The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Our book club decided on this book because the last book we read was a little heavy and no one else had any other suggestions!  The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake takes place in Los Angeles and though it has not specified, I am guessing it takes place in the 1980's.  The main character, Rose, turns 9 years old and as she tastes her favorite cake her Mom made for her she uncovers strong feelings in her piece of cake.  Feelings that she is having trouble identifying with.  Her favorite cake, lemon laced with layers of chocolate frosting feels incredibly empty like when your restricted to diet food.  You crave something more fulfilling and rich but can't have it.  Perplexed by this mix of feelings and emotions Rose has, she visits the school nurse the next day.  The nurse asks, "Do you think your fat?  Are you throwing up food after you eat?"  Rose leaves the school nurse feeling even more confused.  

George, a friend of Rose's brother, takes an interest in Rose's peculiar problem.  When  the three of them get home, George takes out a notebook and begins to record everything Rose eats and the feelings associated with the food she eats.  Most everything tastes bland until she sneaks a piece of toast from her brother's plate.  Suddenly she senses rage and also a detached feeling.  How strange!  It is so powerful, she has to spit it out!

I am enjoying the book so far, yet I am not very far into it.  I really enjoy reading books that have children as the main character.  I love this perspective.  It gives me some nostalgia.   

October 24 - 20 minutes

October 26 - 20 minutes

October 29 - 20 minutes

October 30 - 30 minutes

Left Neglected conclusion

Sarah find her passion in snow boarding with the New England Handicapped Sports Association (NEHSA). She makes progress learning how to snow board with her left neglect.  Sarah also bonds with her Mom.  She forgives her Mom for not being there in the past when her brother had passed away.  She learns her Mom likes to read People magazine, skype with her friends and continue knitting. 

Sarah is offered her job back at Berkley Consultants and while she wants to go back to work, she ultimately rejects going back.  She is not ready yet.  Sarah slowly convinces her husband to move to Vermont in start of a different, slower-paced life.  Truly, the saddest part was when Sarah's mother passed away suddenly. Sarah mourned the renewed relationship with her mother.

This book is about unexpected changes.  One minute, everything was busy and chaotic, and the next everything slowed down.  Sarah learned to adjust to her new disability, her new life but it took time.  Her husband was always very supportive throughout.  I don't think the relationships were overly deep in this book but focused on the main character's situation and overcoming obstacles.  Near the end of the book, Sarah is at dinner with her husband and they decide to celebrate her one year recovery from the accident not with "what ifs" but what they gained from it.  Sarah grew to know her Mom, she learned how to snowboard and was offered a job with NEHSA which she could do from home part time.  She and Bob now had quality time to spend together, something they never had before. 

I would rate this book 3 stars.  

October 17 - 20 minutes 

October 18 - 20 minutes

October 20 - 30 minutes

October 23 - 30 minutes

Left Neglected continued.

Once home to rehabilitate, Sarah discovers new things about her children, her husband, her Mom and even herself.  Before the accident, Sarah did not have a moment to relax, not a minute to slow down and smell the flowers.  After a couple of weeks of being home, she is helping her son, Charlie, (who, recently, has been  diagnosed with ADHD) with his homework.  Charlie is frustrated with all the math problems and cannot hold still.  Sarah has Charlie do his homework standing up.  This seems to help him focus and be a little less fidgety but what really makes the big difference is when Sarah cuts his math problem worksheet into 10 different cards with one problem per card.  Charlie is able to concentrate on one problem at a time and answer them correctly.  

Sarah proposes the idea to go skiing and spend Christmas vacation in Vermont (where they have a vacation home) to her husband.  He agrees, reluctantly, but work is extremely stressful to him but at the same time, he wants his wife to feel better.  Once in Vermont, Sarah begins to restore the relationship with her Mom..  Sarah lost her brother, Nate, when she was only seven.  He drowned in the pool in the backyard.  After that tragic accident, Sarah's Mom could not forgive herself, she became closed off and severely depressed, leaving seven year old Sarah to defend herself.  For thirty years, Sarah held on to resentment, keeping her Mom at a close distance.  She asks her Mom why is she here now to help?  Her Mom expresses her feelings of regret, of neglecting her daughter and not getting help sooner for depression.                

Sarah also spends more quality time with her husband.  She pleads with him to stay and not return home and to the stressful environment of work.  She can "see" what the stress is doing to him.  She cannot remember the last time that they had a date night where they just in the moment.  Instead dates entailed both of them  responding to business emails and  voicemails.   

October 10 - 50 minutes

October 16 - 40 minutes 

Remembering my Mom

Dear Mom-

I miss you Mom.  I know God has a special place for you.  I prayed to God to take your hand and lead you up his lighted path.  I prayed that you had no pain, or felt any loneliness.  Steve and I were hoping and praying each and every day you would heal.  We were hoping that you had 5, 10 more years with us.  Erin will miss her favorite Grandma - her Grandma that spoiled her to pieces.  You are a good person, such a kind heart taking in animals that have been thrown away and do not have a home.  I love you Mom.  Rest in peace. 

June Anne Dahle - June 22, 1938 - October 11, 2011



 

Neglected, Quick, and feeling Just Ducky

Blog Week 1 - October 3 - 9.  Currently reading: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova - Total reading time: 95 minutes.

I am halfway through this book and a month late.  My book club read it last month and I chose to read Room by Emma Donoghue (I couldn't put it down!  I should have been more focused on College Algebra instead of this book). Anyway, back to Left Neglected, the main character, Sarah, is a high powered executive who works for a consulting firm.  She has three kids, named after the Peanuts characters, Lucy, Linus and Charlie.  Her husband is a very busy businessman as well.  They live in a suburb in Boston.  Her life is crazy busy and the first quarter of the book reflects this.  Anyone reading it despises her life.  I do.  It is anything but relaxing.  She isn't able to experience her kids joys to the fullest, she doesn't have time to cook, read or enjoy any passions, even her sex life is non-existent.  One busy morning, Sarah is off to work (running late of course) and she is on her phone, having a conference call, she looks up for a brief second and realizes she is about to get into a car accident.  Her life is about to drastically change.  She wakes up in the hospital and learns she has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and also that she has a condition called left neglect.  She is completely unaware of anything on her left.  And I mean everything: her body, seeing anything on her left, using her left leg to walk, using her left hand to button a blouse.  Imagine how imbalanced you would be???  She goes through 2 months at a rehab facility and then goes home.  Sarah is in for a big surprise!  More to follow next week!    

Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood and I wish that I had Duck Feet by Dr. Seuss

I originally purchased Quick as a Cricket for my daughter when she was 2.  She's now 7 and we read it two nights ago.  Well, actually, she read it to me!  The artwork in this book is spectacular!  It can easily spark your imagination.  It's a book of similes.  The child in the book compares himself to animals and insects.  We stopped at, "I'm as tame as a poodle".  I figured my daughter was unfamiliar with the word tame, since she is anything but tame.  I told her it was the opposite of wild and on the next page is, "I'm as wild as a chimp."

My daughter checked out I wish that I had Duck Feet from the school library.  She actually read this to me one morning before school.  I am thrilled with her reading!  Last year she refused to read.  She was in first grade last year and I retained her in first grade this year.  It was such a battle for her last year and for me too.  She was in power reading, we read each night (well I did), and did homework together.  Everyone kept saying, "it will click"  Really?  Now I see she just wasn't ready developmentally.  Her birthday is in August.  But because she's a girl and very social I wasn't so sure.  She's a different kid this year.  Her self esteem and confidence level are so much better.  She's happy. I'm happy.  Everyone's happy.