It's not a book, but a song. With freaking amazing lyrics. Since my birthday a few weeks ago, I have to admit that I have been quite contemplative and pretty melancholy. I attribute this mainly to the time of year: I loathe the Fall. Everyone I know says I shouldn't live here but instead some place that is warm and sunny all the time. Easier said than done. The other reason I'm in a funk is because I'm still single. This normally doesn't bother me much at all. I am generally a very happy person with great friends and family. But tie in this crappy season with my yearly sense of loneliness and I could pretty much cry when the wind shifts.
Since I was old enough to like boys (a long, long time ago) I have always kept my ear out for the perfect wedding song. Of course the picks change as music styles change; I think I've had a million over the years. Which brings me to this fantastic song by Joshua Radin, featuring Schuyler Fisk. I've already listened to Paperweight about 5 times this morning and get chills every time I hear the sexy, yet comforting lyrics. Being the music geek that I am, I had to add them to this post for your enjoyment.
Been up all night staring at you
wondering what's on your mind
i've been this way with so many before
but this feels like the first time
you want the sunrise to go back to bed
i want to make you laugh
mess up my bed with me
kick off the covers i'm waiting
every word you say i think
i should write down
don't want to forget come daylight
happy to lay here
just happy to be here
i'm happy to know you
play me a song
your newest one
please leave your taste on my tongue
paperweight on my back
cover me like a blanket
mess up my bed with me
kick off the covers i'm waiting
every word you say i think
i should write down
don't want to forget come daylight
and no need to worry
that's wastin time
and no need to wonder
what's been on my mind
it's you
it's you
it's you
every word you say i think
i should write down
don't want to forget come daylight
and i give up
i let you win
you win cause i'm not counting
you made it back
to sleep again
wonder what you're dreaming
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
You Suck
Literally. OK, who wouldn't want to read a book with such a funny title? I checked out this book on CD from my library and gave it a shot. You Suck is about vampires...actually a guy who sleeps with a girl, who, unbeknown to him, is already a vampire, which now makes him one. I think the story is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it wasn't very funny to me. I only made it through one CD – barely.
And because I always have this displaced sense of loyalty when it comes to books (which I am trying very hard to break, I swear), I had to check out the author's web site. Christopher Moore appears to be a pretty successful author. He's written at least 10 books, and it seems like they are all on a humorous level. I like funny books! But I guess I just don't get the vampire thing. And I can't necessarily say I was intrigued enough to try another of his titles. Oh well.
And because I always have this displaced sense of loyalty when it comes to books (which I am trying very hard to break, I swear), I had to check out the author's web site. Christopher Moore appears to be a pretty successful author. He's written at least 10 books, and it seems like they are all on a humorous level. I like funny books! But I guess I just don't get the vampire thing. And I can't necessarily say I was intrigued enough to try another of his titles. Oh well.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
I read this book back in March while on vacation to Palm Desert, CA and it instantly jumped into my top 10 list. In Kim Edwards' first novel, set in 1964, a doctor is forced to deliver his own twins during a snow storm. The boy, born first, is perfectly healthy. The second birth, a girl, has Down syndrome. The doctor makes an instantaneous decision to give the child to a home and tell his wife that her daughter was stillborn. This decision ends up haunting him for the rest of his life. The author's writing is simply poetic and I was drawn in from the first sentence. I love writing that takes me out of the ordinary every day; writing that is so descriptive that I have an abundantly clear picture in my mind. But I recently spoke with a friend of mine who could barely get through the book. I was shocked! I had to hear her opinion to see where we differ. In the meantime, I asked another friend to write out her thoughts because, like me, she also thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven't read the book yet, don't read on until you do ... there are a few spoilers in the next few paragraphs. It was fun for me to get different sides of the story, but I'm still sticking with my original opinion: The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an outstanding novel.
Beth said:
I think mainly I didn’t like Norah at all. Too weak for me and too secretive. You lost the baby, get over it and move on. Talk to your girlfriends about it. Really, it took her over 20 years. I have never lost a child and certainly believe that it is a loss to be grieved, but I believe in moving on eventually. And what’s wrong with telling your husband how you really feel? And same with David. He had to live with his decision but totally closed himself off. I’m too much of a “sharer” I guess to keep all those emotions bottled up and am frustrated by those who do. And poor Paul was the one who suffered for it. I will admit that I was shocked when David died. But why didn’t he tell Norah about his life in West Virginia, about his connection with Rosemary, where he had been for three days…. And did she really believe that he was involved with Rosemary? Really, she was already 4 months pregnant. I did like Caroline, Al and of course Phoebe and was not upset that Caroline did what she did. I guess the poetic nature of the writing was too much for me also. I got tired of her imagery of the “silence growing to the edges of the room” and so many others. I think I could have imagined things just as well with fewer descriptions and adjectives.
OK, tell me your side. I haven’t talked to anyone else who has read it so I am very interested in why you liked it.
So I said:
I think the main thing to keep in mind is the era in which the book takes place. In the 1960s, depression wasn’t recognized as a “disease”...no one associated depression with a medical issue, so they never spoke about it; assuming the problem was theirs alone. And a woman of the 60s didn’t air her dirty laundry with girlfriends or especially not her husband. Men needed the women to be the housewife, mother and caregiver and not complain about anything. I completely see your point, but I think that is what I enjoyed so much about the book – that the characters were flawed. I like books that don’t necessarily have happy endings. And as far as David, I thought he was completely a believable character. People make the wrong decisions all the time and have to live with the consequences. I think he lived with guilt and regret until the day he died. And if his flaws weren’t part of the book, there wouldn’t have been much of a book to write! And of course I love what Caroline did and how she raised Phoebe. To me, that was the light at the end of the tunnel out of so much sadness.
The poetic writing is something that always intrigues me in a book. I read so much, that I like when a writing style really sets itself apart from other books.
And Laura said:
I agree that norah was flawed...but they all were. They were all so complex. I think that’s what made it so interesting.
David did a despicable thing. But to me, his character was so human, I couldn’t help but still root for him. And it was totally believable to me that one secret can feed upon itself like it did. Even though norah didn’t know it ...she obviously felt it... that’s what kept her from moving forward. Her air was poisoned. And I think some of the choices the characters made in the book might have been guided by the time (and the locations) the book was set in. had they been born in 1964...instead of giving birth to paul...maybe they wouldn’t have been as trapped by what society dictated.
And as for the writing, I got so wrapped up in how interesting the plot was and the relationships between the characters (or lack of)...that if the prose got too flowery...i missed it.
Beth said:
I think mainly I didn’t like Norah at all. Too weak for me and too secretive. You lost the baby, get over it and move on. Talk to your girlfriends about it. Really, it took her over 20 years. I have never lost a child and certainly believe that it is a loss to be grieved, but I believe in moving on eventually. And what’s wrong with telling your husband how you really feel? And same with David. He had to live with his decision but totally closed himself off. I’m too much of a “sharer” I guess to keep all those emotions bottled up and am frustrated by those who do. And poor Paul was the one who suffered for it. I will admit that I was shocked when David died. But why didn’t he tell Norah about his life in West Virginia, about his connection with Rosemary, where he had been for three days…. And did she really believe that he was involved with Rosemary? Really, she was already 4 months pregnant. I did like Caroline, Al and of course Phoebe and was not upset that Caroline did what she did. I guess the poetic nature of the writing was too much for me also. I got tired of her imagery of the “silence growing to the edges of the room” and so many others. I think I could have imagined things just as well with fewer descriptions and adjectives.
OK, tell me your side. I haven’t talked to anyone else who has read it so I am very interested in why you liked it.
So I said:
I think the main thing to keep in mind is the era in which the book takes place. In the 1960s, depression wasn’t recognized as a “disease”...no one associated depression with a medical issue, so they never spoke about it; assuming the problem was theirs alone. And a woman of the 60s didn’t air her dirty laundry with girlfriends or especially not her husband. Men needed the women to be the housewife, mother and caregiver and not complain about anything. I completely see your point, but I think that is what I enjoyed so much about the book – that the characters were flawed. I like books that don’t necessarily have happy endings. And as far as David, I thought he was completely a believable character. People make the wrong decisions all the time and have to live with the consequences. I think he lived with guilt and regret until the day he died. And if his flaws weren’t part of the book, there wouldn’t have been much of a book to write! And of course I love what Caroline did and how she raised Phoebe. To me, that was the light at the end of the tunnel out of so much sadness.
The poetic writing is something that always intrigues me in a book. I read so much, that I like when a writing style really sets itself apart from other books.
And Laura said:
I agree that norah was flawed...but they all were. They were all so complex. I think that’s what made it so interesting.
David did a despicable thing. But to me, his character was so human, I couldn’t help but still root for him. And it was totally believable to me that one secret can feed upon itself like it did. Even though norah didn’t know it ...she obviously felt it... that’s what kept her from moving forward. Her air was poisoned. And I think some of the choices the characters made in the book might have been guided by the time (and the locations) the book was set in. had they been born in 1964...instead of giving birth to paul...maybe they wouldn’t have been as trapped by what society dictated.
And as for the writing, I got so wrapped up in how interesting the plot was and the relationships between the characters (or lack of)...that if the prose got too flowery...i missed it.
Friday, October 12, 2007
What a GREAT birthday!
So it's not even noon and I've already had a great day. I am very spoiled by my friends at work...they are incredibly good to me.
Probably the best present I received today was a signed, first edition (!) hardcover copy of Run by Ann Patchett. Hooray! This is from the same awesome friend who got me Wicked: The Grimmerie last year. And I was completely speechless then! Let me say that I am completely obsessed with Wicked the Musical...I know every single word to every song, have seen the show twice and already have tickets to see it again in February. The only unfortunate thing though is that I absolutely hated the book. (I think that should be the subject of another post because I am talking about my birthday right now). But the Grimmerie is about the coolest book I've seen. It's the whole story of how the show got started and includes photos of the cast, lyrics, etc.
And just to top it off, this year, WOW, I have a signed book. Thanks, Joanna. I can't wait to read it. What a treasure.
Probably the best present I received today was a signed, first edition (!) hardcover copy of Run by Ann Patchett. Hooray! This is from the same awesome friend who got me Wicked: The Grimmerie last year. And I was completely speechless then! Let me say that I am completely obsessed with Wicked the Musical...I know every single word to every song, have seen the show twice and already have tickets to see it again in February. The only unfortunate thing though is that I absolutely hated the book. (I think that should be the subject of another post because I am talking about my birthday right now). But the Grimmerie is about the coolest book I've seen. It's the whole story of how the show got started and includes photos of the cast, lyrics, etc.
And just to top it off, this year, WOW, I have a signed book. Thanks, Joanna. I can't wait to read it. What a treasure.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Road...continues
There aren't many books that keep me thinking long after I've finished it. But it looks like The Road is one of them. Because the subject matter was so far away from anything I personally have ever read, I am craving to learn more about it. I continued to ask myself while I was reading why the characters wouldn't just kill themselves out of sheer desperation. It was also so stressful and gut-wrenching that I was tempted to put it down unfinished (I know someone that had to do just that). On the other hand, it was so beautifully written that I didn't want to miss a word. And although I was told there was no happy ending, I had to read it for myself to really believe it.
Anyway, a friend sent me this article which helped me put a little more insight into the book.
The Road Through Hell, Paved With Desperation helped me see a little more clearly. Enjoy.
Anyway, a friend sent me this article which helped me put a little more insight into the book.
The Road Through Hell, Paved With Desperation helped me see a little more clearly. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)