Next Book!!

Sorry for the short post but I'm sick and we just bought a house and I'm totally pooped. Our next book, however, I'm really excited about. It's called "The Kids from Nowhere: The story of the Arctic Educational Miracle" By George Guthridge. I'm a sucker for teacher stories... happy reading. This one is hard to find in bookstores. I ordered mine from half.com. Good Luck!

Readers Guide for "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

HEre are the reading guide questions taken from artofracingintherain.com, Garth Stein's site about his book. They definitely get you thinking!

* Some early readers of the novel have observed that viewing the world through a dog's eyes makes for a greater appreciation of being human. Why do you think this is?



* Enzo's observations throughout the novel provide insight into his world view. For example:


o "The visible becomes inevitable."
o "Understanding the truth is simple. Allowing oneself to experience it, is often terrifically difficult."
o "No race has ever been won in the first corner; many races have been lost there."


How does his philosophy apply to real life?



* In the book's darkest moments, one of Zoe's stuffed animals— the zebra— comes to life and threatens him. What does the zebra symbolize?



* Can you imagine the novel being told from Denny's point of view? How would it make the story different?



* In the first chapter, Enzo says: "It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human." How does Enzo's situation--a human soul trapped in a dog's body--influence his opinions about what he sees around him? How do you feel about the ideas of reincarnation and karma as Enzo defines them?



* Do you find yourself looking at your own dog differently after reading this novel?



* In the book, we get glimpses into the mindset and mentality of a race car driver. What parallels can you think of between the art of racing and the art of living?



* The character of Ayrton Senna, as he is presented in the book, is heroic, almost a mythic figure.� Why do you think this character resonates so strongly for Denny?

Our meeting and the next book!!

Hello Readers,
Our next book has been chosen! You'll have to read to the end to get the name of it... We met this past Tuesday evening at Kathy's home. She made wonderful lasagna and sent us home with homemade pickles! I was in heaven! We talked about the book, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and it's inevitable ties to the deeper issues in life: loyalty, friendship, inequity, money, fear, and our deeper "demon zebra" self. Written from the perspective of a dog whose obsession with opposable thumbs is hysterical, the book is fresh and witty. I really liked it. It was a welcome change from some of the heavier books we've read lately. I'd love to hear what you thought... anyone read it? Becky, another member of our group, chose the book "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Piccoult. I've read it alreay but I will definitely read it again. Being a teacher, the story takes on a whole new life for me. I hope you will read along. It's a gripping story... one that you won't forget. Keep reading... Keep posting!

Next Book!!!

Hello, sorry for the delay in posting. I just started school and finished my Master's degree in the past three weeks so life has been kicking my butt! Needless to say, after another lovely wine-filled book club discussion, I am again thanking God for the gift of this book club! What a wonderful group of women. We did choose our next book entitled: The Art of Racing in the Rain. We chose this one especially becuase it's supposed to be light and fun (we seemed to have been a "serious" rut for the past 3 books so here's a change of pace.) The author's name is Garth Stein and it's about a dog named Enzo who tells his story and gives his take on humanity as seen through the eyes of a dog owned by a race car driver. Fun, yeah? So, happy reading... look for questions yet to come.

Questions and Action Challenges for Animal, Vegetable, Miracle... Please post!

Questions for Discussion from Bookbrowse.com

1. What was your perception of America's food industry prior to reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? What did you learn from this book? How has it altered your views on the way food is acquired and consumed?
2. In what ways, if any, have you changed your eating habits since reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Depending on where you live—in an urban, suburban, or rural environment—what other steps would you like to take to modify your lifestyle with regard to eating local?
3. "It had felt arbitrary when we sat around the table with our shopping list, making our rules. It felt almost silly to us in fact, as it may now seem to you. Why impose restrictions on ourselves? Who cares?" asks Kingsolver in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Did you, in fact, care about Kingsolver's story and find it to be compelling? Why or why not? What was the family's aim for their year-long initiative, and did they accomplish that goal?
4. The writing of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was a family affair, with Kingsolver's husband, Steven L. Hopp, contributing factual sidebars and her daughter, Camille Kingsolver, serving up commentary and recipes. Did you find that these additional elements enhanced the book? How so? What facts or statistics in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle surprised you the most?
5. How does each member of the Kingsolver-Hopp family contribute during their year-long eating adventure? Were you surprised that the author's children not only participated in the endeavor but that they did so with such enthusiasm? Why or why not?
6. "A majority of North Americans do understand, at some level, that our food choices are politically charged," says Kingsolver, "affecting arenas from rural culture to international oil cartels and global climate change." How do politics affect America's food production and consumption? What global ramifications are there for the food choices we make?
7. Kingsolver advocates the pleasures of seasonal eating, but she acknowledges that many people would view this as deprivation "because we've grown accustomed to the botanically outrageous condition of having everything always." Do you believe that American society can—or will— overcome the need for instant gratification in order to be able to eat seasonally? How does Kingsolver present this aspect in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Did you get the sense that she and her family ever felt deprived in their eating options?
8. Kingsolver points out that eating what we want, when we want comes "at a price." The cost, she says, "is not measured in money, but in untallied debts that will be paid by our children in the currency of extinctions, economic unravelings, and global climate change." What responsibility do we bear for keeping the environment safe for future generations? How does eating locally factor in to this?
9. Kingsolver asserts that "we have dealt to today's kids the statistical hand of a shorter life expectancy than their parents, which would be us, the ones taking care of them." How is our "thrown-away food culture" a detriment to children's health? She also says, "We're raising our children on the definition of promiscuity if we feed them a casual, indiscriminate mingling of foods from every season plucked from the supermarket." What responsibility do parents have to teach their children about the value and necessity of a local food culture?
10. In what ways do Kingsolver's descriptions of the places she visited on her travels—Italy, New England, Montreal, and Ohio—enhance her portrayal of local and seasonal eating?
11. "Marketing jingles from every angle lure patrons to turn our backs on our locally owned stores, restaurants, and farms," says Kingsolver. "And nobody considers that unpatriotic." How much of a role do the media play in determining what Americans eat? Discuss the decline of America's diversified family farms, and what it means for the country as a whole.


Action Items—On Your Own

Try eating at least one meal per week made from locally and organically produced meats and produce. As Steven L. Hopp points out in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this "would reduce our country's oil consumption by more than 1.1 million barrels of oil every week."

To find farmers' markets and local producers in your area, visit the USDA website at www.ams.usda.gov, or check out www.LocalHarvest.org and www.csacenter.org.

When shopping at a grocery store or food co-op, ask about food origins and request that locally produced items be stocked.

Share your opinion with local and regional policymakers at town and city hall meetings, school board meetings, and state commissioner meetings. Also, speak up at venues you or your family frequent where food is served such as a church, social club, school, or day care center and encourage them to use local ingredients.

If you have the space, start your own garden and begin by growing a few items. If you live in an urban area, consider taking part in a community garden (www.CommunityGarden.org). More information about urban gardening can be found at www.CityFarmer.org and www.UrbanGardeningHelp.com.

Share stories about your local food adventures at www.animalvegetablemiracle.com.

Let me know what you think!!

are you reading?

I am almost finished with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and it is changing my life. If you haven't read it yet, please do. It's not anything earth shaking but it's such a good message. I yearn in a new way for my own home- a place where I can invest in the soil, and in turn invest in the well-being of my family: body, mind and spirit. I've never been much of an environmentalist per se, but I can see changes in my awareness of what's around me and what goes into my mouth. This becomes increasingly important as I consider starting a family in the next couple of years. I've become more aware and more open minded...I've even started eating tomatoes... that is my very own miracle.

I'm a changed woman and our next book!

Well, it's true. I'm a changed woman. I may consider buying and living on a houseboat! Who needs to own land? There are no property taxes- the river is beyond relaxing and I'm sure I could deck out (no pun intended) a really beautiful houseboat! Really! That's how wonderful last night's meeting was. We cruised up and down the Mississippi River and drank wine and ate cheese and Mint Crisp M&M's! We talked for hours and I didn't even feel time pass. I keep thinking that this book club is the greatest thing I could have ever done for myself! I've connected with these women via a shared love of books and the relationships we're fostering are beautiful. To these women, thank you in advance for the many books and conversations we will share. I'm already a better person for being amongst you amazing people.

Last night, we discussed Eat, Pray, Love at length but not specifically. Our conversation meandered through personal revelations of our faith journeys and of our life stories. We all had very definite opinions about the book (as you can see from Julie's post and another woman in our group, some REALLY didn't like the book). Others of us loved it and gleaned much from her experience.

I must admit, when I listened to two of our members state why they didn't like the book, it really made me clarify in my own mind, why I did like it so much. I didn't assume in any way that her "experience" was a prescription for "self-discovery" or for theological pursuit. I never saw her travels as privileged because I didn't see them as mandatory. Obviously she had the funding to travel (she was hired to write this book about her travels and therefore advanced $25,000.00). Sure, it would be nice to zip off to Italy and "bum around" eating everything in sight but that would not be my path to self discovery. Mine may happen in my backyard or in my living room or at church or all of the above! We read some of the feedback she gave about her story in an interview and she said just that. This is taken from her website in response to the question "How can I have an experience like yours when I'm busy and don't have the funding etc. (paraphrased by me)

"The last thing I ever want to become is the Poster Child for “Everyone Must Leave Their Husband And Move To India In Order To Find God.” My path is hardly a universal prescription. It was my path – that is all it ever was. I drew up my journey as a personal prescription for solving my life. Transformative journeys come in many forms, though, and often happen without people ever leaving home. Divinity is available everywhere, at all times. People find their way to God during wars, in the middle of traffic jams and in small prison cells. (Though I would submit it's easier for a prisoner to find time to meditate in a jail cell than it is for many of my working-mom friends with young children to create time for contemplation.) The first question you can begin to ask yourself, though, is: “Where can I find a small corner of stillness?” Because that’s where it all begins and ends. God resides in these pockets of silence. So where in your day, where in your home, where in your mind, is there some opportunity for a moment of silence? Or maybe even a few moments, during which you can start asking the questions you need to ask in order to find what you need to learn. Can you find the time to get out of your own way and try to step into your own light? As a dear friend of mine put it: “To change your life, the important thing is not necessarily to travel; the important thing is to SHIFT.”"

I did really resonate with what Julie posted about how Gilbert seemed to create a very 'comprehendible' God. I definitely don't want God to be this great entity that I can easily fit in my pocket, however, I do believe God speaks to us in the most understandable ways and experiences for us personally. I believe He created us all as individuals with different modes of communication, and that we truly commune with God when we are most true to our "natures". I connected to Gilbert's description of her encounters with God: the deep stillness, the electric presence, the profound peace. I think I encountered this book with a great spirit of openness and because of that, gleaned similar experiences in very different Theological situations. Does that make any sense?

Also, the idea of Gilbert being self-indulgent I just didn't really care about. I didn't expect her to be anything other than that. The book was about her, her journey, her experiences, her troubles. I knew that she pursued pure pleasure through food in Italy so I walked that high fat, deeply self-serving portion of her journey without expectation of self-deprecation or sacrifice. I think this journey was necessary for her. She seemed to be enmeshed in the most unhealthy way with every man in her life. She had no loyalty to herself and therefore no loyalty to what God could do through her and in her. When asked if she thought that taking a year off to travel was a selfish act, Gilbert responded:

"What is it about the American obsession with productivity and responsibility that makes it so difficult for us to allow ourselves a little time to solve the puzzle of our own lives, before it’s too late? That said, yes – I did worry a great deal about selfishness. But after three years of despair and depression, I had come to believe that living my life in a state of constant misery was actually a pretty selfish act. Who would be served by a lifetime of my sorrow? How would that enrich the world? Going off for a year and creating a journey to pull myself back together, to rediscover joy, to face down my failings and rebuild my existence, was not only an important thing for my life, but ultimately for the lives of everyone around me. And it’s not just my family and friends who are better off now that I am happy; it’s everyone I encounter. Because the reality is that we human beings are constantly leaking our dispositions upon each other. When I was in such a dark state, everyone I passed on the street had to walk through the shadow of my darkness, whether they knew me or not. I remember once, during my divorce, crying uncontrollably on the subway in New York City. When I look back on that crying young woman, I feel great compassion for what she was going through. But I can also feel pity now, in retrospect, for those poor, weary New York commuters, who had to sit there after their own long days at work, watching this sobbing stranger. I didn’t want to be that person anymore. Saving my own life (through therapy, medication, prayer and – most of all -- travel) was something I did for my own benefit, yes, but I can’t help but think that it was ultimately also a little bit of a community service." Ha ha... found that last bit kind of funny... I wouldn't have wanted to walk through her dark cloud...

My grandmother said about this book, "Why should anyone "find themselves"? What a self indulgent thing to do! Who wants to read about their feelings?!" I, for one, do. I, created by God to feel everything deeply (both a blessing sometimes and a bit of a curse-especially at certain times of the month :) love to hear of the heart songs of others. I think in the search for yourself, you find the most true part of God. When you deny God's creation, you deny God. The acceptance of my weaknesses, my faults, my shortcomings only increase the capacity for transformation and redemption. Do I think she's the best writer from a literary perspective? No of course not. Do I think she is honest and forthright in her words and experiences? Yes and I'm sure she had no idea that her "journey" would turn out as fairy-tale esque as it did. I viewed this book as a bit of an escape and I don't regret that at all.

This post is a bit sporadic but I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm a little loopy! Anyway, any further conversation, please post! It still remains one of my favorites (for now, anyway) and I will take with me the lessons of silence (a difficult one for me) and practice (another hard one...) and persistence (yep, difficult) from her experience. And, I don't see any of those as bad character qualities or behaviors to embrace.

The next book to read is by Barbara Kingsolver called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". It's another non-fiction account but this time about a family who chooses to live off of meat and produce that they know the origins of and can trace back to the community they reside and invest in. I've only read one Kingsolver book, The Poisonwood Bible, and it almost killed me- but that's another story... I'm really looking forward to tackling this one. Happy Reading... Keep posting...

Teaser Questions

Hello! Here are some teaser questions about Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (our book for the next club meeting tomorrow night.) For those of you reading along from afar, our next meeting will be on a houseboat on the Mississippi! How fun will that be?! So, anyway, send your questions, thoughts, responses to me via post and I'll take them along with me tomorrow. Here are the questions from the Penguin Reading Guide.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Gilbert writes that “the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity,” making the argument that America is “an entertainment-seeking nation, not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.” Is this a fair assessment?

2. After imagining a petition to God for divorce, an exhausted Gilbert answers her phone to news that her husband has finally signed. During a moment of quietude before a Roman fountain, she opens her Louise Glück collection to a verse about a fountain, one reminiscent of the Balinese medicine man’s drawing. After struggling to master a 182-verse daily prayer, she succeeds by focusing on her nephew, who suddenly is free from nightmares. Do these incidents of fortuitous timing signal fate? Cosmic unity? Coincidence?

3. Gilbert hashes out internal debates in a notebook, a place where she can argue with her inner demons and remind herself about the constancy of self-love. When an inner monologue becomes a literal conversation between a divided self, is this a sign of last resort or of self-reliance?

4. When Gilbert finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her. Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding. How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence?

5. Prayer and meditation are both things that can be learned and, importantly, improved. In India, Gilbert learns a stoic, ascetic meditation technique. In Bali, she learns an approach based on smiling. Do you think the two can be synergistic? Or is Ketut Liyer right when he describes them as “same-same”?

6. Gender roles come up repeatedly in Eat, Pray, Love, be it macho Italian men eating cream puffs after a home team’s soccer loss, or a young Indian’s disdain for the marriage she will be expected to embark upon at age eighteen, or the Balinese healer’s sly approach to male impotence in a society where women are assumed responsible for their childlessness. How relevant is Gilbert’s gender?

7. In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success? How is it different? Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable?

8. Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel? And why?

9. Abstinence in Italy seems extreme, but necessary, for a woman who has repeatedly moved from one man’s arms to another’s. After all, it’s only after Gilbert has found herself that she can share herself fully in love. What does this say about her earlier relationships?

10. Gilbert mentions her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple. It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed?

11. Sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city—and every person—has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?

Deep and really intriguing, eh? Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Our First Discussion and the next BOOK!!!

For those of you reading along with the MN book club, here's a brief update on how our first club went! We met at a Caribou Coffee shop and chatted in one of their conference rooms. It was wonderful. We all had very different perspectives on the book and what aspects of it were most meaningful to us as individuals, as parents, as wives, as women. I really enjoyed hearing what everyone had to say and the stirring conversation that flowed from the reading guide I brought. I will add the questions to the bottom of this post so that you distance clubbers can reflect. We moved onto a lot of the history of Afghanistan and how little we truly know about the governmental changes- how that deeply affects the life and possible escape from that life for the female lead characters. We rolled around the mother/daughter themes quite a bit and how parenting a daughter is significantly different than parenting a son. I have yet to have children, so I reflected more on the being parented point. All of this conversation flowed into a discussion about media and it's misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims all over the world. The women in the group range in age from 28-50+ and we are all in the field of education. At the end of the meeting, we decided to meet on July 8th on one of the readers' houseboat~ how fun... AND we chose our next book... so for July 8th, please, please, please read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Yes, I already read this, and if you notice to the right... it is a top 10) It came at just the right time for me and I can't wait to discuss it with these women. Please send your thoughts to me. I hope you like it! I am so excited to talk about this one!

Here are the discussion questions from the Penguin Books Website.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS For A Thousand Splendid Suns

1. The phrase “a thousand splendid suns,” from the poem by Saib-e-Tabrizi, is quoted twice in the novel – once as Laila’s family prepares to leave Kabul, and again when she decides to return there from Pakistan. It is also echoed in one of the final lines: “Miriam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns.” Discuss the thematic significance of this phrase.

2. Mariam’s mother tells her: “Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have.” Discuss how this sentiment informs Mariam’s life and how it relates to the larger themes of the novel.

3. By the time Laila is rescued from the rubble of her home by Rasheed and Mariam, Mariam’s marriage has become a miserable existence of neglect and abuse. Yet when she realizes that Rasheed intends to marry Laila, she reacts with outrage. Given that Laila’s presence actually tempers Rasheed’s abuse, why is Mariam so hostile toward her?

4. Laila’s friendship with Mariam begins when she defends Mariam from a beating by Rasheed. Why does Laila take this action, despite the contempt Mariam has consistently shown her?

5. Growing up, Laila feels that her mother’s love is reserved for her two brothers. “People,” she decides, “shouldn’t be allowed to have new children if they’d already given away all their love to their old ones.” How does this sentiment inform Laila’s reaction to becoming pregnant with Rasheed’s child? What lessons from her childhood does Laila apply in raising her own children?

6. At several points in the story, Mariam and Laila pass themselves off as mother and daughter. What is the symbolic importance of this subterfuge? In what ways is Mariam’s and Laila’s relationship with each other informed by their relationships with their own mothers?

7. One of the Taliban judges at Mariam’s trial tells her, “God has made us different, you women and us men. Our brains are different. You are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven this.” What is the irony in this statement? How is irony employed throughout the novel?

8. Laila’s father tells her, “You’re a very, very bright girl. Truly you are. You can be anything that you want.” Discuss Laila’s relationship with her father. What aspects of his character does she inherit? In what ways is she different?

9. Mariam refuses to see visitors while she is imprisoned, and she calls no witnesses at her trial. Why does she make these decisions?

10. The driver who takes Babi, Laila, and Tariq to the giant stone Buddhas above the Bamiyan Valley describes the crumbling fortress of Shahr-e-Zohak as “the story of our country, one invader after another… we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.” Discuss the metaphorical import of this passage as it relates to Miriam and Laila. In what ways does their story reflect the larger story of Afghanistan’s troubled history?

11. Among other things, the Taliban forbid “writing books, watching films, and painting pictures.” Yet despite this edict, the film Titanic becomes a sensation on the black market. Why would people risk the Taliban’s violent reprisals for a taste of popcorn entertainment? What do the Taliban’s restrictions on such material say about the power of artistic expression and the threat it poses to repressive political regimes?

12. While the first three parts of the novel are written in the past tense, the final part is written in present tense. What do you think was the author’s intent in making this shift? How does it change the effect of this final section?

And the winner is....

The first book in the "Thirsty Read" Book Club is.... A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini! Woo Hoo.... our first meeting is on June 10th so those of you reading along online, that's your due date for any conversation or discussion pieces you want to add to the blog. I'll take it all with me to our first club time!!!! I'm so excited so get reading!

Elephants and the CIA

Odd title for a post, yes?

Yes, it has been awhile since I've posted but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading! I read "Water For Elephants" and enjoyed it. It was a gritty, detailed novel of the traveling circuses and life as a part of that community. The only thing I had difficulty with was reconciling the author, a female, with the main character- a male. I don't know why I had such difficulty with this- perhaps because the novel was fairly graphic and written from a male perspective. I've never had a hang up with the author/character connection until now... hmmm...

And now the CIA piece of this post... My grandma (my 90+year old grandma) loves Vince Flynn novels and I've decided to tackle one. Tackle is a good term for my reading experience of this one. I'm currently reading "Consent To Kill" and it's taking me awhile to get through it. It's definitely not my "type" of book, however I thought I'd give it a try. It's good... lots of guys killing each other... interesting... political intrigue... it's about as thick as the Bible... yeah- we'll see. I'll post when I finish it!

Be looking for the announcement of our first book for the Thirsty Read Book Club. Once I post the title, we will have until early June to read it, reflect, and join the club!

Coming Soon- The Thirsty Read Book Club!

Yes, that's right! A book club! I've longed to be in a book club for years and now it's finally happening. I am a teacher as well as a photographer and reader, so some of my colleagues and I at school are forming a book club. We are going to meet once a month and read a book in the interim to discuss at each meeting. I thought it would be great to open this up to friends and friends of friends to be a part of this online! I know some of you who are across the country would love to read with a club and just not have the time commitment to meet. So, when we have a meeting, up until that point, those of you who are reading along with us from afar, please post comments, questions, etc. on the blog and I'll take those to our group. After the club meets, I'll do a debrief of some sort on here and let you know which book will be our next adventure. If you are interested in doing this, please post a comment so I know that there's someone out there- Also, if you are reading anything from this, I'd love to hear from you. Please feel free to pass along this invite to anyone and everyone you know to join this blog-online book club. My dream is that we'd have some people from around the country reading along with us, posting their thoughts, and then we'd have some great conversation at our club! Please give it a try... are you thirsty?! :)

New Year, Must Have

I've joined the bandwagon. If you've not yet read "Eat, Pray, Love" you must. It's absolutely fantastic. I can't quite put my finger on why- maybe it's the perfect marriage of food, spirituality, and love... hence, "Eat, Pray, Love". The very Eastern religious experiences are strangely familiar and fresh. If you've not read this yet, pick it up- borrow it- buy it if you have to. It's worth every penny. Once you're done, you'll have a line of people that you'll want to lend it to. I think every woman should read it. As a married woman, I was apprehensive because Elizabeth Gilbert, the author, decides to leave her marriage before this "trek" around the world. She decides that she just doesn't want to be married anymore. I found that so hard to swallow and I appreciate that she didn't delve into how deeply marred her marriage was. She eluded to the fact that both she and her husband were very much to blame for the dissolution of the marriage but didn't spend time in the book rehashing the details. Once I got past the unsettling divorce, the story just swept me away. I think it's what every woman would love to do- have an advance amount of money and travel just to explore the deep recesses of her soul. I have no desire nor reason to leave my marriage at all but I still deeply resonated with her desire to stop what she was doing in life and just experience Pleasure, Prayer, and the balance of the two. For me, this book was a mini vacation- I found great pleasure in it, deep spiritual meaning, and balance as well. So, read it, already!

Oh Jodi!

So, it's been a great while since my last post and I am posting just to keep myself up to date on what I've been reading. I have been reading Jodi Piccoult lately and really enjoying it. I had read "My Sister's Keeper" a while back and really liked it. So, I picked up "The Pact" as my next adventure. She's a very accessible writer. I don't find anything she writes to be lofty or difficult to understand. I am usually instantly engrossed and carried through the story quickly and deftly. I've read 3 of her books now including the two I mentioned earlier and "Vanishing Acts". They are all high drama and well written. The last one I read, "the Pact" was all about teen suicide. Being a teacher, I took this book a little more seriously. After the story itself, there was a Q and A with the author. Apparently many parents, schools, teachers, and students have shown great interest in this book. Some of the parents, school administrators and teachers have been concerned with the subject matter and it's presentation. Students seem to gravitate towards it and I think there's fear in that interest. Many of my students, when I taught at the high school level, struggled with various stages of depression and suicide is something to take very seriously. If anything, I think this book really encourages honesty with those who care about you and the importance of taking suicide or suicidal talk seriously. I recommend Jodi Piccoult to anyone- she's an easy read in the sense that her stories are moving, fast paced, and easily understood. You will not get bogged down with words like vapid and pernicious. :) Not that those words are bad... and not that books that are filled with heavy descriptive language are bad- just sometimes you need something that carries you away and away quickly. Jodi Piccoult will do that. She's an excellent story-teller and an intuitive writer. I definitely recommend "My Sister's Keeper". It is the best of hers that I've read so far. Good Luck! My next post will be on "Water for Elephants" which I'm reading now... after that... "1000 Splendid Suns" by Khalid Husseini- I can't WAIT!