Mom...

Mother's Day is tomorrow.  This will be my first Mother's Day without my Mom.  In the past, I have always enjoyed buying my Mom flowers, a beautiful plant, or a special moisturizing collection from Sephora for her.

About a week after my Mom passed away, I called a good friend that I had been friends with for so long and knew my Mom well.  She listened to me break down, telling her of all the simple memories that were flooding me now.  My heart was breaking and the tears rushed down as I recalled little memories: holding hands, walking into the drugstore in Casper, Wyoming, with her, she would buy me a little treat.  Making sure I had my first day of school outfit all ready, that I was ready to begin my school year with a new lunch box in hand, hair done; I was prepared.  I remember her always making a hot breakfast for me before school: eggs, oatmeal, pancakes.  She wanted me to have a full belly so I could concentrate at school.  I realized as I told my friend of these memories that they were personal moments, treasures, that I, as a little girl, shared with my Mom.  No one else.  No one knew me, little Amy, like she did....  Those memories are now held in my heart.  I hope to share some beautiful memories with my daughter, as I hope someday that she sees and feels how much I cared for her as my Mom did for me. 

Thank you Mom for those wonderful memories.  For caring for me.  I miss you.  Love, your daughter, Amy   

The Mother's heart is  the child's schoolroom.  -Henry Ward Beecher

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

This trilogy was so exciting.  I stayed up to one or two in the morning reading the books.  I love the character of Katniss.  She's reserved, always questioning authority, rising up to use her intuitive skills and knowledge in hunting and survival.  Gale and Peeta, both have enduring qualities too.  Gale is strong in mind and body, balks at the Capitol, and is loyal to Katniss and his family.  Peeta is the public speaker, who tells Katniss, "I don't want to be just another piece in their games."  Although in the movie, they portrayed him as weak and a diminutive soul compared to Katniss.  That's Hollywood.

Katniss tells her story of the dystopian society that makes children participate in a reality TV bloodbath.  All 12 districts are to pay for their rebellious acts against the capital.  I found it interesting how much of the Capitol in the trilogy parallels our society today... the fascination with reality TV and how far and out of hand it is. 

Other great characters in the books that leave a lasting impression: Cinna, Haymitch, Effie Trinkett, Rue, Prim. 

Caution:  Although this is a young adult series, I don't recommend it for tweens that are still emotionally immature.  There's a lot of violence.

I rate it:  5 stars!  ***** 

PRABE - reading enjoyment = self fullfillment

I can honestly say PRABE (pleasure reading and blog entries) was a great assignment.  Not only did I get to read books I loved (well mostly) but I got to write or express my own opinion of the book, and no one argues with me.  What could be better than that?  I have always loved reading and this assignment only emphasized that.  In fact, I found myself interested in researching other books I wanted to read (creating my books-to-read list) and thinking a bit deeper about the characters, the setting, the theme.  As far as changes, I like others to see me as a well-versed reader, I like that I can read something and formulate an intelligent summary about it.  I like to explore where the story is going to take me.  Are you ready for the ride?  I know I am!  Happy reading!   

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain continued...

This novel keeps getting better and better the more I read it.  I love reading historical fiction too, because I find out more about history, settings, events, and in this case; people.  Let's see, where did I leave off?  Hadley and Ernest become engaged, have a short engagement and then get married.  As newly weds they struggle financially, but finally Ernest, through one of his writer contacts, is given advice to head to Paris to further his writing career.

It doesn't take long before Hadley and Ernest become engulfed in Paris life.  Through his letters of introduction Ernest begins associating with the likes of  Lewis Galantiere, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein.  Ernest starts to build his writing career by writing articles for the STAR and INS (under a pseudo name) and then going on location and writes about the Greco-Turkish war, then meets Mussolini and writes a piece about him as well.  Meanwhile, Hadley is very homesick but slowly adjusts to life in Paris.  She is a bit disengaged because she feels she has no special talent or passion like Ernest does with his writing.  She becomes very troubled when Ernest leaves for a time to do his writing.  Finally, she finds that she wants to have a baby and even though Ernest does not want this now, she becomes pregnant.  This is where I have left off.

I am really enjoying reading this novel.  I try placing myself in Hadley's shoes and I can see how she is disenchanted with life.  She does not have anything to call her own.  No driving passions, talent or career.  No close friends or family nearby.  And I assume most women did not in the mid-1920's.  But at the same time, I do not see her character as being weak.  Naive maybe, but not weak.  I am about halfway through, so I must get back to reading....

November 28 - 20 minutes
November 30 - 20 minutes
December 2 -    30 minutes
December 3 -     30 minutes
     

 

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Our book club chose this book and I have delved right into it.  It's an historical fiction novel set in the 1920's.  It's about Hadley Richardson Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's first wife and their life in Paris.  The novel opens with Hadley in Chicago visiting some of her friends and Ernest is there too, so they meet one another among mutual friends at a party.  Their is an instant spark among Hadley and Hemingway and they continue to see one another until Hadley returns home to St. Louis, the following week.

Ernest says he'll write to Hadley and he does.  Sometimes 2 to 3 times a day!  Hadley is utterly absorbed by his letters and cannot wait to return to Chicago for another visit.  Meanwhile life in St. Louis isn't as exciting.  Hadley lives with her sister, Fonnie and her husband, and seems quite disinterested of the comings and goings of her life.  Her family history unfolds here.  Her father, a gambler and drinker, lost thousands of dollars on the stock market, and shortly afterward when he could not pay his debts, committed suicide.  Just as Hadley was to set off for Bryn Mawr, her oldest sister, Dorothea dies in a freak accident where most of body was badly burned in a fire she was trying to put out.  Hadley begins college but returns after one year, disengaged and unfocused she returns home to her mother.  Hadley's mother was ill with Bright's disease and it was a slow death.  Hadley cared for her mother as best as she could with the help of her sister, Fonnie, and put her mother to rest.  Hadley had a strained relationship with her mother - one that she thought her mother treated her as if she was completely incompetent.

Hadley returns for a second visit and it seems sweeter than the first.  She and Ernest have good times with friends and get to know each other even more.  Hadley enjoys time with friends at concerts, plays and parties and more time with Nesto.   During this time, she discovers some of Ernest's thoughts from being in the war, and in love with a nurse, his dislike of his mother, and his struggle to make it as a writer.   

November 22 - 20 minutes
November 23 - 20 minutes
November 25 - 30 minutes
November 26 - 45 minutes
        

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake no more. . .

Well, I continued to read this book in Hawaii, in the evenings before bed and then I read it on the airplane ride home and it was a red-eye flight.  Needless to say, I fell asleep.  The story never evolved or developed.  It continued with Rose eating packaged and processed foods because she was tired of tasting her Mother's affair and disinterest in her husband.  Rose, finally, did confront her Mother about the affair when her Mother went on a "work trip" to Nova Scotia.  It almost seemed too casual.  Her Mother's response, "Oh, I didn't realize you knew about that?"  Really, like affairs are that casual, especially when caught in the act by your 13 year old daughter?  Her brother, Joseph, was getting more and more strange.  He spent all his time in his room and would randomly disappear.  Rose's father remained distant and unaware of any affair or problems in the family.  This book fell so flat for me!  Thursday afternoon, I ran into one of my friends who is in the book club.  I asked her if she finished the book and she said she didn't; she couldn't, it was a boring read with nothing to offer.  I felt the same.  She told me how it ended.  Along with Rose's peculiar ability to taste others' feelings, her brother, Joseph had an ability to change himself into an inanimate object.  Hence, the reason Rose could not find her brother when he was supposedly babysitting her at home.  Her father could not step into a hospital because of his ability to "smell" disease or death.  And the mother?  No ability other than to cheat.  Hmmm. . . I rate this one star.  Don't waste your time with this book.     

The Particular Sadness continued. . .

Continuing with this book, I read it Friday on the airplane and this afternoon on the airplane.  I still feel I have not gotten to the meat of the matter with this book.  Background: Rose, the main character (she just turned 9) tasted her favorite piece of Lemon cake and was disturbed by the empty feelings she did not identify with.  

Well, this time, Rose tells about the relationship she has with her brother, Joseph.  Joseph is their Mother's favorite.  But Joseph is a bit odd.  By odd, Rose means he's too smart for his own good.  People cannot relate to him and he has very few friends.  Even Rose recalls only a handful of moments that were meaningful around her older brother.  She does remember, however, how her Mother would go to the school and pick up Joseph and they would run errands together and just talk.  Their Mother talked to Joseph as if he was an equal, a friend she felt she could confide in, not her 3rd grade son.  Joseph's teacher found out he did not have a series of doctors appointments, but that he was pulled out of school to go to the market and talk with his Mom.  Even though Joseph was clearly bored at school and not challenged, did not relate to anyone but his Mom, she was on Mom probation.  Rose and Joseph's father, an attorney, was very perplexed by the situation.  He took notes as he asked his wife, why she took Joseph out of school.  

This background information was provided because George, Joseph's only friend, takes an interest in Rose's peculiar problem.  George proposes an idea to to take Rose to the neighborhood bakery on Saturday and investigate her feelings in the food.  Much to Joseph's dismay, the 3 of them head to the bakery that Saturday.  Rose discovers she has feelings for George, or so she thinks!  She likes the attention George gives her; his interest in her food and identified emotions.  When biting into a chocolate chip cookie she tastes instant anger.  Sure enough, George finds out the baker hates his job, saying, "You'd be angry too if you just finished college and this was your first job."  Next, Rose tastes an oatmeal cookie, and with it a rushing to finish it.  Janet, who baked the oatmeal cookie, is always running late for work!  The final bite was of the the angry baker's sandwich. His girlfriend had made it and as soon as Rose took a bite, she set it down immediately and says,  "the sandwich was yelling for you to love it."

George concludes as they walk home that Rose can identify feelings that people don't know about or don't want others to know about. . .

November 4 - 40 minutes
November 6 - 50 minutes