I've been busy...
reading that is!
I am happy to report I have read two books on my list of 30.
I am happy to report I have read two books on my list of 30.
One I really loved...and one I did not.
The first was The Hours by Michael Cunningham. I really identified with one of the main characters in particular who realized that she was aging. Like, "What the hell?", realization. I, for one, found my first patch of gray hair this past fall and it hit me... I am aging. I am not 26 anymore. I am okay with that, but it was still a very weird feeling. The character in the book has the same realization as she reflects her own twenties, and the love she has for a friend who is dying of AIDS. The book actually focuses on three characters and their dealings with depression, aging and life, and has a very lovely turn at the end. Very well written, especially if you like Virginia Woolf, who is a character in the book.
The second book was by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver. The Poisonwood Bible was all the rage a few years ago. I have been very hesitant to read it and I now know I should have stuck with my gut. I did not enjoy it one bit. Not sure why. Other than I found it to be a bit trite. I mean the story of a heavy handed egotistical man being blind to the plight of his wife and family? A wife who blindly follows her husband because she has no other options? Children who are more observant than their parents? Nothing new. While I did enjoy the eldest daughter's internal dialog and the history of the Congo, I did not enjoy the book. Read The Bean Trees if you want to read a good book of hers.
I am reading The Omivore's Dilemma a little at a time. The subject, America's food supply, is a very dry one. However, as I am both fascinated and unnerved by how we get our food and what we eat. I see what many call a "potential for famine" in what we grow, as well as the cause for many of our national problems. The cost of growing, transporting and processing our food is beyond the seed and feed. We so much oil to produce our food that the military factors into the costs of our food. And, since we grow so much of one particular crop, should we have a blight or disease strike it, we could face a very serious problem. Very interesting, serious stuff.
More on that once I finish it...in July at the rate I am going. It's a lot to take in.
I am currently reading a book about food. When French Women Cook by Madeleine Kamman is truly a lovely memoir. As someone who spent loads of time with my grandmothers as a child, I love hearing or reading stories about women learning to cook from their's. My grandmothers varied in ability and desire to cook, so I got a wide variety. Madeleine's family all came from different regions of France, so she received lessons on many different styles of cooking. Quite a lovely read and a cookbook as a bonus.
I read when I eat lunch, when I wake up and don't have to be anywhere (usually Saturday mornings) and at night before I go to sleep. Reading books is like eating a meal for me, necessary and fulfilling.
I am reading The Omivore's Dilemma a little at a time. The subject, America's food supply, is a very dry one. However, as I am both fascinated and unnerved by how we get our food and what we eat. I see what many call a "potential for famine" in what we grow, as well as the cause for many of our national problems. The cost of growing, transporting and processing our food is beyond the seed and feed. We so much oil to produce our food that the military factors into the costs of our food. And, since we grow so much of one particular crop, should we have a blight or disease strike it, we could face a very serious problem. Very interesting, serious stuff.
More on that once I finish it...in July at the rate I am going. It's a lot to take in.
I am currently reading a book about food. When French Women Cook by Madeleine Kamman is truly a lovely memoir. As someone who spent loads of time with my grandmothers as a child, I love hearing or reading stories about women learning to cook from their's. My grandmothers varied in ability and desire to cook, so I got a wide variety. Madeleine's family all came from different regions of France, so she received lessons on many different styles of cooking. Quite a lovely read and a cookbook as a bonus.
I read when I eat lunch, when I wake up and don't have to be anywhere (usually Saturday mornings) and at night before I go to sleep. Reading books is like eating a meal for me, necessary and fulfilling.
My dream path to...anywhere!
I thought the Poisonwood Bible was really good! I need to grab it and refresh my memory...
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