One Summer was a quick read, but not my favorite book of all time. In fact, I am not even sure I really liked it. It depressed me from the start, straight through to the end. And even though some would argue that the book had a happy ending, I didn't feel happy at the end. I was actually a bit glad that it was over. I always like to take something away from the books that I read and the moral, if you will, of this one I already know (from living life and from reading other books) and think about often. So, I guess maybe that my real issue with this book is that it covers topics that have been done before. It's really nothing new.
The book opens with Jack dying of some sort of terminal illness, hoping that he will last through Christmas. In a bizarre turn of events, he lives and thrives (but something even sadder happens to get him to this point) and attempts to rebuild his life with his three children. While Jack is ultimately successful, there are ups and downs along the way, and he does manage to be happy and to make his kids happy.
Great. But sad. So very sad that in order to get to where they are so much sadness had to be felt and overcome.
The moral of the story, if there is one, is that life is just life. We can't control it and we have to make the best of what comes our way. It can change in an instant, so make sure that the ones you love know it on a daily basis. Live carefully, but no so carefully that you don't actually enjoy life. Not being cynical or anything, but this seems to be the moral of a lot of stories these days. Or maybe because I am getting older, I seem to read books where the main characters are reflecting on life as much as I do.
So, what I am choosing to take away from this book (and I positive that it would be the hardest conversation I would ever have to have), is the reminder that I want Rob to be happy if and when, God forbid, something would take me away from life before him and without him. I want him to be happy and if that means finding someone new to love and to share his life with, then that's what I want him to do without ever feeling guilty for a second. I would want my girls to know of this wish, too, so that they could support him as he moves forward. I can only hope and pray that this is not a conversation I have to have anytime soon. But perhaps I need to let him know, just in case. Life is unpredictable. Maybe it's better that he knows.
So, I am off to read JK Rowling's newest book The Cuckoo's Calling, the one she wrote under a pseudonym. I'm proud of her for writing on her own and for trying to conceal her identity. She must feel a lot of pressure. I can't even imagine what it's like to have written Harry Potter as a first effort. That's a lot for subsequent titles to live up to. I'm very excited to begin reading!
Happy reading everyone!
:)Dodie
Friday, July 26, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
#33: With Violets by Elizabeth Robards
Oh my. This is one of my favorite books. EVER. I adored this book that has quickly become a treasured book on my shelf that I won't loan out to friends. Sorry, friends. You will need to get your own copy of this one.
With Violets is the story of Berthe Morisot and her rather complicated relationship with Edouard Manet. While a work of fiction, this story is based on historical facts (and historical rumors) and details the beginning of the Impressionist art movement (my personal favorite). I actually Googled Morisot and Manet while reading this book to see how much was true and how much was fiction and the basic story line seems to be historically accurate. I am assuming the fiction comes in the details, as who knows what was really said and done between these two famous artists.
With Violets was a lovely story and while it was historical fiction, it was not the sort of book that was heavy or hard to read. It really was a delightful story from start to finish.
I loved it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
With Violets is the story of Berthe Morisot and her rather complicated relationship with Edouard Manet. While a work of fiction, this story is based on historical facts (and historical rumors) and details the beginning of the Impressionist art movement (my personal favorite). I actually Googled Morisot and Manet while reading this book to see how much was true and how much was fiction and the basic story line seems to be historically accurate. I am assuming the fiction comes in the details, as who knows what was really said and done between these two famous artists.
With Violets was a lovely story and while it was historical fiction, it was not the sort of book that was heavy or hard to read. It really was a delightful story from start to finish.
I loved it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#32: Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress
Rob and I spent last week in Bermuda and I read a lot of books. Of course, I read every day from 9-1 as I lounged by the pool. Then, since everything in Bermuda closes at 5:00 each day, I spent most nights reading in the hotel room, too. Lucky for me, I knew where the local book shop was and spent Friday morning browsing the shelves. Georgia Bottoms was my lucky find.
This book should come with a warning, although reading the back should suffice, because I do think that either the sex or the religion which abound in this book may offend some readers. Personally, I knew it was a story, and while I have always believed that if you can dream it, it could happen, I took this all with a grain of salt.
Georgia Bottoms is a beautiful 34 year old woman who entertains a different local gentleman in her home every night of the week, except Monday (She gets Monday nights to herself.) It's the same men each week, but each man has their own night of the week, and their own drawer in her high boy. The men do not keep things in the drawers, though. Georgia keeps the little gifts they give her, the pictures they like, and the clothes she wears for each man (all of her props, if you will) in this high boy. Each man, therefore, believes that he is the only man in her life. Georgia spends a lot of time washing and drying her sheets and reassembling her bedroom day after day. It's hilarious.
But, this meticulous plan of hers goes wrong when her Saturday man, better known as the town minister, decides to come clean and confess his sins (yes, he is married) during a Sunday church service. The rest of the book is about how Georgia manages to put her life back together (all while managing a mother with dementia, a brother who is in and out of jail, and a secret from her past) and it is fabulous! I found myself laughing out loud at this book. It is a perfect beach bag book and a wonderful read. I am so glad I took the hour to browse in the Bermuda book store!
This is one you must read.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
This book should come with a warning, although reading the back should suffice, because I do think that either the sex or the religion which abound in this book may offend some readers. Personally, I knew it was a story, and while I have always believed that if you can dream it, it could happen, I took this all with a grain of salt.
Georgia Bottoms is a beautiful 34 year old woman who entertains a different local gentleman in her home every night of the week, except Monday (She gets Monday nights to herself.) It's the same men each week, but each man has their own night of the week, and their own drawer in her high boy. The men do not keep things in the drawers, though. Georgia keeps the little gifts they give her, the pictures they like, and the clothes she wears for each man (all of her props, if you will) in this high boy. Each man, therefore, believes that he is the only man in her life. Georgia spends a lot of time washing and drying her sheets and reassembling her bedroom day after day. It's hilarious.
But, this meticulous plan of hers goes wrong when her Saturday man, better known as the town minister, decides to come clean and confess his sins (yes, he is married) during a Sunday church service. The rest of the book is about how Georgia manages to put her life back together (all while managing a mother with dementia, a brother who is in and out of jail, and a secret from her past) and it is fabulous! I found myself laughing out loud at this book. It is a perfect beach bag book and a wonderful read. I am so glad I took the hour to browse in the Bermuda book store!
This is one you must read.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Friday, July 19, 2013
#30 and #31: Sea Swept and Rising Tides by Nora Roberts
I read each of these books in a single day while sitting by the pool in Bermuda. Yet, I would not exactly call them feel good beach bag books. They are the first two in a series of four books about The Quinn Family, a family of four sons, three of whom are grown, whose parents have died and they are trying to move on and create families of their own.
The first in the series barely held my attention long enough to get through it. The second was much better, but did not leave me wanting to read more of this series. So, I suspect I will do something here that I rarely do, which is to stop reading a series and move on to something more interesting. I'm not sure why these books are not holding my attention. Nora Roberts' books usually do. I'm not sure if perhaps I have just read too many of her books and they are getting predictable, who knows? What I do know is that I am done with this particular series and next time I see Nora Roberts' new books in stores, I will not just pick them up because it's Nora Roberts. I will read the back cover first to ensure that it's a book that will hold my interest.
Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie
The first in the series barely held my attention long enough to get through it. The second was much better, but did not leave me wanting to read more of this series. So, I suspect I will do something here that I rarely do, which is to stop reading a series and move on to something more interesting. I'm not sure why these books are not holding my attention. Nora Roberts' books usually do. I'm not sure if perhaps I have just read too many of her books and they are getting predictable, who knows? What I do know is that I am done with this particular series and next time I see Nora Roberts' new books in stores, I will not just pick them up because it's Nora Roberts. I will read the back cover first to ensure that it's a book that will hold my interest.
Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
#24-29, or The Death Saga
The Death Saga is not a book I read. But let me explain why I have named my post as such.
For the past two weeks, I have been tagging along on business with Rob. First we were in London for 10 days now we are in Bermuda for the week (rough life, I know). Since Rob is going to the office each day, I have had a lot of time on my hands to read, particularly while either waiting in the airport or flying. As a result, I have read 6 books in the last two weeks. But since we have been busy, I have not blogged about any of them. Until now. Bermuda has a bit of a different pace than London, so since I spent 4 hours in the sun this morning, I am now cooling off in the hotel room, blogging.
In thinking about the 6 books I just read, what I have realized about them all, seriously--all 6, is that they have dealt with death in some way. So, to make my life easier as I attempt to catch up on blogging, I am lumping all six books together and calling them The Death Saga (after googling the appropriate terms for six books with like themes). But, please do not NOT read them because they deal with death. All six were excellent reads and worth your time. There's only two, though, that I'd throw in my beach bag. See numbers 3 and 4.
Book 1: Gold by Chris Cleave. This novel is so not something I would typically read. It's about three Olympic cyclists and their race for gold. Let's complicate the already complicated by throwing in a love triangle amongst the three main characters and a potential terminal illness of a child. I was pulled into this story that I may not have likely read otherwise by the idea of a mother's ultimate dilemma-- do you race for gold, if it's your last time to ever compete, or stay home to comfort your dying daughter? Wow. What do you do? That is a tough one. And it takes the entire book to sort it all out. I started reading this before we left for London and thought that it was really cool that the race they are working towards was in London when the Olympics were there. I was very touched by this book . I cried out of sadness and out of anger as I turned the pages towards the end. The good news is that there is a very happy ending. You just have to read a lot of unhappiness in order to get there.
Book 2: Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan. I picked this book up on a shopping trip with my friend Meghan and her sister Rachel. I always find the best books when I go shopping with Meghan. In fact, the next two books I also found on the same shopping trip. I bought this one solely because of the title. I can't refuse a book with my daughter's name in the title. As it turns out, it was a dumb reason to by the book, but a fabulous book with a fabulous message. Emily is alone. Her husband has died, her friends are all dying, and she's just waiting for it to be her turn. But when one of her friends gets hurt and Emily realizes that she can take care of herself, she realizes that her life isn't over yet and that she can enjoy her life. It's a beautiful story.
Book 3: The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek. I adored this crazy, beach bag story. I loved the characters, but who wouldn't love characters named Stella Blue, Perks, Finn, Hamilton, and Biggsy. They come together to settle the estate of Lydia, Stella and Perks' aunt and friend to the other wild and crazy characters, and end up solving a tiny little mystery along the way. My favorite part of the story was the epilogue, which was told by Perks. It was hilarious! This book was fabulous!
Book 4: The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean. Oh, I loved this book! It's the kind of book that made me happy to spend a day on an airplane so I could just read and read and read. I am not so very into fashion, but as it turns out, neither is Dora, the main character of the book. Her grandmother, Mimi, is the one into clothes and owns a vintage clothing store. She has put together a closet for Dora over the years (she's now in college) that is really the size of a normal bedroom. It's filled with beautiful dresses that Dora doesn't feel right wearing. But when Mimi has a stroke and Dora rushes to her side without taking time to
pack a bag, she is forced to begin wearing clothes from Mimi and finds that she's fairly comfortable in her new skin. This story has a happy ending too after much sadness, so if you choose to read it, just keep reading through the sadness. It will be OK in the end.
Book 5: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. This book requires thought and time to read, but it is fabulous! It is set in Italy around the late 1400's and it focuses on the political changes there during and after the French invasion. I wish that I had known more about the history of the time written about in the novel but it did not impact being able to understand the book. I was drawn to the book because of its artistic subject matter. In fact, the title of the book is the title of one of my favorite paintings, Boticelli's The Birth of Venus. The book opens with the death and burial of Sister Lucrezia told in third person. The rest of the story is told by Alessandra, in first person. The two women are one and the same. But it takes the entire novel for us to learn how and why they are the same woman. This story is passionate, intelligent, and in many ways, eye opening to the ways of the world. Italy in 1494 isn't so different from the world in 2013.
Book 6: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. This book was recommended to me by two friends, so I was excited to pick up a paperback copy for $4 the night before we left for Bermuda. I was still reading #5 on the plane so I did not begin #6 until I made my way to the pool yesterday morning. I spent the entire day yesterday convinced that I was not smart enough to read and understand this novel. It felt like Life of Pi all over again. But as I was reading today, it all changed. This book begins with a suicide plan and it does end with the death of a character. It made me very sad. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that I was not uplifted by the ending of this novel. There was no happy ending, but a reminder to be who you are and to show people who you are and to not live life in the wings, because you never know when death is coming. Live with no regrets.
So, there it is. My Death Saga. All were good. Some had happy endings despite the death.
Some did not. All had worthwhile lessons for us to learn. Which is exactly how I like my books.
I am sad to say that while I hoped by choosing a Nora Roberts romance next that I might escape the death theme, I fear that might night be the case. What's up with that, I wonder? I've never read about so much death and dying since taking Shakespeare in college. Oh well. I read enough that the tide will turn eventually.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
For the past two weeks, I have been tagging along on business with Rob. First we were in London for 10 days now we are in Bermuda for the week (rough life, I know). Since Rob is going to the office each day, I have had a lot of time on my hands to read, particularly while either waiting in the airport or flying. As a result, I have read 6 books in the last two weeks. But since we have been busy, I have not blogged about any of them. Until now. Bermuda has a bit of a different pace than London, so since I spent 4 hours in the sun this morning, I am now cooling off in the hotel room, blogging.
In thinking about the 6 books I just read, what I have realized about them all, seriously--all 6, is that they have dealt with death in some way. So, to make my life easier as I attempt to catch up on blogging, I am lumping all six books together and calling them The Death Saga (after googling the appropriate terms for six books with like themes). But, please do not NOT read them because they deal with death. All six were excellent reads and worth your time. There's only two, though, that I'd throw in my beach bag. See numbers 3 and 4.
Book 1: Gold by Chris Cleave. This novel is so not something I would typically read. It's about three Olympic cyclists and their race for gold. Let's complicate the already complicated by throwing in a love triangle amongst the three main characters and a potential terminal illness of a child. I was pulled into this story that I may not have likely read otherwise by the idea of a mother's ultimate dilemma-- do you race for gold, if it's your last time to ever compete, or stay home to comfort your dying daughter? Wow. What do you do? That is a tough one. And it takes the entire book to sort it all out. I started reading this before we left for London and thought that it was really cool that the race they are working towards was in London when the Olympics were there. I was very touched by this book . I cried out of sadness and out of anger as I turned the pages towards the end. The good news is that there is a very happy ending. You just have to read a lot of unhappiness in order to get there.
Book 2: Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan. I picked this book up on a shopping trip with my friend Meghan and her sister Rachel. I always find the best books when I go shopping with Meghan. In fact, the next two books I also found on the same shopping trip. I bought this one solely because of the title. I can't refuse a book with my daughter's name in the title. As it turns out, it was a dumb reason to by the book, but a fabulous book with a fabulous message. Emily is alone. Her husband has died, her friends are all dying, and she's just waiting for it to be her turn. But when one of her friends gets hurt and Emily realizes that she can take care of herself, she realizes that her life isn't over yet and that she can enjoy her life. It's a beautiful story.
Book 3: The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek. I adored this crazy, beach bag story. I loved the characters, but who wouldn't love characters named Stella Blue, Perks, Finn, Hamilton, and Biggsy. They come together to settle the estate of Lydia, Stella and Perks' aunt and friend to the other wild and crazy characters, and end up solving a tiny little mystery along the way. My favorite part of the story was the epilogue, which was told by Perks. It was hilarious! This book was fabulous!
Book 4: The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean. Oh, I loved this book! It's the kind of book that made me happy to spend a day on an airplane so I could just read and read and read. I am not so very into fashion, but as it turns out, neither is Dora, the main character of the book. Her grandmother, Mimi, is the one into clothes and owns a vintage clothing store. She has put together a closet for Dora over the years (she's now in college) that is really the size of a normal bedroom. It's filled with beautiful dresses that Dora doesn't feel right wearing. But when Mimi has a stroke and Dora rushes to her side without taking time to
pack a bag, she is forced to begin wearing clothes from Mimi and finds that she's fairly comfortable in her new skin. This story has a happy ending too after much sadness, so if you choose to read it, just keep reading through the sadness. It will be OK in the end.
Book 5: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. This book requires thought and time to read, but it is fabulous! It is set in Italy around the late 1400's and it focuses on the political changes there during and after the French invasion. I wish that I had known more about the history of the time written about in the novel but it did not impact being able to understand the book. I was drawn to the book because of its artistic subject matter. In fact, the title of the book is the title of one of my favorite paintings, Boticelli's The Birth of Venus. The book opens with the death and burial of Sister Lucrezia told in third person. The rest of the story is told by Alessandra, in first person. The two women are one and the same. But it takes the entire novel for us to learn how and why they are the same woman. This story is passionate, intelligent, and in many ways, eye opening to the ways of the world. Italy in 1494 isn't so different from the world in 2013.
Book 6: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. This book was recommended to me by two friends, so I was excited to pick up a paperback copy for $4 the night before we left for Bermuda. I was still reading #5 on the plane so I did not begin #6 until I made my way to the pool yesterday morning. I spent the entire day yesterday convinced that I was not smart enough to read and understand this novel. It felt like Life of Pi all over again. But as I was reading today, it all changed. This book begins with a suicide plan and it does end with the death of a character. It made me very sad. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that I was not uplifted by the ending of this novel. There was no happy ending, but a reminder to be who you are and to show people who you are and to not live life in the wings, because you never know when death is coming. Live with no regrets.
So, there it is. My Death Saga. All were good. Some had happy endings despite the death.
Some did not. All had worthwhile lessons for us to learn. Which is exactly how I like my books.
I am sad to say that while I hoped by choosing a Nora Roberts romance next that I might escape the death theme, I fear that might night be the case. What's up with that, I wonder? I've never read about so much death and dying since taking Shakespeare in college. Oh well. I read enough that the tide will turn eventually.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
#23: Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman
I was in Barnes and Noble this weekend and stumbled across Beth Hoffman's new book Looking for Me. I love it. I absolutely love it. It warmed my heart and spoke to me. It will most definitely make this year's list of my top ten favorite books.
Looking For Me centers around Teddi Overman and her family. The chapters alternate between present and past and while we all know that I love this way of writing, I actually paid little attention to the dates written at the top of each chapter. Honestly, I was so busy devouring each word that the dates didn't matter much to me. I was able to figure out what was going on and when, despite my lack of concern over dates. The setting alternates between Kentucky, the home of the Overmans, and Charleston, where Teddi makes her home when she becomes an adult. The Overmans are a farming family, but Teddi and her brother Josh are destined to be something just a little bit more.
Much like when I read Hoffman's first novel, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, I quickly became enamored with all of the characters from Looking for Me. They are real characters, characters that are believable, characters that are lovable, characters that you wished you knew or lived near. Some were funny, some just made me sad, and some made me smile. From the very first chapter when Teddi described how some people are just sad while some just go running towards life, I knew that this book and its characters were going to hit home with me. I was right.
You see, my very own mother, who I love dearly, is a lot like Teddi's mother. Sadness is the only coat my mother knows how to wear. If she won the lottery, she'd be sad about all of the taxes she had to pay. My mother, had she been able to afford such things, would've bought me a typewriter for my high school graduation, much like her mother bought her a sewing machine. She wanted my sister and me to be able to support ourselves. Never depend on anyone, ever. Especially never a man, she always said. Needless to say, my mother, who will never read what I am writing because she can't figure out for the life of her why I'd spend so much time thinking about and writing about someone else's books (and because she hates computers and can't seem to ever remember how to access this blog), reminded me a lot of Teddi's mother who just never quite understood Teddi's life.
Personally, I loved Teddi's life and am so envious of someone who was able to truly live out her dreams and to create such beauty, to see such beauty, out of things that someone else no longer loved or needed. I wish I was as gifted as Teddi. I am thrilled for her that she was able to find her dream home and was able to make it distinctly Teddi. I also am a bit envious of how truly independent Teddi is. Is there anything Teddi can't do, I wonder? Her mother should've been very proud of Teddi's life, the business she built, the home she made. I only wished that she had been able to see it all. I think she would've been OK with the typewriter being left behind.
I don't envy the stress and trauma that Teddi deals with over her brother Josh, however. This is a part of the story that I will not reveal here. It is crafted and told in a manner that a summary, especially one written by me, will never do justice. You need to read about Josh yourself. His story is inspiring. He made me want to be a better person. Well, truthfully, Teddi made me want to be a better person. I have always told my husband that I want to do something during my lifetime that would really make a difference (at which time he typically reminds me that I teach children for a living and I make a difference on a daily basis). Teddi selflessly made a difference and left a legacy when she gave Gabe and Sally a very special gift in honor of her brother.
Without a doubt, my favorite part of this amazing book was meeting Miz Poteet (who made me laugh out loud at first and then just made me sad at the end) and her son Sam. I loved that these two interesting characters became such an integral part of the book. As a reaction to an event with Sam, who is just the sweetest man with the biggest heart, Teddi recalls a memory with her mother where her mother warns her to "Never tie your happiness to the tail of someone else's kite." Wow. These words really spoke to me. Haunted me, actually, as that is what I have done my entire life. My happiness is tied to every kite tail but my own. Should it worry me that I can't make myself happy, that it takes others to do that? It scares me a bit sometimes that the people who make me happy will one day disappear. Then, Teddi describes Sam on page 326, "He had become my friend, my touchstone, and now he was my lover. I'd never dreamed I'd find those three attributes in one person." It was at that moment when I realized that I had found the same attributes wrapped up on one person, too. My husband Rob--one of the people who has my happiness tied to their kite tail. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. But it is so very scary to think of my life without him.
Teddi spent most of her life looking for Josh. Yet the book is called Looking for Me. Perhaps, in her search for her brother, she really found herself. Perhaps that's what happens to us all. Maybe it's OK that my happiness is tied to the kite tails of my husband, my daughters, my friends, my family, and my kindergarten students. Maybe that's what makes me ME. I walked away from reading Looking For Me feeling better about myself than I have in a long time. Thank you, Ms.Hoffman, for reminding me that who I am in exactly what I am supposed to be.
I loved this book. I loved its message. Oh, and the front cover is gorgeous! Pick it up. Read it. Treasure it. Because it is a treasure.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Looking For Me centers around Teddi Overman and her family. The chapters alternate between present and past and while we all know that I love this way of writing, I actually paid little attention to the dates written at the top of each chapter. Honestly, I was so busy devouring each word that the dates didn't matter much to me. I was able to figure out what was going on and when, despite my lack of concern over dates. The setting alternates between Kentucky, the home of the Overmans, and Charleston, where Teddi makes her home when she becomes an adult. The Overmans are a farming family, but Teddi and her brother Josh are destined to be something just a little bit more.
Much like when I read Hoffman's first novel, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, I quickly became enamored with all of the characters from Looking for Me. They are real characters, characters that are believable, characters that are lovable, characters that you wished you knew or lived near. Some were funny, some just made me sad, and some made me smile. From the very first chapter when Teddi described how some people are just sad while some just go running towards life, I knew that this book and its characters were going to hit home with me. I was right.
You see, my very own mother, who I love dearly, is a lot like Teddi's mother. Sadness is the only coat my mother knows how to wear. If she won the lottery, she'd be sad about all of the taxes she had to pay. My mother, had she been able to afford such things, would've bought me a typewriter for my high school graduation, much like her mother bought her a sewing machine. She wanted my sister and me to be able to support ourselves. Never depend on anyone, ever. Especially never a man, she always said. Needless to say, my mother, who will never read what I am writing because she can't figure out for the life of her why I'd spend so much time thinking about and writing about someone else's books (and because she hates computers and can't seem to ever remember how to access this blog), reminded me a lot of Teddi's mother who just never quite understood Teddi's life.
Personally, I loved Teddi's life and am so envious of someone who was able to truly live out her dreams and to create such beauty, to see such beauty, out of things that someone else no longer loved or needed. I wish I was as gifted as Teddi. I am thrilled for her that she was able to find her dream home and was able to make it distinctly Teddi. I also am a bit envious of how truly independent Teddi is. Is there anything Teddi can't do, I wonder? Her mother should've been very proud of Teddi's life, the business she built, the home she made. I only wished that she had been able to see it all. I think she would've been OK with the typewriter being left behind.
I don't envy the stress and trauma that Teddi deals with over her brother Josh, however. This is a part of the story that I will not reveal here. It is crafted and told in a manner that a summary, especially one written by me, will never do justice. You need to read about Josh yourself. His story is inspiring. He made me want to be a better person. Well, truthfully, Teddi made me want to be a better person. I have always told my husband that I want to do something during my lifetime that would really make a difference (at which time he typically reminds me that I teach children for a living and I make a difference on a daily basis). Teddi selflessly made a difference and left a legacy when she gave Gabe and Sally a very special gift in honor of her brother.
Without a doubt, my favorite part of this amazing book was meeting Miz Poteet (who made me laugh out loud at first and then just made me sad at the end) and her son Sam. I loved that these two interesting characters became such an integral part of the book. As a reaction to an event with Sam, who is just the sweetest man with the biggest heart, Teddi recalls a memory with her mother where her mother warns her to "Never tie your happiness to the tail of someone else's kite." Wow. These words really spoke to me. Haunted me, actually, as that is what I have done my entire life. My happiness is tied to every kite tail but my own. Should it worry me that I can't make myself happy, that it takes others to do that? It scares me a bit sometimes that the people who make me happy will one day disappear. Then, Teddi describes Sam on page 326, "He had become my friend, my touchstone, and now he was my lover. I'd never dreamed I'd find those three attributes in one person." It was at that moment when I realized that I had found the same attributes wrapped up on one person, too. My husband Rob--one of the people who has my happiness tied to their kite tail. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. But it is so very scary to think of my life without him.
Teddi spent most of her life looking for Josh. Yet the book is called Looking for Me. Perhaps, in her search for her brother, she really found herself. Perhaps that's what happens to us all. Maybe it's OK that my happiness is tied to the kite tails of my husband, my daughters, my friends, my family, and my kindergarten students. Maybe that's what makes me ME. I walked away from reading Looking For Me feeling better about myself than I have in a long time. Thank you, Ms.Hoffman, for reminding me that who I am in exactly what I am supposed to be.
I loved this book. I loved its message. Oh, and the front cover is gorgeous! Pick it up. Read it. Treasure it. Because it is a treasure.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Monday, July 1, 2013
#22: Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
My family spent a week at Disney World right after school was out this year. Sadly, on our fourth day of vacation, we got into our car to go to a water park only to find a crack in my windshield from top to bottom. So, we spent the fifth day of our vacation sitting and waiting for the windshield to be replaced. UGH. The only good thing about the entire event was that I got to sit and read for 2 hours. I wasn't dashing off to another ride, or sweating profusely in a non-shaded line. No, I was reading and devouring Revenge Wears Prada. Imagine, then, my frustration when my book was done and my car wasn't. Thank heavens for my Nook app and for my inability to refuse a sale (several weeks ago I downloaded two books to my Nook when they were on sale). Keeping Faith was right there waiting for me.
I have read many of Picoult's books. They are intense. They make you think and they make you feel. I wasn't sure that I was ready for one of her books on vacation. But it was either read Keeping Faith (because I had read the other downloaded book already) or sit and stare at a wall. I chose to read.
I am not sure where to begin with this book. It is complicated from the first chapter, as the theme of infidelity is explored, along with Mariah's mental instability. Then, add Faith's self-imposed mutism as a reaction to her parent's relationship. Oh my. But things get really complicated when Faith is injured and suddenly begins a relationship with a very special imaginary friend while she begins to quote scripture. Faith is seven and has been raised in a non-religious home. She's never been to church and she's never seen a Bible, much less read one. Suddenly, she is quoting the word of God. Oh my.
I think I should stop for a second and give you a quick synopsis of my religious beliefs. I am not afraid of them. In fact, I have grown quite comfortable with them over the years. Honestly, I do not know what I believe. Much like Faith, I was raised by parents with differing religious beliefs. My mother was Methodist; my step-father Catholic. As a result, no one went to church. I did go to a Methodist church with my grandmother for a few weeks each summer when I went to visit her and my aunt, but that was really it. My mother believed that you did not need to go to church to pray or to have faith but, honestly, I doubted God. In lots of ways, I think I still do. And, lots of these doubts were reaffirmed in Keeping Faith. Thanks to Ian Fletcher.
Ian is another of Picoult's characters. He is an atheist (I am not) and his job is to roam the country disproving, with the help of scientific facts and theories, religious miracles. His biggest issue with religion is how anyone could believe in a God who allowed his son to suffer. Most parents run to the aid of their child when they are hurt or in trouble, yet God allowed Jesus to suffer. Ian finds fault with this and can't put his faith into such a being. Much like Ian, I found myself as a child wondering how a God, who everyone claimed to be so good, so caring, so wonderful, could take my father away from me when I was a baby. How could he leave my mother a widow at 25 with a 1 year old? It just didn't make sense to me and I think, in many ways, it still baffles me. But, I have made peace with it. My life is what it is and perhaps in the spirit of "everything happens for a reason" my life began as it did so that I could have the life I have now. Who knows? Truly, who KNOWS? None of us. We can believe what we want, but it's all an act of faith. Not of true knowledge.
As always, I don't want to spill the beans and summarize this amazing story that is sure to touch you in some way. But you need to be aware that, should you choose to read this book, you are not picking up a light read. This book has so many themes and ideas swimming around: infidelity, religion, mental illness, suicide, love, mother-daughter relationships (or really, the power mothers possess), the media. And that's only part one. Part two centers around the custody battle over Faith and there's nothing quite like reading a court trial created by Picoult. She's a master.
Keeping Faith was a great read. Once the court scenes began, I couldn't flip the pages fast enough to see how it might all resolve itself in the end. I did re-read the last two pages several times, just to be sure I was reading what I thought I was reading. It still makes me smile.
Happy reading (and thinking) everyone,
:)Dodie
I have read many of Picoult's books. They are intense. They make you think and they make you feel. I wasn't sure that I was ready for one of her books on vacation. But it was either read Keeping Faith (because I had read the other downloaded book already) or sit and stare at a wall. I chose to read.
I am not sure where to begin with this book. It is complicated from the first chapter, as the theme of infidelity is explored, along with Mariah's mental instability. Then, add Faith's self-imposed mutism as a reaction to her parent's relationship. Oh my. But things get really complicated when Faith is injured and suddenly begins a relationship with a very special imaginary friend while she begins to quote scripture. Faith is seven and has been raised in a non-religious home. She's never been to church and she's never seen a Bible, much less read one. Suddenly, she is quoting the word of God. Oh my.
I think I should stop for a second and give you a quick synopsis of my religious beliefs. I am not afraid of them. In fact, I have grown quite comfortable with them over the years. Honestly, I do not know what I believe. Much like Faith, I was raised by parents with differing religious beliefs. My mother was Methodist; my step-father Catholic. As a result, no one went to church. I did go to a Methodist church with my grandmother for a few weeks each summer when I went to visit her and my aunt, but that was really it. My mother believed that you did not need to go to church to pray or to have faith but, honestly, I doubted God. In lots of ways, I think I still do. And, lots of these doubts were reaffirmed in Keeping Faith. Thanks to Ian Fletcher.
Ian is another of Picoult's characters. He is an atheist (I am not) and his job is to roam the country disproving, with the help of scientific facts and theories, religious miracles. His biggest issue with religion is how anyone could believe in a God who allowed his son to suffer. Most parents run to the aid of their child when they are hurt or in trouble, yet God allowed Jesus to suffer. Ian finds fault with this and can't put his faith into such a being. Much like Ian, I found myself as a child wondering how a God, who everyone claimed to be so good, so caring, so wonderful, could take my father away from me when I was a baby. How could he leave my mother a widow at 25 with a 1 year old? It just didn't make sense to me and I think, in many ways, it still baffles me. But, I have made peace with it. My life is what it is and perhaps in the spirit of "everything happens for a reason" my life began as it did so that I could have the life I have now. Who knows? Truly, who KNOWS? None of us. We can believe what we want, but it's all an act of faith. Not of true knowledge.
As always, I don't want to spill the beans and summarize this amazing story that is sure to touch you in some way. But you need to be aware that, should you choose to read this book, you are not picking up a light read. This book has so many themes and ideas swimming around: infidelity, religion, mental illness, suicide, love, mother-daughter relationships (or really, the power mothers possess), the media. And that's only part one. Part two centers around the custody battle over Faith and there's nothing quite like reading a court trial created by Picoult. She's a master.
Keeping Faith was a great read. Once the court scenes began, I couldn't flip the pages fast enough to see how it might all resolve itself in the end. I did re-read the last two pages several times, just to be sure I was reading what I thought I was reading. It still makes me smile.
Happy reading (and thinking) everyone,
:)Dodie
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