases as "no matter how much pain her characters suffer, Meyer infuses the tales with light and hope," I found myself rolling my eyes if not outward at least in my head. Then it hit me... what happened to me? When did I start becoming this cynical person that thinks light and hope in literature is unrealistic. Why shouldn't we have hope? Why shouldn't we write stories that actually do have a happy ending without being a fairy tale? Just what's wrong with having your cake and eating it too? Then I had to ask myself... do I really think this way or am I being altogether too hard on Ms. Meyer because I was so utterly disappointed in the ending of the Twilight series... hmmm.

So, here's to hope. Turning the page, starting anew with a brighter outlook, less cynicism, more hope in the reality of a new and beautiful day. May it lace your thoughts with beauty and not be too cheesy in literature.

Barefoot Heart

Each year the Connections program at Utah State University has a book that is highlighted for the year. This year it was "Barefoot Heart" by Elva Trevino Hart. Our office always gets a copy to pass around and read. I just finished it and loved it. I was surprised because the reports from other who had read it said it was just 'alright'. They said she wandered while telling her stories and that it was hard to follow. I didn't have too high of expectations when I picked it up, but I'm not one to put down a book because someone didn't like it. I have to find out for myself.

I am pleased to report that I loved the book. LOVED. Elva grew up the last child of a Mexican family living in Texas. She was 7 years younger than the last child so she largely grew up by herself. She tells of her experiences working as migrants in the Summer and returning home to Texas to attend school in the Fall. I found it fascinating. She tells her story so well that I was shocked to find out that it was hard, even painful for her to write them down. Perhaps that it why I liked it so much. She faced her fears. She wrote down her own stories, her life, in order to find out who she really is. She had to face herself in order to embrace herself.

Truly it was beautiful. I had to give the office copy back to the office, but it is definitely one that I would own. So, if any of you are out there in want of a good read, I suggest this one. It does wander a bit, but when you learn what she is trying to do, it just may speak to your soul.

A Sudden, Fearful Death

As some of you may have noticed, I seem to be on an Anne Perry kick. My good friend and one time co-worker Katherine got me started on them. Perry writes a series of Victorian mystery novels that I am really quite enjoying. I haven't written a book review on them because well, they're kind of like candy for the brain... not so sure there's really any value to them but I sure do enjoy it.

The stories are set in the 1850s in London. There are two main protagonists along with a few other repeat players to keep it interesting. Monk is a police officer/detective and Hester is a nurse who is forced to fend for herself having neither family wealth to provide for her or a husband. I find the dynamic between the two fascinating. They almost cannot stand each other to the point of loathing due to Hester's strong opinions and willingness to share them, and Monks abrasive manner. Yet at the same time, they find a strange comfort in the very things they hate about each other.

You can actually learn something from these books though. Perry gives a very accurate description of the thought processes in the time period. The idea of women sitting around becoming "accomplished" through embroidery, painting, music, etc. and overall making a solid effort at appearing in all ways unintelligent but beautiful. Nowadays I'm afraid I have a difficult time separating beauty from intelligence. There are definitely beautiful women in this world, but a lack of intelligence detracts from that in my opinion. What are looks if conversation is superficial with no real substance?

On a side note, have any of you seen "Kate and Leopold"? I think the story is really quite cute and semi-romantic if I could get over the fact that Kate (played by Meg Ryan) would never be satisfied in Victorian society even though Leopold was played by the oh-so-dreamy Hugh Jackman. She came from a high powered position where people listened to her and stepped back in time to where women were ornaments in society to be seen and not heard. Seriously, after a while wouldn't you go crazy? Pretty dresses only go so far... besides you had to wear a corset to make them work. Blechk!

David says that's why I like these books so much. He thinks I am a Hester. She has passion to reform medicine and a drive to make it happen. She can thrown propriety to the wind and not think twice if it is in the interest of justice and improvement to the social condition. And she's not afraid to speak her mind to Monk whether insulting or not so long as it gets her point across. Maybe I'm more like her than I thought. Hmm.

All in all, really enjoying the books and highly suggest them for brain candy and a heightened sense of justice and gratitude that we as women today have a voice. The first in the series is "The Face of a Stranger".

"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards

So it's been awhile since I posted about a book. I finished this one quite a while ago but I'm still not sure what to think of it. Let me explain.

"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" is about a couple who had twins in the 60's when modern medicine, and more importantly, Downs Syndrome was largely misunderstood. The couple did not know they were having twins and the husband, being a doctor, actually did the emergency delivery in the middle of a snow storm. The first, a boy, was born perfect and healthy. The second, a girl was born with Downs Syndrome. Without telling the mother (who was under at the time) he made the decision to have the girl sent to a home where others could take care of her. So dad tells mom that the child died at birth and he already had her buried. Mom is mortified at not being able to at least see the child, but does her best to understand. The nurse who was to take the child to the 'center' couldn't do it, takes the child and raises her on her own and tells dad that's she's done so. Dad couldn't ever bring himself to tell mom.

The story continues as husband and wife dad try to make a home while husband hides the truth of the child and wife feels a lack of connection between them and doesn't know how to bridge the gap. It's really quite a sad story.

The book confuses me because it's hard to categorize. It's hard to look and say, "wow, why didn't these people drop the charade and just talk to each other and get it all out." It was a different time. Communication and striving to understand each other is such a key part of any relationship and yet there were these strict social rules that made it difficult to just sit down and talk. In an effort to 'not hurt his wife' the husband never did tell her the truth. Instead he let it drive their marriage apart while he accepted it as penance for having hidden the truth in the first place.

In the bright side, it made me quite happy to know that even if David and I did try to hide something from each other, it wouldn't last for long. We are so very open with each other it's almost appalling! But it works for us.

Overall, I'm not sure that I would recommend this book as anything other than a study of the human spirit and what a secret in a relationship can do. Not uplifting, but perhaps it does help us understand some of what goes on around us.

"Ah, But Your Land is Beautiful"

I recently finished reading this book by Alan Paton. This is the second book of his that I have read and by far my favorite of the two.

The book is set in South Africa during the time of apartheid (1950's). The separation of races and the justification thereof is addressed throughout. I find his writing both difficult at times and yet fascinating. This book particularly. It is told through many forms. Conversations, newspaper clippings, letters to family. As a reader you follow the story through many eyes, yet none of them omniscient and only few spots are narrative. It is an intricately woven story with complex characters that still leave questions in the mind as to whether they were good or bad. To be hated or pitied.

As in all race-related issues, there are rarely clear-cut answers to anything except that equality should be given to all regardless of race, religion, or creed. That's the ideal, how everything really should be. Unfortunately there are still people battling pre-conceived notions of other people and they don't even know it. I often wonder what I would have been like had I grown up in a different time. Would I have joined the Freedom Riders of the 60's or marched with Martin Luther King Jr. Would I have had the guts to speak out against my race and stand for what was right rather than popular? It makes me wonder if I am taking the back seat and don't know it.

How wonderful would it be if we could wave a magic wand and have 300 years of slavery disappear in our history. Not just from the books, but the anger from the hearts. The hurt, the pain, all taken away as if it had never been. The notion that one people is better than another, the perception of lower and upper class as though at the end of the day we aren't all just people trying to do their best.

Paton's book makes you think, it reaches out and touches your heart in unexpected places. I highly recommend it.

"Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith"

I just finished Anne Lamott's "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith"

Lamott is a Christian writer with liberal views and a great sense of humor. I found her writing thought provoking in places, hard to agree with in others, humorous, and above all honest. She is who she is, flaws and faith combined. I think we all have that part of us. Even the best of us are sometimes pretending so that we can get through the rest of the day, go home, and have a break down in the privacy of our own bathroom. (Not that that ever happens to me of course, I'm practically perfect in every way.)

Favorite quotes from the book:

"Refuse to wear uncomfortably pants, even if they make you look really thin. Promise me you'll never wear pants that bind or tug or hurt, pants that have an opinion about how much you've just eaten. The pants may be lying!"

"I still have terrible moments when I despair about my body-- time and gravity have not made various parts of it higher and firmer. But those are just moments now-- I used to have years when I believed I was more beautiful if I jiggled less, if all parts of my body stopped moving when I did. But I know two things now that I didn't at thirty: That when we get to heaven, we will discover that the appearance of our butts and our skin was 127th on the list of what mattered on this earth. And that I am not going to live forever. Knowing these has set me free."

Lamott reminds us that we are who we are and God knows it and He still loves us. Thanks Tawnya for giving me the book. I really enjoyed it.

"Cry, the Beloved Country"

I just finished reading "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton.

Set it rural South Africa during the 1940's, Paton writes about the effect of the gold industry on the native people. The main character is Kumalo, an old priest in a small rural town. His son, brother, and sister have all moved to Johannesburg for one reason or the other and have lost their way. The story begins with a letter from a fellow priest in Johannesburg asking him to come because his sister is ill. Having never been to Johannesburg due to financial restraints, he sacrifices the things he was saving for in order to go and help his sister as well as search for his lost brother and especially his son.

It is a tender story showing the struggle of a nation that has been inundated with white speculators who have made it "big" in the gold mining industry. Native labor has been brought from the redistributed country side (the land with no gold) with promises of good wages they can feed their families on. As seems the story with all places that are taken over by Europeans, education and equal rights are colored as dangerous for the native peoples. "It is best to keep them in ignorance for their own good." But I digress. The unfairness of one people over another always gets me going. So, moving on...

Kumalo goes to Johannesburg and the story unfolds itself. White and black come together, boundaries are crossed and unexpected respect, forgiveness, and hope are shown. It is beautifully written in the prose and way of speaking that is evidenced in all of Africa.

Perhaps the expression that struck me the most was the use of 'mother'. A young African student used to work in dining services with us on campus. He is from Sierra Leone and plans to return there to help his people after he finishes his doctorate. He always spoke of how good he was treated here and how truly thankful he was to work for such people. He would refer to his boss and sometimes me as a 'mother' to him. I found it odd at first and chalked it up to cultural differences, but I had no idea the term of respect it was. "Mother" is used for someone who shows kindness and nurtures the body or the spirit. It is a term of respect not given lightly.

I highly recommend the book for anyone to read. It is well worth your time. Again, a beautifully written story of respect, forgiveness and hope.

"Necessary Madness"

I recently finished "Necessary Madness" by Jenn Crowell and I must say that I found it a fascinating book. I was a bit reluctant at first because it sounded a bit... contrived?? The book jacket reads: "After a scant eight years of marriage, Gloria's beloved husband succumbs to leukemia, leaving her alone with a son to bring up in an adopted country. The madness of grief is constant..." I admit is was the fact that it was in an "adopted country" that made me feel alright about reading this one. I like to learn about different cultures than my own. The rest of it sounded melodramatic and predictable.

And in a way it was predictable. Somehow you know Gloria is going to get through this or the book wouldn't be written. It was her "necessary madness" that captured me though. So often in life we don't give expression to the madness that threatens to engulf our lives. It's almost unacceptable to let people, or even ourselves, see us suffer. To give ourselves over to the grief we feel so desperately at times in our lives is weakness, right? I mean, if we have a good cry session doesn't that mean that we have no control anymore?

We don't want to experience the pain, we only want the good things. But sometimes that madness, that grief, is a necessary step in the healing process. Sometimes we have to admit it to ourselves and let the pain, sorrow, and heartache take over so that we can get through it completely. I know that I am quite guilty of putting "band-aids" over wounds that require more attention that a little cover up. It goes deeper inside the flesh and needs to be cleansed completely in order for it to heal.

"Necessary Madness" is beautifully written and filled with grief and hope. I found myself on the verge of tears during moments of tenderness and pain and rejoicing in the small steps that were taken to get Gloria's life back on solid ground. Should you choose to read it though, I must inform that it is set in London and certain "cuss words" are more prevalent than others. So beware. It was a good read though.

A "Wicked" Review

So, I just finished reading "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire this morning. Overall I really enjoyed the book. I found the behind the scenes story of the Wicked Witch of the West fascinating. I've always loved the Wizard of Oz from the time I was a little girl. For some reason I remember it coming on either around my birthday (December) or my brother's birthday (March). I don't know if it jumped around or my memory did. (Just ask me what I remember about Jaws sometime.)

Anyway, the trip through Oz and the land that is seemed to be was very interesting from the witch's viewpoint. I found myself rooting for the "wicked witch" and hating Glinda! Now this is to say nothing harmful towards Frank Baum's original version because it is what it is and without it we wouldn't know what "lions and tigers and bears oh my" meant. Maguire simply took the story and fashioned his own around it, and it was delightful. I can't wait to read "Son of a Witch".

However, I feel it my duty to say that if you should pick up the book for a good read, when you get to the part about the "Philosophy Club" you can safely skip it. Kinda nasty and doesn't lend any light to the storyline. It was only 2-3 pages of the whole text so really, you aren't missing anything.

Other than that, it was great!

The Namesake

I recently finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake". OK, not so recently, but I needed some time to decide how I felt about the book. I also watched the movie with my husband because I was oh so curious about how it would transfer to the screen. What would be kept in? What would be left out? I believe the movie did it some justice but I did feel it necessary to stop and explain things to David as we watched.

It is about a Bengali couple who moves to New York from Calcutta. He is a professor and she is a housewife. They make their life together far away from their own families. They have a son whom they name Gogol after Ashoke's (the father) favorite Russian author. There is more to the story of his name but I need to leave something for you to discover on your own right? It is mostly Gogol's story. The journey of a young boy who grows up trying to find the balance between life in America and the traditions and culture of his Bengali family. I believe he does find balance in the end, although it is left fairly open-ended. Perhaps that is why I can't stop thinking about it.

It is a beautifully written story that I recommend if you like complex characters and hidden freedoms. Parts are filled with heartache and others with joy. In a way we all experience something similar to Gogol as we move through life trying to find out who we really are. Which parts of our heritage do we embrace and which do we do without?

Breaking Dawn (Spoiler Alert!)

As many of you know, I recently finished reading Breaking Dawn the anxiously awaited final book in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. I picked up the book with anticipation and curiosity. I am well aware that this is not the greatest series ever written and in fact can be compared to great literature the same way that "American Idol" could be compared to great television. It's just not in the same class. But I do enjoy a good story. I'm a rather forgiving reader actually. If the story manages to catch my attention and keep me interested, then I don't consider it a waste of my time.

My personal preferences in "literature" vary greatly. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a book that changes my outlook on life, expands my horizons and almost forces me to look at the world through different eyes. Those are the books that get into my soul.

Then there are the books that help me run away from my own life and transport me into a different world. A world where magic exists and the impossible is possible. These are the books that I turn to for a good escape from reality. It is this second category that Breaking Dawn falls into. I wasn't looking for deep meaning or literary greatness, just a "take me away" book.

When I picked it up last Sunday it started out much the same as the other three. It felt repetitious in some ways, ie. beautiful Edward, awkward Bella, excited Alice and a big wedding. It moved the plot along but it was nothing new. As the book progressed, it became evident that this would be different. In fact, I found the story rather intriguing and always read much more at a sitting than intended. I felt a progression in Meyer's writing that I was sure would make some of the teenage infatuation of the first three books worth every page. More of the vampire world was opened up just begging to be looked at. In the last 100-150 pages we are introduced to new characters as conflict between the ruling Volturi and the Cullen family heat up. Preparations begin for a defining conflict where true justice would be served. Forces were gathered and the battlefield set and then... well it doesn't happen.

So much time is spent preparing to defend and fight for the rights of free will and agency and it is stopped with a word trap. My first reaction was disbelief followed closely with thoughts that Meyer was being incredibly self-indulgent. Bella doesn't have to loose anything in her life, she gets Edward, she gets Jacob (that's a plot twist that I certainly won't give away), she gets her vampire family as well as Charlie in her life. And she gets immortality. We all like a happy ending, but I felt that this ending was too happy. Too happy to be believable. I can only suspend reality so far. I felt that the characters were denied a chance to learn something of life themselves. Perhaps I just rather crave violence but I longed for a more conclusive ending for the Volturi. Too may loose ends were left loose. The book could have been great, it certainly had the components, it just ended poorly. There were questions left unanswered and mysteries left unexplained about Bella herself.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes. Was it great literature? No. Am I glad I read it? Sure, why not. It did keep my attention. It will still hold a place on my bookshelf (and look great because I like the cover art) though not as deeply in my heart. Perhaps someday I will read them again and come to a new appreciation for the ending that so disappoints me now. So, take that for what you will. Finish the series and enjoy it for what it is, just don't expect greatness.

A Long Way Gone

I recently finished "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier" by Ishmael Beah. It is about a twelve year old boy who lived in Sierra Leone during their civil war (early 90's). He was away from his village when the rebels attacked so he went on the run with his friends. He spent his time running from the rebels and searching for his family. Eventually he has to stop running. He is in a village occupied by the army when the rebels attack. His choice is to try to escape and meet certain death, or join the army and receive training to fight. He chooses the latter part at the tender age of 13. He is in the army for 3 more years before he is removed by UNICEF and put into a rehabilitation center for boy soldiers.

The book is quite hard to read in places, but I found I couldn't put it down. There is something about a personal account, no matter how horrifying, that demands to be read. The voice needs to be heard and listened to. There is so much of war around the world. So much of war that is not black and white. I wish it were. It is so easy for a government to assign that fate to a people when they are not the ones in the line of fire. It's so easy for me as I sit in my comfortable home to form opinions about what the world should be doing. When is a cause so great that a people will take up arms against their own? When does a mind become so twisted that the only way they think they can be heard is by burning a village and killing all the inhabitants?

Beah tells an interesting story at the end of the book. One of the old men in his village told him the story of a hunter and a monkey. The hunter went into the bush to kill a monkey. He finds one sitting comfortably in the branches. "The monkey didn't pay him much attention, not even when his footsteps on the dried leaves rose and fell as he neared. When he was close enough... he raised his rifle and aimed. Just when he was about to pull the triger, the monkey spoke: 'If you shoot me, your mother will die, and if you don't, your father will die.'" The question asked at the end was "What would you do if you were the hunter?"

Naturally there was no really good way to answer the question, especially when the parents were around. But Beah gives his answer:

"When I was seven I had an answer... I never discussed it with anyone for fear of how my mother would feel. I concluded to myself that if I were the hunter, I would shoot the monkey so that it would no longer have the chance to put other hunters in the same predicament."

(By the way, Ishmael Beal is coming to USU to give a lecture. If any of you are interested I will get the details. I believe it's on the 23 of August.)

Vanity and Prejudice...

I finished "Pride and Prejudice" and I must say that I liked it much much much better than "Mansfield Park". Of course I'm not sure if I liked it more because I am familiar with the story or because the people were prettier. You see, I watched a version of "Persuasion" after having read the book. In the story there is a sister who is supposed to be a reputed beauty. Perhaps it's my shallow nature coming through, but my ability to willfully suspend reality in order to enjoy the movie was hindered by the fact that the actors were so very unattractive. It took me half way through the movie to reconcile the fact that they weren't going to look any better regardless of how hard I tried and I should stop trying to make them so. I did enjoy the story though.

With that in mind, the most recent version of "Pride and Prejudice" has Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in it. Two very beautiful people. So, I either liked the book better because it was a better book, which is true, but my opinion may be swayed by the fact that characters in my mind were directly from the movie... enchanting.