Soul Sprout

A few new book notes

Reading a great book is a lot like falling in love.  It holds you in thrall and makes all your troubles seem to fade.  It makes your heart pound and takes you to new places.  When the last page is turned, it's like that moment when you finally let yourself see that it can never be.  And all the illusions dissolve into the dust motes.  You watch them float away as a new hole opens up inside you.  A longing you didn't know you had.

Here are some new books that were recent infatuations:

(Go here if you need a refresher on my rating system.)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson- These are two very different books, but are connected by an important thread.  They both highlight knocking down barriers and insignificant divisions between people.  The Help is about racism, bravery, and friendship.  It's set in the South in the early sixties and explores the relationship between African American housekeepers and their white employers.

Quote- "...it's a strange thing happening here cause nobody saying nothing and we still managing to have us a conversation."

Book rating- Beef stew 7

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a unique tale of love, told from a man's perspective.  I enjoyed reading what it must be like on the other side of the fence.  The issues of classism, ageism, and the clash of cultures all play a role in this intriguing book.

Quote- "Memories were like tomb paintings, thought the Major, the colors still vivid no matter the many layers of mud and sand and time deposited.  Scrape at them and they come up all red and blazing."

Book rating- Beef stew 7 (with a dab of foie gras!)

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese- This book got inside me.  It was an experience.  The story revolves around the lives of twin boys, sons of a surgeon.  I don't want to give away much, because I like to go into a book not knowing and have the opportunity to discover everything on my own.  I will tell you that I was fascinated by the entwining of cultures, the history of places I haven't given enough thought to, and the rich, complex characters. 

Quote- "But if you did, if you had that kind of curiosity, if you had an innate interest in the welfare of your fellow human beings, and if you went through that door, a strange thing happened: you left your petty troubles on the threshold.  It could be addictive."

Book rating- Foie gras and beef stew all rolled into one 9

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.-  You could call this a psychology book.  You could call it a handbook for women.  You could call it an investigation and interpretation of oral literature.  It is all of these things.  I have to admit that I am not done reading it yet.  I read sections of it in between novels.  It is dense reading.  I read most pages at least twice to let it sink in.  From the first paragraph, I knew it was a book I needed to read. 

Quote- "I was an aesthete rather than an athlete, and my only wish was to be an ecstatic wanderer."

Book rating- Beef stew 9

Book Review- Gift From the Sea by, Anne Morrow Lindbergh

A friend recommended this book a few years ago and I never forgot the title.  A week ago, I was looking for something in the library in the theater section and there was this book.  I have no idea why it was there, but I took it as a sign that it was time to read it.

Boy was I right.  This is a gem of a little book.  It was just what I needed.  It's simple and lovely and comforting.  It began as the author's journal and blossomed into a book of metaphors and realizations.  It is written about and for women, but there are truths and insights in it that everyone can learn from.

 Gift From the Sea is also timeless.  The author was the wife of Charles Lindbergh.  Yes, THE Charles Lindbergh.  It could easily have been written today.  It resonates just as purely now as it did then.  I plan to put a copy of it in each of my girl's hands when they need it.

Beef stew- 9 (with a little foie gras on the side)

Book Review - "Loving Frank" by, Nancy Horan

I finished the book a little over an hour ago.  I lay in the dark for a while, knowing I couldn't sleep.  I got up and putted around the internet until I achieved a necessary distance from the book.

I enjoy historical fiction and appreciate Frank Lloyd Wright's genius, so I thought this book was going to knock it out of the park.

It didn't.

It's not that it wasn't an interesting story- it was.  At times, my mother bear instinct got in the way of my enjoyment.  I couldn't wrap my mind around leaving two young children for two years.  It broke my heart.  It hurt just to think about it.  I almost put the book down, but I soldiered on.

The writing was fine, but not delicious.  I didn't mark a single page.  There wasn't a bit I wanted to revisit.

I blame my own ignorance for the sock in the nose and kick in the gut at the end of the book.  I won't be a spoiler if you are as clueless as I was, but if I had known, I don't know that I would have read the book.  I am the canary in the mine when it comes to tragedies involving children.  One whiff and I'm on the floor.  (This is why I don't want to watch Precious.) 

Yet another book to make me fear hate and stare it in the face again.  

I wonder about the next step in my path often.  Which project should I focus on next?  Which idea deserves to be followed through?  What is my purpose?  What is my life's goal?  I think it's much simpler than I make it out to be.  I want to teach people that hate is futile.  I want to show them that acceptance, understanding, compassion, empathy, and joy are so much better.  If it's in line with that, I will pursue it.

Clearly this book did make me think, but I didn't love it.  My rating is beef stew 5.

Book Drought and The Elegance of the Hedgehog

I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery in December and I haven't been able to finish a book since.  If you don't know me well, that is really saying something.  I have been a bookworm since I was four.  As soon as I knew how to read, I couldn't stop.  I don't dream of fancy cars or big swimming pools or a home theater- I dream of a library.  My very own library with wood everywhere- the floors, the walls. the ceiling.  Mmmm, the glide of the ladder calling out with its siren song of stories and poems and epics.  A window seat beckoning with sunshine and cushions and trees...

So now you know if I say I haven't finished a book in over a month it's significant.  I've picked them up.  I've read parts of several books, but they just weren't speaking to me.  The question is, why?  I've been asking myself that for weeks now, and I think I finally have the answer. 

I'm mourning the little bits of paper.  I checked the book out of the library and had to give them all up when it was due.  I put the first one in thinking I would write down a quote when I was finished reading.  When I got to the end, I picked up the book and looked at it.  It was littered with torn bits of receipts and junk mail and gum wrappers.  A passage would strike me or I'd come across something I wanted to look up and I'd grab whatever was closest and tear off a piece.  I realized it was hopeless for a mother of a toddler to go back through all those pages and write it all down before I owed the library a mint.  I closed my eyes and took the papers out.

A part of me has been sad ever since. 

So what was so important about this book?  I swear it wasn't just that it takes place in France, although that didn't hurt.  It wasn't the novelty of the dual narrators either.  I was intrigued by the characters and surprised by the plot.  Parts of the prose were poetry and I read them over and over.  But most importantly it said something.  Something about the parts of ourselves we show the world and the parts we hide.  It highlighted the beauty of connecting with a kindred spirit, no matter the trappings.  It said once again, that we shouldn't assume we know someone.  What I took away was another message about the incomprehensible nature of hate.  How many times does it have to be said that we are all human?

For me, this was a foie gras 10.  It might not be for you, but I can't forget it. 

Book Review - "The Stories of Eva Luna" by Isabel Allende

Rating- Foie gras 8

This is a lovely book.  The prose is rich, the stories are multilayered, and you can feel the steam rising off every page, as you escape into the wilds of South America.  Every story is different and I fell right into them.  Isabel Allende can accomplish more in 3 pages than some peole accomplish in an entire novel.  I love the character development and the range of characters I got to meet.  If you want to get away from it all, pick up this book and enter the jungle.

Book Rating System

It's no secret that I'm a total bookworm.  I've written about it in Her Times, I've been spotted reading while walking, I carry printed material everywhere I go, and I have read by the headlights of the car behind me.  You get the picture.  I'd like to share my book mania and decided I needed a book rating system. 

A 1 to 10 seems obvious, but I want to be a little more specific.  I'd like to classify the books as well.
Here goes: 

Cream puff - A book that is fun to read, but doesn't have much substance.  It could be just a good story or something that makes me laugh until I snort.  The writing itself is not critical here, but amusement is key.

Beef stew - So meaty!  Sink your teeth into one of these and it will teach you or make you think.  This can be fiction or nonfiction- both can do the trick.

Foie gras - Mmmm...  The words themselves make me swoon.  Pages are marked just so I can read and re-read passages.  Savory, rich and lucsious reading.

Kids meal- Books meant for kids.  Some of them are real gems! 

Some examples:

The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer- Cream puff 9.  These books are full of suspense and are a great escape. 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert- Foie gras 9.  Heartbreaking story with beautiful language.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin- Beef Stew 8.  Not the most well-written book, but a moving and inspirational story.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt- Kids Meal 10.  I love this book.  There are foie gras passages and beef stew topics.  I can't wait to read this with Julia (and someday Natalie).

The Shack by William P. Young- Beef Stew 1.  I didn't finish this book because I just couldn't stand it.  The writing was awful.  I only classified it as Beef stew because that's what it wishes it were.  The first part of the book was sickening.  As a mother of two girls, I hate to read a story like this.  The rest of the book I found to be insulting.  It was way too obvious and contrived.

I'm off to read a new book.  I'll tell you about it later!

Required Reading- "Three Cups of Tea"

Every American should read Three Cups of Tea.  It is an inspiring and eye opening look at Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Mortenson provides an inside look at the people and cultures of both nations that goes behind the scary headlines we so often see.  This book should be the primer for wiping away our ignorance about Muslims.

My words feel so inadequate next to Mortenson's deeds, but if one more person reads his book and learns from it because of this post, it was worth it.  Help change the world one cup of tea at a time.  Read the book.  Give to Greg's Central Asia Institute.  Dispel prejudice and hatred.        

Food Books I Love

I like to eat food.  I like to cook food.  I like to talk about food.  I like to write about food.  I like to think about food.  And I like to read about food. I do read cookbooks from cover to cover, but I don't expect most people to do that.  These books are not cookbooks, are meant to be read in entirety and are an absolute treat.

• The Cheese Plate by, Max McCalman and David Gibbons-  I just got this book for my  birthday and haven't finished it yet, but am enjoying it thoroughly.  This book was recommended to me by my cheese guru Dawna who works at Wegman's(the best grocery store in America) in Erie.  The passion for the subject in this book is impressive and the information fascinating and mouth watering.
• Candy Freak by, Steve Almond- Yes, that is his real name!  This book is laugh out loud funny and simply delectable.  Steve crisscrosses the country visiting some of the last independently owned candy makers and shares his incredible journey.  I have actively sought out several candies mentioned in this book, and enjoyed them all.  My favorite was the Five Star Bar.   I do disagree with him on two points- I like Twizzlers and coconut (not together!) and he does not. 
• A Sweet Quartet: Sugar, Almonds, Eggs and Butter by, Fran Gage-  This is one of those books that is even lovely to hold.  Gage is engaging!  You hardly realize you are learning the history and production of these seemingly simple ingredients and just get caught up in it.  I learned quite a bit from this one and loved every minute of it.
• My Life in France by, Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme- What's not to adore.  This book is full of France and food and the spirit of an amazing and inspiring woman.  She simply blows me away.  I was given such hope when I realized she didn't even start learning to cook until she was around my age.  There's only one thing to do- READ IT!

I will add to this list in the future, but these are my current favorites.  I hope you enjoy them too!