Books I've Loved This Year

Is there anything better than a good book? I really don't think so. My husband's ex-wife and I used to swap book recommendations but since the latest falling out last spring I've been reduced to being a voyeur on her blog to see what she's been reading and recommending. Probably something I shouldn't be sharing out in public like this, but there you go.....It would be dishonest to say I like one particular genre of books. So much of my reading depends entirely on the mood at the time. I've never been one for a Harlequin Romance, but let's face it, The Time Traveler's Wife was an incredible story of love. So, in no particular order of any kind, here are my top books for 2008:

The Geography of Bliss; One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places on Earth. by Eric Weiner
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Emergency Sex by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait & Andrew Thomson

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Plain Truth, also by Jodi Picoult

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

The Good, Good Pig by Sy Montgomery (ok, I read this last year but it's so good, I promote it at every chance)

The Color of Water by James McBride

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

The Mascot by Mark Kurzem

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Dewey, The Life of a Library Cat by Vicki Myron

Perhaps in another blog I'll do some write ups /reviews for these book. Each one holds a place in my heart whether it's because it took me away from the daily grind of my life or because it, by the very nature of the story, required me to step back from my own way of thinking and explore another. Since reading The Good Good Pig I have vacillated between going back to the "no mammal eating" days of my early 20's and staying with the joy of bacon. I saved When You Are Engulfed in Flames for our trip to Kauai this past summer. Sitting with David Sedaris for a few hours each day made that vacation tolerable. No offense to the island of Kauai, but get your sanitation in order. When Poi'pu beach is rated the second Most Polluted Beach In The World (as per the newspaper headlines the morning I was set to take our youngest out to snuba), there is just no way I'm sticking my face, or any other part of my body, in that water!

The Others in my household don't understand this love of books. Until my book cases were built and my book boxes unpacked, each book lovingly placed with others of its kind, I didn't really feel "moved-in" (which sucked seeing as it took 3 years to get the book cases designed & installed). But once my books came out, it was if I was reading a history of my own life. Here's The Hundredth Monkey, from my No Nukes stage (it went along well with the no eating mammals, thing....). And here's Wuthering Heights and Catcher in the Rye; stories read years ago by candlelight in front of a fire and the sound of the ocean as a backdrop. My books on Religion: When God Was a Woman, The Pagan Book of Living and Dying, Finding Your Religion, A Woman's Journey to God, Walking the Bible. How long have I struggled with my faith? From my books, it appears a very long time; they command an entire shelf and the only single topic to do so. And let us not forgot all those fabulous self-help books from the '80's: Co-Dependent No More, Women & Self-Esteem, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself. That's a shelf that really should be cleaned out....And here's the Clive Cussler books The Husband and I used to read together. Years ago, back when we couldn't afford for him to fly out to accounts, I would drive him. Some trips were 2 hours, others 15. To pass the time, we listened to books. But since this was before the advent of audio books, we had to do it the Old Fashioned Way: read out loud to one another. It was a wonderful way to pass the time and some of my best memories of he and I are from that time period. Good Times.

So, as I'm always on the hunt for a good book, please feel free to share any recommendations or comment on the ones I've listed here. Happy Reading!

Alone in the Night

Several nights ago, in between rain storms, I took Mulligan out for a walk. Interestingly enough, he doesn't find enough stimulation in watching me fold laundry while watching "Charmed" re-runs and actually wants to get out and move. Go figure. We live in a very safe neighborhood and I've never given it a second thought to go out walking in the night. The one stead-fast rule, though, for kids and grown ups alike, is: do not go into the park after dark. It's more of a common sense rule, and one that I hope follows the boys into adulthood. You know, you're in the Big City and have a choice of taking the short cut down a dark alley back to your hotel or the long route where it's well lit. Somewhere in the back of their heads they'll hear me saying, "Don't go into the park after dark", and take the long route. The park is at the end of our street. At the center of the park are the soccer fields, which are bordered at the back by ungroomed fields ripe with gophers, voles, and other creatures that burrow (great place to dig if you're a dog). In the winter, a pond forms from the rain run off and Mulligan loves to "swim" there; nevermind that it's 40 degrees. At the front are the Sycamore trees, separating the park from the street. There are basketball courts, tennis courts, and the requiste play ground equipment for the younger kids. It's a great neighborhood park and one of the reasons we purchased the house we did 8 years ago. Nonetheless, we don't go there after dark.
But this night, I didn't feel like walking. I felt like staying home in front of the fire and reading a book. But, with leash in hand, I walked Mulligan down the street figuring he could just run around in the parking lot of the park. There was plenty of light, you're next to the street, no big deal. I wasn't really breaking the rule. The sky was dark, both from the night and the clouds of the storm that was coming in. No stars, no moon, just the energy of an approaching storm. Mulligan pretends to not know the rule about staying out of the park and ventures back and forth into the darkness. I realize then that I can't see him. At all. I don't worry about this, as I know all that I have to do is call him and he'll come right back. What I find intriguing, though, is that he is not barking, there is nothing to fear in the dark. And so I go.
In my life, I have not been a big "rule breaker". I'm a Virgo; we're big on our rules. Yet there was something about the night, the energy of the storm, the way the sky looked as the clouds broke and you could see the moonlight behind them. And so I ran. Into the darkness. And in those moments the darkness opened and swallowd me whole. Without thought, I ran. There was nothing behind me ,or in front of me, or beside me. Only the darkness and the sound of my own footfalls. I know I'm failing to convey the magic of the feeling that night. Of, quite literally, being swallowed by the night. To stand inside the emptiness of the dark, to feel safe in the knowledge that no one can see you, to be surrounded by the energy of the coming rainstorm. To simply have that moment of Being.

In The Dog House

A friend sent me this link and it's one that just must be shared:

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/11/Beware-of-the-Doghouse-Hilarious-610154.html

Enjoy!