Our first harvest! Sweet peppers - so good we ate them right off the vine! And more on the way!
I picked up this book the other week after reading the first few paragraphs and not wanting to put it down. I remember when this book was written, Joan Didion was on the Today Show talking about her memoir and why she had written it. The story is about the sudden death of her husband, one evening shortly after Christmas. The book that follows is heartbreaking, wonderful, amazing and endearing. What follows is a love story of the most ordinary sense between two people and the daughter they raised. The memoir gives snippets of a life well lived, well travelled, overflowing with friends and experiences. It's a life most would only dream to have. However, I identified so much with the author. Having just lost my Uncle Dennis, and trying to cope with grief and grieving and loss, this book was a wonderful read. It basically puts loss into the most understandable of words - having no logic or reasoning, wanting that person to be back here and thinking they indeed will return. That loss carries on much longer than society allows us to grieve. This was a beautifully written memoir, one I highly recommend, even if you are not grieving. I think it helps to prepare you for what you may or may not go through. It has both clinical information taken out of books and papers as well as wonderful lines from poetry and literature. I could not put this book down and I did not want it to end. The glimpse inside other people's relationships and marriage was absolutely fascinating and very well written and described. And the loss she experienced, while beyond words, was very poignant and a telling memorial to her lost husband.
After a long day at work, I popped in this DVD that I had ordered on Netflix. All I can say about this film is watch it. Now. It is so poignant, amazing, unbelievable, shocking, endearing, incredible. I was riveted. The basic plot line follows two best friends in Nablus (Palestine, West Bank) named Said (pronounced Say-eed) and Khaled. They are young men, maybe in their 20s, working a job at a car repair shop in the city. They live with their families, and lead what you might find to be a regular "boring" life. They get the call to become suicide bombers together, and the movie basically starts the day they get the call. They are to leave the next day. The movie follows the two men as they embark on this journey together. I did not find his movie to be propaganda; I think the filmmakers took a fairly "balanced" (if you will) approach to this film in trying to describe the challenges the families in the West Bank face. The men are not overly religious, I think there are a few scenes of people praying, but there does not seem to be a religious undertone to the movie. It's basically the men facing their reality and the fact they cannot get jobs or support their families. They are angry and isolated and to a certain extent, defeated and fatalistic. By doing this bombing, they will be doing more good for their families than they would be doing if they are alive. It's a shocking and wonderful film, giving me a glimpse into what might be going on in the West Bank and all over the Middle East. I am in no way condoning what either side is doing in this war between religions and cultures, but I think it's an interesting film on things going on in parts of the world I am not exposed to on a regular basis. Makes you appreciate where you are. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.
Last night, as I was awaiting a UPS truck that never came, I had the opportunity to finish Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. Another bargain book, I got this at the local used book store and hate to admit that I bought it based on it's cover and some of the reviews written on the book itself. The book is essentially a bit of a character study about a man named Ken Kimble told through the stories of his three wives. It's an extraordinary yet ordinary tale about marriage, divorce, children, and life. Its begins with Birdie, Ken's first wife, right after Ken has left her with two young children. He left her for another, younger, woman and Birdie is languishing in her sorrow, drowning it in booze and not properly caring for her children. I know it sounds sad and depressing, but I was rooting for this character as I read about her situation. She was incredibly well constructed and very realistic. We next move on to Joan, a few years later, who meets Ken at a BBQ. Joan is a bit older, wiser, than Birdie. She's recently buried her father, has battled a bout of cancer and has moved to Florida to get away from it all. She and Ken marry and she realizes he has betrayed her in more than one way. We then move on to Dinah, Ken's third wife, who is significantly younger than Ken, yet falls prey to his wiles. They have the longest marriage, at 15 years, yet she seems to know or realize the least about her husband. The book was fascinating and I could not put it down. The characters are well constructed, well rounded, and realistic. The author does a wonderful job of showing this particular man through the eyes of his wives, and at some times, his children. The ending is neat, but not too neat. The characters drive the plot in unexpected ways. There were no twists or turns, just a fascinating portrayal of several characters, all of which I identified in some way. The author does a wonderful job of creating scenery, describing regions, sunsets, beaches, mountains, etc. I would highly recommend this book and this author to anyone interested.
The book is Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane (daughter of Tina Louise - Ginger on Gilligan's Island - if you care). This book was recommended to me by my cousin and her husband. Apparently, she would laugh out loud while reading this book and read passages out loud to her husband (who normally doesn't like doing that). She ended up reading the entire book to him on a long drive down to Southern CA a few weeks ago. I must admit, this book has been designated as a "chick lit" type of novel. I don't normally like to use that terminology because I feel it degrades women novelists who write "romantic comedies" (for lack of a better description). This book, however, is your typical romantic comedy. Two people meet, drive each other mad, end up spending time together and falling in love but won't admit it, have a falling out, and eventually end up together at the end. Trust me, I didn't just ruin it for you; we all know the formula. What made this book unique and wonderful was the characters. I literally laughed out loud on several occasions, mostly because the characters were describing or experiencing something in life I have experienced. Although much funnier, obviously. The story is told from two points of view, a guy and a girl, Brady and Heaven (I kid you not). They start off as somewhat annoying characters, her being a little too whiny and him being a little too boring. But soon, things start to happen and the characters become a little larger than life, getting involved in antics that make you giggle. Although the author's observations about Los Angeles were way off base, in my opinion (and perhaps her observations about NYC are too, I just don't live there), it was a very enjoyable read. The book feels like an old pair of jeans, put on after a long day of wearing heels and pantyhose. It's always great to put on an old pair of jeans that fit you just right...
| Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me" |
 A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out. Your heart is open to where ever love takes you! Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking What turns you off: fighting and conflict Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love |
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it." -George Santayana
RE: Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. I finished reading this book a while ago and have not quite been able to figure out what to say about it. It's another book I ran across in the used bookstore. I recognized the author's name because Coodence has recommended her to me before. I knew nothing of this book nor its contents upon opening it, and I immediately fell in love with it. It's the story of a young girl growing up in a super-religious family and coming to terms with her differences with the "rest of the world" so to speak. I loved so much about this book. It was quirky, not predictable, non-judgmental, funny, sad, loving, and very very real. If that means anything at all. The way this book is written is absolutely phenomenal. The author somehow writes in a way that reflects how a pre-teen, teenager, young adult would perhaps talk to themselves or in a diary. I was absolutely blown away by how the dialogue progresses from the daughter absolutely accepting everything her mother does and says as truth to realizing her mother has faults, which are destroying her as a person. The main character is extremely perceptive, pointing out reasons for her mother's behavior, but not trying to make excuses. And, surprisingly, the book is not a study on why religions reject certain "types" of people. It is a study on how one character is isolated and ostracized for a trait she cannot control. I found this book touching and reality based, although none of the events that occur in the book have actually happened to me. I think we can all identify with not getting along with loved ones, discovering things about yourself you never realized, and forging a path on our own without the support of our families. My only complaint is that the book was too short. I would have liked to know more about the character's life after. My advice? Read it. You won't be disappointed.
