Good morning my bloggy friends. I write today with a slightly heavier heart than usual. No fewer than a half dozen people I consider good friends are having some major troubles going on right now, if not to them, then to people they love. Everything from illness, surgeries, cancer, troubled teenagers, children taken into protective custody...it is like everyone was drinking from the same tainted water, man. So before I begin blathering about silly things, please let me send out my heartfelt prayers to those who are suffering. I'm thinking about you, and you know who you are.
Now as far as hangovers. You all know I love my wine, but I'm not talking about THAT kind of hangover. I'm talking about what happens when you immerse yourself in something, become addicted to it, then suddenly it is gone from your life. The first hangover I had was when I finished the last episode of Breaking Bad last Sunday night. EPIC ENDING. But it was over! I'll never be able to watch it again for the first time, never be amazed at the stunning writing from week to week. I'll probably never see anything this close to perfection on TV ever again. I'm not exaggerating. And no more Jesse! I cried for over an hour. My family thought I was nuts.
I also finished the 21-disc audio of "Insomnia", a re-read from my earlier days. That is a long book. So much that when I finished (especially after the incredible ending), I was sort of at odds with what to do with myself. The only solution was more Mo Hayder. My last in the Jack Caffrey series. Once I finish this installment, I'll have to wait for her to write another one. Yet another hangover in the making.
I've also started reading "Rose Under Fire" by Elizabeth Wein. This is a sort-of sequel to "Code Named Verity", which I read about a year ago and really liked. I'm about 40% of the way through, and it is excellent. She writes such strong, young female characters!
We saw Gravity yesterday in 3D IMAX. It felt pretty Hollywood-y and there wasn't much in the way of character development beyond the surface, but the effects were stunning. Definitely worth paying a little extra for 3D IMAX for this one.
So the week I'm facing is going to be a humdinger. It is football playoff time, and my son is facing three or four games this week plus two practices. My daughter has Cross Country Districts this week. And my husband is out of town. Methinks I'll be living in my car for the week. Thank God for audios, is all I have to say.
Hope you all have a restful, peaceful Sunday!
If done well, there is nothing quite like a book that gives cooking and the healing powers of food a leading role in its plot. The perfect example that comes to my mind first is "The School of Essential Ingredients"...wow, what a magical book that was. I truly believe that flavors and textures and smells can be combined to heal and soothe the most tired soul. Obviously Ms. Erica Bauermeister gets it too, because I'll never forget that story.
So when reviews started popping up for this book, my ears perked up when I learned that one of the central themes was food. I was lucky enough to nab it on audio from my local library.
Synopsis: This story focuses on three people who are struggling to find themselves and a place where they belong. Bobby is a young gay man who grew up in rural Georgia as a Baptist preacher's son, and was ostracized from his family because of his sexual orientation. He escapes to New York City and lands a job as a sous chef in a well-regarded boutique restaurant. Alice, the owner of the restaurant, is an African American woman who is a bit of a legend in the culinary world, but has kept her family and her history from North Carolina a secret from everyone, even her closest friends. Amelia is a Connecticut housewife whose life is upended when she discovers not only her husband's secret life but a few secrets from her background as well.
These three individuals are adrift, lost in a confusing world that they thought they knew. They converge in an 80's New York City, amidst the AIDS epidemic, and find a communion and comfort in each other's company, as well as friendship that acts as a reinforcement in their darkest hours.
My thoughts: This is just one of those books that warms the heart. The paths that these three characters take are not pleasant...they have all had the rug pulled out from underneath them. White makes you FEEL their pain - all different kinds of pain but all very alienating. We've got serious issues of racism (against skin color and sexual orientation), AIDS, grief, infidelity and standing strong for who you are. Heavy stuff.
But when these three find each other, in the presence of Alice and Bobby's Southern comfort food brought to the table of a chic, NYC cafe, it becomes somehow lighter, hopeful and magical. When Bobby adapts his Meemaw's pound cake (which she sold to her neighbors for years and from which the proceeds funded Bobby's escape to New York in the first place) into a famous dessert at the cafe, I think I gained 5 pounds just from reading about it!
If you are in the mood for a thoughtful, serious but heartwarming read, you really need to pick this one up.
A few words about the audio production: Each character had their own narrator, which worked really well here. Robin Miles, George Newbern, and Katherine Powell all did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of each of these characters. I don't think I've ever heard any of them before, but they made this a very satisfying and entertaining listening experience.
Listening length: 9 hours and 1 minute (336 pages)
4.5 out of 5 stars
This is not the kind of book I immediately grab. It has a flower, a butterfly and a teacup on the cover! Ugh! Really??? But a couple of trusted souls told me it was good for what ailed me. And up to the point I cranked this one up on the iPod, I'd listened to TWO Mo Hayder books back-to-back and my heart was feeling black and murky. (Honestly, Hayder is AMAZING but you don't really feel jubilant after you are done with her books.) So did this book fix me up? It sure did.
Synopsis: Cecelia Ross is a middle-aged, unmarried motivational speaker who does not always follow her own advice. She has recently lost her best friend to cancer, and is at odds with what comes next. One day she gets a postcard from "the one that got away", saying he still thinks of her. Hmmm. Who doesn't have a fantasy of the old boyfriend that was just in your life at the wrong time? Using this as a catalyst, Cecelia puts her career on hold, volunteers at a hospice facility, sells her house and rents a room in a house with three other women (a sous-chef, a doctor, and a lesbian advice columnist).
Cecelia has a certain way about her...she is warm, she is likable, she is a friend. Because of this, she bonds with a very sick young man at hospice and brings him out of his shell of depression. She is instantly friends with her roommates, and soon they are all planning a road trip that is intended to reinvent or resolve an issue that each of them have. This includes tracking down that love from long ago.
My thoughts: While I was reading this book, I kept thinking about that commercial where there is an "Easy" button you push when you need thinks to resolve with little fuss. I think it is Staples? Anyway, while the characters in this book each have their own struggles - a messy divorce, an angry daughter, a crappy job, a long-ago child given up for adoption, etc. - ultimately things work out perfectly. As in, a fantasy kind of perfect.
Not that I minded. I kept asking myself "what if Joni had gotten run over by a car?" or "what if Lise was sued by a patient and lost the house?". It wouldn't have worked. This was a book to soothe your ragged heart.
Cecelia was a wonderful main character, and there was chemistry with everyone that came into her life. Not every author can pull that off. Each player had so much personality and charisma, I wanted to be a part of their lives. In that way, this story so reminded me of a Marisa de los Santos or Erica Bauermeister book. It was precious. By the end, I didn't really care if things were too good to be true.
A few words about the audio production: Barbara Caruso was the narrator for this book, and while she was new to me, she has been around the block a time or two in this field (including the narrator for "Anne of Green Gables"). She had the perfect voice for Cecelia. She was obviously the right age, and she mirrored the warmth and easy nature of Cecelia's character. Wonderful performance.
Listening length: 7 hours and 5 minutes (240 pages)
4.5 out of 5 stars
Happy Sunday everyone! Busy times at the Nawrot house this week. I had more than my normal share of animal angst this week it seems. My wine store friend called me last Sunday and told me there were three kittens living under his bushes, and the mother had abandoned them. I shut my eyes, steeled myself, and said that we needed to take them to the shelter. Kittens adopt out quickly there. I offered to take care of them until that could be arranged. But when I saw this...
I knew they wouldn't be going to the shelter. I work there, but I KNOW how things go in that place. They were just too little and needed too much TLC. I was able to find a lady in my community that owns a pet store, but also does rescues from her shop. She agreed to foster them and get them adopted. There is a special place in heaven for her. I won't tell you it was easy to turn them over though. If I didn't already have six bitchy cats, they would have stayed.
Right after that, this same woman told me she had sold a dog to a couple 2 years ago, but they have since had to move into a one bedroom apartment and couldn't keep the dog. Did I want to give this good boy a forever home? His name is Sgt. Pepper.
I tell you, I worked and worked on my husband to convince him that we needed this dog. We had a Lab at one time, but we never replaced her when she died. All this animal drama was just a little different than what we go through at the shelter each week. I felt like God was putting them in front of us for a reason.
Instead, we have the aforementioned six bitchy cats including this guy, who is 21 pounds, thinks he is a dog and in full charge of us. We couldn't resist putting him in this dog shirt (size LARGE)...
Anyway I digress. My daughter also had a cross country event in Tallahassee on Saturday morning, so I followed her bus up there (four plus hours one way) Friday and came back late Saturday. It was nice and crisp up there, the kids ran well, but I got home too late to see my son's football game. This was a highly-anticipated game as it would be the best team they have come across yet (they were undefeated), and would determine their chances for playoff action. They played their hearts out and WON 13-7. I'm so freaking proud.
Anyway, there was a readathon going on this weekend. It almost never works out for me in the fall because of the kids' activities. But lo and behold! I had 8-ish hours in the car between Friday and Saturday, so I made a significant dent in the 21-disc "Insomnia" by Stephen King, which I had started earlier in the week. I'm having fun re-reading this favorite of mine. The critics never thought much of it, but I just recall really liking it back when I read it in the mid-90's. And it is narrated by Eli Wallach (known for his role as Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as his role in The Godfather series). He is amazing!
I also had some time to myself in the hotel in Tallahassee, and made a serious dent in Mo Hayder's "Skin", the 4th installment of the Jack Caffrey series. I'm within 30 pages of finishing it, so I might even wrap it up after I write this post. Look for a Goodreads update on that one. I've decided this is my favorite mystery thriller ever.
So I guess I had my own readathon without even meaning to. I love it when it works out that way! Today my daughter has a six hour community service fundraiser for cross country, so I've got to get her there this morning, then I'm not sure what is on the agenda. I'd love to see Gravity. Hope you all have a great Sunday!
After reading "Poppet", the 6th installment of Mo Hayder's Jack Caffrey series, on my vacation this summer, I decided that I was missing out and went back to book #1 to get caught up. I was thrilled to be able to get both "Birdman" (review here) and "The Treatment" on audio, and I blasted through both of them quickly. The first book was really dark, and really horrific. Yet. It has been weeks since I finished this one, and I'm having a hard time writing down my thoughts. I'll bide my time a bit with the synopsis, then we will see if I can verbalize my feelings...
Synopsis: A young boy has been kidnapped after experiencing a horrific few days of being held captive in his home with his mother and father. The parents are hospitalized and are catatonic, and search teams are desperately trying to find the child presumed to be in the nearby wooded area. While Detective Jack Caffrey is technically a member of the murder squad, he is called in to assist because after several days of searching, there is not much hope the child will be found alive.
Unfortunately, this case very closely resembles the long-ago disappearance of Jack's little brother, who was never found. Jack is obsessed with solving this case, seemingly to compensate for the demons and the guilt that haunt him to this day. Unsurprisingly, the case brings him face-to-face with his past, as well as a horrific, unspeakable evil in the form of a nest of sadistic pedophiles.
My thoughts: Well, here we go. If you know me at all, you know I DIG murder mysteries...body parts and psychopaths are my brain candy. I love horror films, and I was raised on Stephen King. I'm jaded as hell when it comes to this genre. But this? It stopped me in my tracks. "Birdman" and "Poppet" were dark and oily and menacing. This took it ten steps further to the grotesque and highly disturbing.
Now I have to backtrack. I love the characters in this series. They are MINE. They are in my heart, and I love them with all their frailties. The writing and plotting are smart, and there are always layers. (I talked about this in my review of "Birdman".) The evil is not one-dimensional - it is spread out in all corners of the novel. It isn't easy to figure out who the Bad Guy is, because often there is more than one. Some are well-hidden and some are right out there in front of your face. This is good, solid stuff here.
But I can't say that I was ready to dive into another Hayder book at the end of this one. Will I read more? Absolutely. For the reasons I just named above, and also because I really cannot imagine her writing another book THIS horrific. The ending made me want to crawl in bed for a week, and I just needed a break. I needed love and warmth and happiness for awhile.
So for that reason, I'll just warn you. If you are jaded and love your murder mysteries bordering on horror...if you don't mind needing to shower after it is all over...then I would HIGHLY recommend this book. If you fall anywhere less than this on the spectrum, then I'd steer clear.
A few words about the audio production: We have a return narrator in Damien Goodwin, who also narrated "Birdman". As I previously stated, he has a wonderful British accent but also hops around to other dialects and accents as well, and does a simply amazing job. I'm sad to say that it appears he does not return in later books in the series. Hmmm...maybe this one smoked him out? I wonder.
Listening length: 13 hours and 44 minutes
4.5 out of 5 stars
I'm not sure how it all started, but somewhere along the line I began getting K. B. Dixon's books for review. They are all short novellas, are quirky and different, and I've enjoyed this little reading detour every time a new one arrives. So far, I've read the following:A Painter's LifeThe Ingram InterviewThe Photo AlbumDixon's books all tend to be written in short musings, making them very easy to read. While the thoughts come in little bursts, they are full of personality, dry sarcasm, and snark. I've never met the author but I have a feeling his books may be a window into his own disposition. I get a big kick out of it.In "Novel Ideas", our narrator is a struggling author, writing notes to a friend of his. His thoughts range from his current project (true crime? an essay? a story about a cheating musician?) to his wife, his in-laws, his friend who just published a memoir, or just simple observations. Interest levels wax and wane, apathy and distraction are constantly a battle. "Why is it always considered a good thing to have a positive attitude. There are times - many of them - when having such an attitude is nothing more than an expression of delusional mentation.""Dinner at Oboe's with the Motts - which brings me to a sensitive subject, a recurring issue in this charmed circle: dessert. No one but me ever wants to order one, so I am given carte blanche. Unfortunately, whatever I order will not, in the end, be mine. When it arrives everyone will remark on how good it looks and eventually jump in for a bite or two. I come up three-quarters or a dessert short. This has happened often enough for me to develop a defensive strategy: I have changed what I order. Now it is not necessarily what I want or what sounds best to me, but what seems likely to be the largest." Inevitably, I ended up chuckling through much of his books. At the same time, the reader gets a very intimate view into the mind of a frustrated writer, who is surrounded by other writers and the noise of life that drags his mind everywhere but on the task at hand.
For an entertaining couple of hours (in my case, in a doctor's waiting room) you cannot beat it!
3 out of 5 stars
Top 'o the morning to you my friends! I woke up this morning to the same old crappy, steamy heat outside. I'm REALLY ready for just a wee touch of fall. Anyday. That would be great. You know, to go along with all that wonderful pumpkin stuff out there on the market. It does look like we dodged a tropical storm this time though. So all is not lost.
Busy week this week. I decided to go for broke and cram in a couple of doctor's appointments for myself...orthopedist on Monday and dermatologist on Tuesday. Good news? Despite my German skin and high school baby oil fixation, I have nothing on me that needs a biopsy. Bad news is that I have carpal tunnel in the right hand which required a rather painful steroid shot and a splint at night. Getting old kinda sucks. Also got a flu shot this week, just for sport.
I also got a rather shitty round of golf in this week (thanks to the carpal tunnel).
We had the weekend off from Cross Country, but the boys played their weekly game and slaughtered their poor opponents 37-0.
Because we sorta-kinda had Friday off, (at least we didn't have to get up the next morning at 4:30) I took the kids to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. This is something my daughter and I do every year, but this year the boy came. As usual, I pop for Express Passes because otherwise it takes 2 hours to get through a haunted house. It was incredible. You may remember we watched some movies in preparation, and it paid off. I think the best house was the one for "Cabin in the Woods". I think the house may have been better than the movie. And if you like "The Walking Dead" on TV, you would have loved the hundreds (not an exaggeration) of zombies walking in the dark streets among the visitors. It was freaking insane.
So reading? What of reading? On audio, I wrapped up Rainbow Rowell's "Attachments" which was cute and was one of those books that makes your heart happy. I'm now about halfway through Diane Keaton's memoir "Then, Again", which focuses on her career and her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. (I absolutely love some of her earlier movies. Baby Boom? My fantasy. Not to mention the awesomeness of The Godfathers and Annie Hall.)
In print I'm still plugging through "Ender's Game" and I love it. I don't have much time for print reading, but I'm hoping to finish it within the next few days. This really is an amazing story for it's time, and I cannot wait for the movie.
Today we have church and then my daughter and I have a four-hour adoption event at a local Petco. Cross your fingers that we are able to find many furever homes for these doggies.
Hope everyone has a wonderful, cool (!), restful day.
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