Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand

As chick lit goes, this was pretty good. I loved the total devastation that the younger sister caused in her life. It was a total wreck and entirely of her own doing. I tend to be a cautious person, so this really gave me a shiver. The almost dying of the older sister made me feel manipulated and I resisted the urge to cry (but of course, I finally gave in). There was another friend, but she was a pretty whimp and I couldn't connect to her at all. The relationship between Josh and his high school girlfriend felt familiar. It was strange how her death was sudden and shocking, but the lingering illness of one of the main characters was supposed to make you reflect on life and death in a kind of 'big picture' way. I guess it goes to show you that you never know how and when it will all end.

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

I really liked the eat part, but pray and love were tedious. This book could have been an enjoyable blog - Elizabeth Gilbert is an entertaining writer, but it really got blah, blah, blah. I will keep the image of her on her bathroom floor at 3:00am crying in desperation about her failing marriage. I will probably forget the rest.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) - Ann Brashares

This was the author of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and I was expecting light chick lit. It was a little better than I thought it would be. The fated paths of the two sisters kept reminding me of "The Gift of the Magi". It was a little riduculous it was how the actions of one sister would have such unintended rippling consequences for the other. Love causes accidental death (murder?). The pace was a bit slow but the images of water were compelling. I enjoyed this but I can't say I will remember it.

For The Time Being - Annie Dillard

This one was hard for me to get through. I really felt like I should though, so I kept at it. The topic interests me - God in every day life and how it relates to an individual. There was so much other stuff though, stuff that I didn't understand. I got bored and impatient and kept checking how much of the book was left. One part that I liked and that I hope to remember is "I don't know beans about God." This was stated more than 3/4th of the book in and it made me laugh outloud. To be fair, Annie Dillard never claimed to know anything about God, but still - that is what the book was supposed to be about.

The Rope Walk - Carrie Brown

I loved this book. It was a coming of age story with several different themes. All phases of life were represented, but not in a sappy way. The rope walk turned out to be a journey - an end of life journey. I can't hardly keep it all straight. The main characters were Alice and Theo - both 10 years old. Some things that were supposed to sentimental, but weren't:

• the death of Alice's mother - she died right after Alice was born. Alice doesn't have any memory of her mother so no time is spent mourning her. I want to feel sad about this though, but I don't really get the chance.
• Elizabeth's journey to the US from Vietnam - Elizabeth is the housekeeper, the person who cooks and cleans for the family. She escaped from Vietnam in a boat with her son and daughter in law leaving everything behind and risking her life. When Alice asks her what that was like she says something like "boring, thirsty, what do you think?"

Really, my favorite part of this book was the relationship between Alice and Theo. Theo was such a great character, always prepared for anything but fearful of ordinary things like doctor visits. Alice begins to lose her innocence when she realizes that nobody misses Theo and that there is a possibility of a child not being loved.

I kept thinking that the times were older than they were. Alice was just a year older than my daughter Maggie, but she could have been Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. I had a hard time visualizing this in modern times.

You Won't Remember This - Kate Blackwell

This is a collection of short stories. They were all pretty good. Opportunity missed and concealment (not with malice) were common themes. I remember feeling sad after reading some of these. There was a woman who weaves and has a secret love - a friend who was married to another friend. There was a woman who learned that her husband was gay after he died. I won't forget the images of that woman having dinner with a gay couple on her block - they were unpleasant and that, combined with the dawning knowledge that her best friend and love had another side - another life - got stuck in my brain.

Darkness Visible - William Styron

This was a memoir, focused mainly on William Styron's battle with depression. If you had read Sophie's Choice, you can pretty much be assured that the creator was going to be depressed for a while. I can't imagine going unscathed after that experience. The tone of this very small (84 pages) book was pretty self congratulating and didn't improve my opinion of William Styron at all. I found the descriptions of depression to be vivid and helpful when trying to understand what someone with depression is going through.

Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer

I have read this series twice, along with my 12 year old daughter. I know this is children's literature, but I really got caught up in the themes of dangerous desire and love. This provided an echo (for me) of first love, first desire and the lure of deviance.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (final) - Carson McCullers

Well, I finally finished this one. The ending was so depressing - nearly comically so. I guess the heart has to be lonely for the title to make sense. Everyone ended up alone - physically or emotionally.

I loved this book anyway. It had the same lazy laying out as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was a pleasure to get more insight into each character. I had such high hopes for these people. I wanted the frusturation to be resolved - the misalignment to be aligned. I wanted that for these people because I really liked them. The characters were so well developed by the time they started their downward spiral that I had to disassociate myself from them before they crashed.

The City of Ember - Jeanne Duprau

This is the first book in a series that my almost 9 year old son is reading. He said it was really good and I love to have an opportunity to talk about books with him. Since it is for kids, I was able to read this pretty quickly - I finished it yesterday. What a wonderful book! The metaphors were laying around like a really easy Easter Egg hunt, but there was enough adventure and action to hold my son's attention. The writing is simple and so is the story. The protaganists are two 12 year old children, Doon and Lina. They are the "good guys" but they can see how easy it is to succumb to the temptation of greed and anger. I really liked that they examined those choices realistically. There is evidence of beauty in frugality and hope in darkness. There is the absolute thrill of discovery and a really cool boat ride. My son is in the middle of the second book and it is easy to see how I named this blog - can I read that after you Joey?

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

I am a bit further now. I think all the characters are present now. The character of Mick, the young girl, is becomming more defined. Last night I read about her throwing a party in hopes of making some new friends and belonging to a particular group. It started out with stinging anticipation for such a grown up event, then by the end of the party, she had reverted to kid like ways. After the party, she sits outside a neighbor's house listening to their radio and catches a piece by Beethoven. She is so moved by music that she needs to inflict pain on herself just to come back down to her life. She is affected in the part of her soul that is more woman than child. I wonder how Mick will change in this novel. Will we see this passage, or are we just mean to witness this in-between-ness.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

This one will have to go a bit slower - it's rich and there is a lot I could miss if I go too fast. Each chapter is about a new character - I am not sure if they will join up at some point. The images of Mick, the child in the 3rd or 4th chapter were so compelling. Everything seemed so reckless and dangerous. She was babysitting an infant, but standing on the roof of an unfinished house looking down on the world - I felt like I was her - tethered between the two places. Baby crying on the ground and the whole sky above and grave danger between. I can still feel dizzy thinking about it. She was reluctant to leave the place, but knew she had to. There is something raw about that place between child and adult.

First Post

this is my new blog. I am going to keep track of everything I read and everything I think about it.