I'm Still Attached

Some books just get you.  You start to read them and within the first few pages, you feel some sort of strange ethereal pull from the book that stays attached to you until you've read every.single.word.  And even longer, sometimes.  And you can't even read another book until your mind/body/soul have processed that book.  It just happens.  And those are great, great books.  I'm not convinced they have to be extremely well written (although they often are) or that the content has to be super intense (although it may be).  I am convinced, however, that the story told tells us a truth in a such a profound way that we can be changed by the book.  If we let ourselves.

I read Ragged Company  (Richard Wagamese) this past week.  My community does this great thing called One Book One Community where encourages all our local people to read the same book, whether on your own or in a group, and then hosts author events and discussions, etc.  The local paper is involved and the libraries are huge advocates.  I love it -- because I love community and I love people reading and they pick really great books.   This year, Ragged Company was the livre du jour.  And it totally got me.

The premise of the story is pretty simple: four homeless people win the lottery ($13.5 million) and, obviously, it changes their lives.  Feel good story of the year, right?  People escape the horrifying world of the street with the great salvation of money -- yay!  But the story. OH the story.  Quickly, and with a certain quietness, Wagamese starts telling a story that is much more profound than street life = bad; rich life = good. He weaves complexities and voices, circumstances and hearts into a rich tale that reveals that our potential lies in our ability to see and love others, rather than in our potential to possess and use wealth.  

And it isn't an easy read -- you  will cry and the images will haunt your heart.  But you will also learn.  I have spent (a little) time with people who live on the streets and the way Wagamese honours and tells their story moved me.  He tells painful, raw truth with a profound gentleness and beauty.  He holds pain in tension with love and does not, not, not wrap everything up nicely.  He tells us a truth that can change us; can change our perspective and our compassion.  

I keep wanting to pick up another book, but everything seems to futile just now.  I'm still attached to Ragged Company.  I need a few more days. 

 

A New Juliet

I don't like Juliet Capulet.  

There, I said it. 

I want to, but I don't like her.  Also, her name rhymes. 

That girl whiiiiines.  And she is needy.  And spoiled.  And a bit dense at communicating.  I know, star-crossed lovers, destiny, missed opportunities, true love, blah blah blah.  But couldn't she just be a bit more awesome in the process a little less, well...Juliet-ish?  C'mon kid.  Step up.  And MAKE SURE THE GUY KNOWS YOU ARE GOING TO DRINK SLEEPING DRUG. 

And...awkward internet silence.  

Sorry 'bout that.  I just don't love her.  

Also -- great cover.  

So when I read The Juliet Stories by Carrie Snyder, I actually started in really, really hoping that it would have nothing to do with Shakespeare's teenage concoction.  Thankfully, our little 10 year old protagonist was nothing like her Elizabethan counterpart and was a fabulously real, growing girl.  Struggling through the turbulent political and personal settings her parents fling her into, Juliet's stories are experiences of seeing people and their short-comings over and over again.  She learns, as we all do, that life is hard, that we are often only getting glimpses into people and that no one, not even our parents, are perfect.  But more than that, she learns how she will react and how she will hold her own story together.

The writing itself is a dance.  The moments are simple and complex, hot and cold, sticky and clean. Snyder moves you through time and place with an ease that is almost elusive -- I felt like I was trailing behind Juliet for the whole book, like I was along for the ride of her every day.  Snyder tells her story through moments: you are rarely hearing about big pieces of plot movement outside of Juliet experiencing them or simplying naming them.  The moments tell the story, lend pieces to a puzzle that you work out as you go.  Not everything is offered up front, but you get enough.  This book was a good reminder of how limited anyone's perspective is, including our own; no matter how much we want to think we 'get' things, we simply only see what we can see. 

I absorbed this book -- really, it absorbed me.  I felt like I wanted to keep holding it, get closer, read it again.  It was a quick read -- not too long or too dense, but so very, very full.  

I recommend it wholeheartedly.  So if you look for it check out your local, independent bookstore, ideally (mine is www.wordsworthbooks.com).  The author is from my hometown, so I was happy to support her and local business in the process.  

Read on, friends!

Spies. Food. Weddings. Marriage. Kids. 100 Year Old Men.

Friends!  It's been such a long, long time.  I've been sorting out life with two ever-growing but still pretty small guys as well as diving back into my (paid) job.  It has been a crazy, lovely winter and spring.  And now summer is fast upon us and I realized how long I had gone without spending time with all of you.

I've gone through blogging/reading slumps before, but this slump was really just blogging.  I've been reading devouring books.  Lots and lots of books -- reading 2 or 3 at a time.  And it has been amazing.  I've loved having my world filled out by characters both real and fictional, and some in between.  I've been reading books with friends, books with book club and books with my kids.  I've spent time with my Bible and been reading work-focussed books.  And you know what I found?  That I speak more aptly, respond more slowly and think more clearly when I am reading.  Such a good thing.  So here's a very brief overview of some of what I've been reading (and the settings I've been reading in!):


Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Eric Metaxas) This book fully rocked my world.  I'm a bit of a history nerd (and here and here) and so I like reading about history.  Not everyone does.  But my book club, whom I read this with, all agreed that it was pretty epic.  Epic in the way that you watch a man decide he is going to help assassinate Hitler without (somehow) compromising his deep set faith.  I really loved this book.  I actually had bought the e-book and then got the paperback (kind of unheard of for me) because I wanted to hold the book and flip the pages and remember significant things.  




The 100 Year Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared   (Jonas Jonasson).  Yup.  Most Descriptive Title Ever.  And that is what the book is about.  Light and lovely, this book weaves a magnificent tale through history while matching it with a fun and present story line replete with characters that you can't help but like, no matter how rough their edges may be.  Also, I totally quit on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, so this book redeemed Swedish lit for me...which sounds pretty flaky, but 'tis true. 

My Life in France (Julia Child)  I am perfectly, perfectly aware that Julia Child has died.  I am.  I knew that it was coming.  Nonetheless, after finishing her jaunty and endearing memoir, I was unprepared for her death.  (Bonhoeffer from above also dies, which I knew, but I finished both books in one week and it was painful.)  I really wanted some of these people to live because their lives were so very real to me and I want to know them.  Julia's story is full of foie gras and friends and France, all lovely and jumbly and delicious.  At one point she talks about how she and her husband had decided that people were more important than time.  I loved that.  What a brilliant starting point for making decisions.  Choosing people first and then busy-ness second. My compliments to the chef. 

Wedding Night (Sophie Kinsella) I've admitted before to Sophie as one my guilty pleasures.  And I did really like I've Got Your Number which she released last year.  But Wedding Night wasn't that good.  I'd even say weak -- disappointing!  I'm definitely prone to like her; yet this novel was thin on plot and character.  A little piece of me grieved that I might be outgrowing Sophie -- but I'm not willing to give up just yet.  

The Meaning of Marriage (Timothy Keller)  I'm reading this one in company of my husband and four other married couples.  Together, we are walking through some of the issues and ideas around marriage so that we can grow in our marriages and our relationships with one another.  Marriage should be our priority relationship and so we need to manage it like it is.  The book is good but the conversations and people are better.  If you are married, or thinking about it, find people to be with who will challenge and encourage you.  Marriage can do incredible things but it can also hurt incredibly.  Find places and people who will help you (and your spouse) on the journey. 

Knuffle Bunny (Mo Willems)  Yes, a children's book, but my oldest son love loves this book.  He loves the family running through New York and he loves the search for Knuffle Bunny.  I like to read it as though I am auditioning for different kinds of movies -- romantic, scary, funny, drama, gangster, etc.  It's incredible how much one book can change.  And I love watching my kids grow to love books -- they remind me each day how significant a little time with our imaginations can be.  And I just keep learning.  

That's a quick overview -- some highlights (and a few lowlights). 

I'm off to try to pace my reading of Juliet Stories by Carrie Ann Snyder.  Her prose is magical.

Happy reading,

sw