I'm still trying to catch up.
Ok Musicophilia was just plain fascinating. It's by Oliver Sachs, the author of Awakenings . The book explored the unique relationship of the Brain and Music. As an amateur musician myself I enjoyed traversing the journey with sever tic's that calm when music is played. Those who have lost all capacity to remember, until music is involved. The miracle of perfect pitch and all it's connections. I even did some tests myself. After reading an encounter with a composer/musician who had lost perfect pitch after a stroke, he discovered he could remember the pitch of a song and then pull the perfect pitch out of it. I tried it myself and in 90% of all songs I can do the same. Think it, sing it, and then play the recording and be Right On! The exceptions are songs that I've played/heard in multiple keys. I think I'm going to have to get this for my mum for Christmas.
Julie and Julia was rude delight. I completely understood Julies need to do something that made her stand out. And what an undertaking, trying to cook every recipe in Julia Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie struggles, and has issues, and loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She swears, hates aspic (meat flavored cold Jello). Cooks a mean Crepe, and tries an egg for the first time. You salivate at some of the descriptions, feel tremendously sorry for her husband on occasion, and root for her to succeed. A great read, Highly recommend for all who struggle with mattering.
Then I embarked on a couple of Austen fan fiction. Austenland is the story of a Pride and Prejudice obsessed single woman who's wealthy relative bequeaths her a holiday living the story and time period. She struggles along, trying to find her footing in reproduction Regency England. She makes out with a 'servant', predictably hates the Darcy stand-in, and along the way learns about herself. It wasn't horrible, just fluff, and not the best fluff at that.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is the story of a Regency girl, obsessed with (you guessed it) Pride and Prejudice, and as the result of a gypsy fortune teller, and horrid horse riding accident, ends up in the body of a girl in LA who's just caught her Fiancee cheating on her. Well mayhem ensues, and her friends don't really understand her lack of memory and weird fascination with all things technological. Eventually she learns about herself, and manages to snag the right man. I felt a bit at sea in this book at first, and the technological discovery became ridiculously redundant before long. I did find, however that this is meant to be book two of two, and I imagine that would have helped.
And here would be the naughty book of the bunch. April told me I should read it, and I got it on CD and read it in my car. I kept having to turn it off at the bank drive through, and Taco Bell because it was beyond racy. It was interesting having a different cultural view, as the three protagonists in the book were three strong African American women. That was about the best part of the book. I was blushing far to many times. Yeah, this is not for the faint of heart. And Definitely NSFW!
Catching Fire. What can I say? An excellent follow up to the fabulous Hunger Games. If you haven't read these books, mark them in your schedule, buy them now, but for your sanity's sake...wait until the third and final installment comes out next year to read them.
Good Lord I love these books. I'll recommend them to anyone. They are gripping, philosophical, post-apocalyptic, and with gritty and engaging characters. Katniss and her family and friends face the latest challenges with the government, and life will never be the same. This book is full of twists and turns, and meaty encounters. You will eat this book up. READ IT! (Next year)
Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant was just one more occasion for her to showcase her remarkable talent to spin a tale that enthralls and engrosses you. The book is lyrical, beautiful, haunting, and hopeful all in one. In this story an orphan visits a fortune teller to see if his sister is still alive. She tells him that he should follow an elephant and that elephant will lead him to his sister. At the same time a Magician is performing and decides that today he want's to really DO magic, and summons an Elephant, much to everyone's surprise. I cried 4 times. I'm not gonna lie. I finished the book mourning the fact that I had no one to read it to. I even called my dad and told him that. It is beautiful.
The World According to Bertie is the latest in the 44 Scotland Street novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. This book, like all the ones before it in the series, are written serially and published in a Scottish Newspaper. It is really fun visiting these characters again. Seeing Matthew meet his soul mate, following Angus Laudy as he tries to get Cyrill acquitted, and hearing Bertie tell more than one person that he thinks his new brother Ulysses looks just like his psychotherapist. A delightful addition to the series. Great character study, and almost like a visit home, via Big Lou's coffee shop.
a) One Christmas she stays at school, not wanting the drama of home, and has Christmas with friends. She then goes home to an empty house, and is overwhelmed with loneliness. She has a conversation with God, telling him that she knows it's supposed to be enough that his son came, showed us a new way, offered freedom and love. Jennifer then says that it is enough....but "Please don't make it have to be enough". I totally resonated with that place of celebration of who God is, but with that bit of fear that says "Please let me not be so alone that all I have is you".
b) She shares the journey she has of dealing with failed relationships, and also walking with a friend, Hannah, who wrestles with and then chooses to cheat on her spouse. Jennifer shares Hannah and her husbands pain in the aftermath of the infidelity. She talks about how they all go to a wedding together, and all three of them are in their own pain, Jennifer because she wishes it was her, and Hannah and her Husband because they're still reeling. She also shares about how Hannah and her husband conceive a year later. She talks about how that baby is a place for them of choice and renewal, but also a reminder. Jennifer shares that it's also a place of sacrifice for her, as it's a reminder to her of what she doesn't have yet. I feel her all to well.
c) Jennifer shares how, in the early church, they would often give communion to those dying so it would be bread for the journey. She shares from the story of Elijah, who was asleep by a brook when the angel came to awaken him and feed him. "Rise and Eat lest the journey be to great for you". She shared that communion was not a place of great meaning all the time, but instead it became what she needed to complete the journey. I like that imagery. I think I'll give it a try if I'm ever allowed to lead it at church.
Ok. Soon I should have October's great and Terrible reads posted. Enjoy.