BOOK REVIEW: "The Thin Place"

The Thin Place

By Kathryn Davis

Little, Brown & Company Publishing

Copyright 2006

Adult Fiction

Zero Bookmarks

Do not....let me repeat, DO NOT read this book. Well, attempt to read may be more accurate. What a huge letdown this book was! I read the synopsis: a story about a place where the world of the living blends with the world of the dead--sounded kind of cool! I like ghosts. I liked the movie "Ghost". I liked "The Sixth Sense". Heck, I even liked "Ghostbusters". So I got the book and started reading.

The story starts out with three friends taking a trip to the beach. They see a guy laying on the sand and make the realization that he's not breathing. So two of the friends leave to go get help. The third girl stays. Turns out he doesn't end up dead after all, although there's no explanation about what happened.

Then after just a few pages more, I was mightily confused. Several more characters had been introduced into the story, but not much description. Who are all these people? After 20 pages, I couldn't keep one character straight from another. And new characters were being introduced left and right, with no description of who they were and why I was reading about them. Several characters were introduced in such a horrid manner, that I wasn't even sure which gender they were. And many of the characters had odd and ambiguous names "Mees, Piet, Sonny, Billie", which didn't help (turns out Billie is female.....I think).

The story jumps from a pack of dogs roaming around town killing chickens, to a person (female, I think) who has an embarrassingly quiet crush on a man, then to an unhappily joined couple with a husband who lives in a tent, then to a single lady with a cat who has a "friend with benefits", then to a group of folks who are trapping a bunch of beavers, then to someone's daily horoscope, then to a police blotter, then to a group of girls being followed by a creepy guy in a Dart, then to a crazy lady at church and the group of self-righteous churchgoers that are trying to keep the crazy lady out of the church, then to a woman who was in the hospital after a car accident that we never read about..... Then finally, somewhere around page 170, you find out that Mees (the girl who stayed with the dead guy on the beach) has some kind of gift. Of course, the author doesn't tell you what kind of gift. No no! Lucky you, you are expected to infer that her gift is something to do with raising the dead.

So here I am, 170 pages into this book. And here is the first hint of something (anything) that has to do with the synopsis on the pretty little dust jacket. Frankly, I was a bit miffed. I read a few more pages, but the story (if you want to call it that) kept jumping from one of these strange little scenarios to another, laced with these characters that you can't connect to at all because they haven't been described at all. Is that a female? Is she tall? Is she a brunette? Is she young? Is she old? You can't picture anybody so there's no way to connect to any of them at all and there's no way to connect them to the completely unapparent story that is supposedly going on around them.

I mean, isn't the whole point of a person writing a book to tell a story?

I read a few more pages after that then decided to stop wasting my time. If anyone knows me at all, they know it is a rare, rare book that I don't finish. But this one was just such an utter waste and there was not one redeeming factor about it, so I can't even give it half a bookmark.

Oh, and I did have a little chuckle when I sat down to write this review as I checked out the "reviews" on the back of the dust jacket. You know, the comments that the author gets another author to write for them? My favorite was "What an odd and entrancing novel The Thin Place is? (by Andrea Barrett). Another was "The Thin Place combines elements that ought to be unmixable..." (by Mary Gordon) And lastly, "Davis's approach to novel writing is so original and the results so magical that trying to review her fiction in a thousand words on a tight deadline feels as doomed as trying to review one of Blake's prophetic books." (by A.O. Scott of Newsday)

It was hilarious! The reviews on the back of the dust jacket were insults hidden in praise-ish words! It was awesome.

So needless to say, I am not recommending anyone read this book. Really. Don't beat your head against a wall like I have for the past four days.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Tipping Point"

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

By Malcolm Gladwell

Copyright 2000

Little, Brown & Company Publishing

Non-Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

As recommended by my fellow blogger and friend, Brian, I took a few days recently to read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I don't usually read very many non-fiction books, but this was a good use of my time.

The Tipping Point is a commentary on why people do many of the things they do. As in, why do certain social activities (or clothing styles or crimes) become trends. He calls them social epidemics.

Gladwell asserts that the way trends get started is a lot like a medical epidemic. Gladwell uses case after case of ideas that passed from one small group into a larger portion of the population. He argues that just a few people in society are the ones who get the most done. He calls these people Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. Basically, the Connectors are those who know everybody. The Mavens are those who seem to know everything that is cool and new. And the Salesmen are the persuaders; those who are so charming and likeable that whatever they say, other people believe. These three groups of people are why social epidemics occur, according to Gladwell.

Gladwell has several different ideas about how these three groups of people work and also discusses other factors that affect the production of social epidemics.

This no-nonsense take on how big social changes happen was well-written and a quick read. I was able to take some of Gladwells ideas and see how applying them to my own career as a Realtor would be useful. For anyone interested in theorizing on why things happen, such as why criminals commit crimes, why a certain sneaker becomes THE thing for teens to wear, why pre-schoolers LOVE Blue's Clues, etc., this is a great book to help you in your search.

Although I'm pretty sure there is still no logic anywhere that can explain the whole "pants on the ground" epidemic that's still going on around us.

BOOK REVIEW: "A Prayer for Owen Meany"

A Prayer for Owen Meany
By John Irving
Copyright 1989
Modern Library, a division of Random House, Inc.
Adult Fiction
3.5 Bookmarks

I have unbelievably mixed feelings about this book. It's on that list of "100 Books Everyone Should Read", so I picked it up and gave it a whirl.

Let me give you the quick synopsis first. Imagine a young boy who is not "normal". He is small....much smaller than all the other boys his age. He has a funny voice. He thinks differently than other children. Imagine this boy surprising his baseball coach by actually hitting a ball when he is at bat. Imagine that ball sliding foul near third base and striking his best friend's mother in the head, killing her instantly. Shocking? Indeed, but maybe not quite as shocking as many incidents that follow in this obviously allegorical novel about young Owen Meany who is marching bravely forward to meet his destiny.

The story follows young Owen Meany and his best friend, John Wheelwright (who narrates the story from a point much later in life), through Christmas pageants, private school escapades, a stuffed armadillo, television commentary, an amputated finger, work at a quarry, enlistment in the army and so much more. The book is laden with story after story after story about the events that happen in Owen Meany's life (so much so that there came a point during my reading that I was beginning to wonder what the point was of there being so many side stories and incidental occurrances that didn't seem to link in to the main theme at all).

So while we're at it, let me get my negative comments out of the way. Number one, the book took simply FOREVER to read. It seemed to go on and on and on (see my comment above). There were a few times I almost gave up (and anyone who knows me knows I finish a book once I start it....but this one was close to being one of those rare instances when I didn't!) Number two, the book itself was extremely anti-war, anti-government and anti-American (certain passages left me with a very sour taste in my mouth). And number three, in my opinion, there is about a third of the book that becomes terribly repetitive and, frankly, boring; flashbacks, flash forwards, visits to an island, obsessions with newspaper stories about war, comments on the nonsexuality of the narrator (by the narrator)--it was really just too much.

Now on to the positive. There were some extremely poignant moments in this story. After John's mother is killed by that errant baseball, he says "When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time--the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers." As someone who has lost my mother, I could completely relate to this comment.

As Owen Meany grows older, although not much bigger, he begins to express his belief that everything happens for a reason, that there are no accidents, and that he is an instrument in God's hands. He lives every moment of his life believing this. And the many incidents that happen to him during that life all inspire the reader to eventually believe the same thing.

There were some really neat things in this book. I really liked the author's use of capital letters for Owen Meany's voice. It emphasized the fact that his voice was "unusual" when you would read it as such: "WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO REFER TO ME AS 'LITTLE,' AS 'DIMINUTIVE,' AS MINIATURE'? says Owen Meany. Once Owen Meany is old enough to join the Army, that is exactly what he does because that is what he believes he is supposed to do. He makes a great statement, "THE ARMY OFFERS YOU THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE--THE SAME CHOICE AS EVERYONE ELSE."

I also really liked the development of the relationships between the characters. Even the minor characters were woven in and out of the story in such a way that you could truly believe this was a true friendship, a true family and a typical community.

I won't be a complete spoiler and tell you what happens at the end, but as is typical with most allegories, you don't really need a spoiler. You really only have to read the first few pages to know how this is going to end.....it just takes an awful long time getting there. Only in the very last few pages of the book is Owen Meany's destiny fully revealed.

And to be quite honest, up until about page 632, I was planning on rating this book 2 Bookmarks. I was frustrated that it had taken so dang long to finish, that there were so many little seemingly pointless side stories, and here I was, nine pages from the end and still no "big reveal"! And then it happened. It started on page 632 and was WHAM BAM, THANK YOU MA'AM (as my mother used to say) until the last line in the book: "O God--please give him back! I shall keep asking You!" So many of the seemingly pointless stories were tied together at the end, I felt a 4 Bookmark rating would have been appropriate, but I had to knock it down a little just due to the fact that I spent so much of the time during my read HATING it!

RECIPE: Blue Hake Fish in Tarragon

Blue Hake Fish in Tarragon
(AKA New Zealand Hoki)

4 Blue Hake filets
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp 0nion powder
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
4 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 9x12 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse off Blue Hake Filets in cool water and pat dry, then place into baking dish at least one inch apart. Pour white wine evenly over top of fish. Mix together tarragon, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. In this order, sprinkle spice mixture, breadcrumbs, parmesan, then paprika over the fish. Lay small dabs of butter evenly over the fish. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fish flakes easily. Serve with lemon juice or sauce mixture from baking dish.

BOOk REVIEW: "The Tenderness of Wolves"

The Tenderness of Wolves
By Stef Penney
Simon & Schuster Publishing
Copyright 2006
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

I like wolves. As far as animals go, they seem to be some of the more likeable creatures, in theory at least. Their packs are like families, all taking care of one another. They can be beautiful. And I read a book called Julie of the Wolves (by Jean Craighead George) when I was a child that lent them a romantic air, of sorts.

So when I saw the title of this book, The Tenderness of Wolves, I picked it up without even reading the summary.

The book starts out a little more gruesome than my usual fare, with a brutal murder in a small Canadian village. The neighbor who finds the body soon has more problems on her hands when she realizes her 17-year-old son has disappeared on the same day as the murder and is being considered a suspect. Mrs. Ross, who is in an unhappy marriage, believes in her son's innocence (although her husband doesn't seem to have any opinion at all). She knows she must find him, so she joins with another man, Mr. Parker, who had himself been considered a suspect in the crime. Together they head off tracking her son's trail to see what they can find.

The difficulties of their travels and the direness of their situation lends itself to the unthinkable happening as Mrs. Ross finds herself developing feelings for the wayward Mr. Parker. Throughout the book, Mrs. Ross recounts her past, the choices she's made, and the feelings she is experiencing now. She finally realizes that she is not the only one feeling the way she is feeling, although they never can say it out loud to each other.

Through finding her son, and another trail that may lead to the real murderer and clear her son's name, Mrs. Ross displays enormous amounts of bravery, a little stupidity, and a level of humanity that is hard to convey through words. The author does a great job of throwing in surprising twists and turns when you least expect it, leading the reader down one road and then another.

There is a moment in the final chapter of the book, entitled "The Sickness of Long Thinking", where Mrs. Ross realizes she must say goodbye to Mr. Parker and go back home to her husband, her son, her old life. She realizes that she will always thereafter live with The Sickness of Long Thinking, as she calls it; knowing she cannot be with the one who is her love, her lodestone, her true north. Instead, she forces herself to turn away.

I enjoyed the variety of characters, interesting storylines, backwoods adventures, and the sadness and joy related in this book. I didn't want to put it down. I would recommend this one.

MUSICAL MUSING: Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol

Of course anyone who knows me at all knows that my favorite band is Snow Patrol. If you've never heard of them, all I have to say is "WHAT?!???? Are you KIDDING me? Awesomest band EVER!!!!" (Okay, so perhaps I'm a little bit 16-year-old groupie-esque when I start talking about Snow Patrol). If you've never heard them, or think you've never heard them, click below:



Having grown up in a household where ONLY country music was allowed, once I became an adult my musical appetite (which had been starved for 18 years) was finally able to expand and develop. I've always liked an eclectic mix of pop, punk, grunge and alternative. Everything from The Cure to Nirvana to Paramore to The Postal Service....and now, Snow Patrol.

I know, I know. The lead singer has had a bit of relationship trouble over the years (thus the awesome plethora of break-up songs on the Final Straw album). Yeah, maybe I have a bit of a thing for Irish bands (U2 was my number one for years). And yeah, I will hesitatingly admit I fell in love with Snow Patrol watching that scene in Grey's Anatomy several years ago where Izzie is laying on the hospital bed with Denny's lifeless body after she killed him by cutting his LVAD wire (no, I don't know what an LVAD wire is....not that I really care). What I cared about at that moment was that an awesome song that I had never heard before, "Chasing Cars", played solemnly in the background as Izzie walked out the doors of the hospital, presumably forever (As it turned out, she ended up sticking around for a few more seasons before they sent her away with a brain tumor). A few moments later in that same episode with that same amazing song still playing ("If I lay here/If I just lay here/Would you lie with me and just forget the world...."), Meredith is faced by both Derek and Finn in a moment of sheer television genius....

Maybe I got a little off-track there.....sorry about that. Those TV dramas suck me in like that sometimes....... Ahh yes, where was I? Oh, music! That's what we're supposed to be talking about here. *Ahem.*

(I think I've admitted before that I "may" be a little obsessive.......)

So basically what I'm saying is that ever since that fantabulous moment in TV history, Snow Patrol has been my FAV-O-RITE band. I did get to see them live once (opened by The Plain White T's, another totally rocksome band); something I still count as one of my coolest-ever life moments.

So why is Snow Patrol my fav, you may be asking. Anyone can have a favorite band, and most people do. And it doesn't really mean that that band is truly THE best band ever (although I'm just certain you would understand why I say that about Snow Patrol if you are listening to them right now). To me, having a favorite simply indicates that the music created by that band (or musician) means something to that person.

You know, for me it's really a combination of things. For one, they don't really have a single song that I don't like. And on top of that, the poignant lyrics, the haunting melodies, the heartache that Gary Lightbody bleeds into his songwriting, memories of the moment when I first heard the song or an important event that is somehow tied to the music; all those things just pull me in and rip into my soul. Obviously, I think "Chasing Cars" is one of their best songs, especially considering that it was that first song that tuned me in to their awesomeness. But they really have so many that I love.



Other favorites include "Run" (click above to listen........featuring the lyrics "Light up, light up/As if you have a choice/Even if you cannot hear my voice/I'll be right beside you dear"), "You're All That I Have" (featuring the lyrics "You're cinematic, razor sharp/A welcome arrow through the heart" and "There is a darkness deep in you/A frightening magic I cling to"), as well as "Tiny Little Fractures" (featuring the lyrics "If I've forgotten what to say/It's because all words are dust"). As another plus, I'm always a fan of unique song titles. My favorite along this line is "Get Balsamic Vinegar....Quick, You Fool!" I mean, really. What does that mean?

Undeniably, the power of music is amazing. Even when a song may not apply directly to me or my life, it can still grab hold of me and just make me feel...something! Sometimes it's good to have those feelings stimulated, even just for those three minutes the song plays, and even if the emotions aren't really yours. Sometimes it's good to be reminded to feel. There is something that I can't quite explain about the power of music. How a certain song can evoke a particular image in my mind or elicit an extraordinary response. I can't even really explain why my favorite song is my favorite (click below), other than the fact that it makes me think about who I am, who I once was, and who I want to be ("I'm good for inspiration, aren't I?"). How often are we lucky enough to be reminded to think of such things? And for that, I thank my favorite band.

BOOK REVIEW: "Men to Match My Mountains"

Men to Match My Mountains

By Irving Stone

Copyright 1956

Castle Books Publishing

(republish arranged by Doubleday Publishing)

Biographical Novel

5 Bookmarks

Well I have to say that when my 86-year-old grandfather-in-law (husband's grandfather) recommended this book to me, I was a little hesitant. As a matter of fact (and I hate to admit this), I kind of put off reading it for awhile. After all, I don't usually like biographies that much. And really, I'm not much of a history buff either. But, I thought, I may as well learn something about this part of the country that I call home. So finally after reading my latest frou-frou fiction, I picked it up and started reading. And then I couldn't stop.

Men to Match My Mountains was an absolutely fascinating summary of the settling of "the Far West", as it is often known. California, Nevada, Utah and of course, Colorado, are all included in this amazing story of amazing people who did absolutely amazing things to make their way across the mountains, toward the coast and toward the gold. I am not a person who could sit down and read book after book after book about the 49ers, the Donner Party, the Mormons, the railroad barons, the mountain men, the roughnecks and the few women who braved the west. But having it summarized the way that it is in this book was just perfect for someone who has a slight interest in the topic, enjoys some awesome anecdotes, and wants to feel just a little bit smarter after a few good days reading.

I will admit the book was long (nearly 450 pages) and it took me awhile to finish. But it was jam-packed with unbelievable stories taken from the journal pages of those who lived it, as well as from 150-year-old newspapers, books, pamphlets and other sources.

Much of this story was incredibly interesting to me on a personal level. There was a great deal of information about the settling of my beloved state of Colorado, including the initial silver finds, the Cripple Creek mines (very near to my home!), streams, rivers and mountains that I am very familiar with, as well as the settling of Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Denver. There was also a vast amount of information detailing the initial settling of Utah by the Mormons, some of which were ancestors of mine.

There were so many great stories in this book that there is just no way that I could at all do it justice by picking just one or two to share. Instead, I just want to strongly recommend that you do yourself a favor, check this book out of your local library and learn a little something about how this country used to work. And how the people of this country used to work for every little thing they had. Strong, strong recommendation for this one, even for those of you who don't think you're that into history. Thanks for recommending it to me, Edwin!

BOOK REVIEW: "The Tailor's Daughter"

The Tailor's Daughter

By Janice Graham

Copyright 2006

St. Martins Press

Adult Fiction

4 Bookmarks

I love Victorian novels and here is another one that I rather enjoyed. The Tailor's Daughter tells the story of young Veda Grenfell, the daughter of a prominent London tailor. Veda is raised, as all young women of Victorian society are, to believe she will grow up and marry a man of her class and live happily ever after. Veda's life is thrown into turmoil when she loses her hearing due to a fever at the age of 16, rendering her unmarriageable according to society standards.

Throwing herself into her family's tailoring business, Veda impresses a great many people around her and opens up some life possibilities. However, what she really wants, she cannot have. And that is a tough lesson to learn. After all, what Victorian novel would be complete without a little unrequited love?

The Tailor's Daughter is loaded with plenty of tragedy and heartache, as well as deception and intrigue, but still manages to warm the soul with love and ardor in abundance. The characters are interesting and the story does (eventually) have a somewhat happy ending, which I always appreciate. I would recommend this one if you also like Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.

BOOK REVIEW: "Closing Costs"

Closing Costs

By Seth Margolis

Copyright 2006

St. Martins Press

Adult Fiction

3 Bookmarks

In my "real" life, I'm a Realtor. And so when I'm choosing which novel to snatch up off the library shelf and I see a real estate phrase like Closing Costs in a book title, I'm immediately intrigued. I thought perhaps this would be a book highlighting all the wonderful things about my chosen profession. But then again, perhaps not.

In reality, Closing Costs is a novel about several Manhattan area citizens who are dealing with real estate concerns: the older couple looking to downsize, the younger couple with new baby twins who are overflowing their rent-controlled one bedroom studio, the superbly rich socialite whose husband flees the country after he's accused of embezzlement leaving her homeless after the feds seize her mansion, etc. And what do all these fine folks have in common? One hardcore illustrious real estate legend named Lucinda Wells.

Lucinda wafts into and out of the lives of the characters in this book with a sneer down her nose and an air of indifference at their situation, and yet somehow manages to completely influence the decisions of those she comes in contact with.

These, and many other characters within the pages of this book make it an interesting read. The story jumps from one set of people in fine circumstance to another. Some characters were definitely more believable than others, but the story kept me interested and reading along. Not the best book I've ever read, but not the worst either. Sort of a middle of the road read here.

BOOK REVIEW: On The Road

On The Road
(The Original Scroll)
By Jack Kerouac
Viking Penguin Publishing
Copyright 2007
Autobiographical Novel
2.5 Bookmarks

The concept behind this book intrigued me. I had not read the book On The Road previously, but I had heard of it. I knew it was a story about seizing the moment, living life to the fullest, never missing out on an adventure, etc., etc. Apparently, the edited and published version included changed names and read more like a fictional novel (at least that's what I gathered from the "Forward" in the book).

So this version, The Original Scroll, reads like a diary and includes the actual names of the character involved. It is written almost as one long train of thought exercise by the author; describing people, places and feelings with heart before rapidly switching to a new story.

Now on to the actual story: Kerouac describes a variety of cross-country trips he took over the period of several years in his life. For some reason, Kerouac is fascinated by a certain friend of his, and makes several of these random trips for the sole purpose of finding "Neal." Neal is an interesting character. He is someone your mother has warned you about. He is into just about every single despicable vice known to man (and a few others thrown in for good measure). Not only that, but he seems to be actually crazy. And yet Jack seeks him out like someone seeks out their next drug high. He hitchhikes, nearly starves, begs his mother for money, etc., just to follow some strange quest to "meet up with Neal." Oddly enough, in reading the book, I never quite figured out what magical power Neal had that kept Jack on the hook.

Things I liked: The traveling nature of the story (lots of interesting places in interesting times), the ability of the reader to develop an accurate picture of the characters, and the "Seize the Day!" mentality of the book. Things I didn't like: The rampant drug use (among a variety of other illegal activities), the missing chunks of time within the story, and the despicable behavior of the characters that was treated as "normal" by the author (including the abandonment of several wives along the way).

I may someday read the actual published version of On The Road, just to have the comparison. But for right now, I think I may be a little Kerouac'ed out.

BOOK REVIEW: "O the Clear Moment"

O the Clear Moment
By Ed McClanahan
Counterpoint Press
Copyright 2008
Short Story Collection
2.5 Bookmarks

In this short and quick read, Ed McClanahan shares some of his favorite coming-of-age moments (true or fiction? I was never quite certain). From puppy love to iconic foundations to best frenemies (before the term was even coined), McClanahan delivers a witty and fun view of "how things were". The author also never hesitates to throw in a shameless, shameless plug of his novel "The Natural Man", which is mentioned on numerous occasions in this 183-page collection of short stories. If it wasn't so completely amusing, I would have been irritated by the repeated mention of the novel, but McClanahan keeps it so lighthearted that you can't help but chuckle a little at his audacity.

One of my favorite bits in the collection was "Great Moments in Sports", a story about the author as a youngster vying for the attention of a fair lady by lobbing a hand-grenade of an egg at some rival lads. The ensuing splatter of sticky egginess was deserving of it's own story, even if it didn't quite result in the hoped-for admiration of the lady in question. Another great story was "Dog Loves Ellie", about a man in his late 50s who attends a class reunion and sadly attempts to woo his high school love in a profound state of drunkenness, and the author (and hero of the story) coming to the rescue of the said high school love who also happened to be somewhat of a secret crush of the past for the hero.

I definitely love a good coming-of-age story, and there were definitely some chuckle-worthy moments here, but the shameless pluggery of the author's novel knocked it down a notch on the loveability factor. I would recommend this for a quick read only if you have nothing better to do.

COMMENTARY: "Going Home"

There’s something so surreal about going home. I don’t mean going home from work at the end of the day. I mean going back to the place you spent your childhood: the “old” home. A few weeks ago, I did just that.

Technically speaking, the home I grew up in no longer exists. My dad built a house that the family moved into less than a year before I moved out for good. He still lives in that house, but the actual home that held most of my childhood memories is no more. Which, believe me, is a good thing.

So when I say “home” I really mean the small town in southern Idaho where I grew up. The town with two stoplights (although I do remember a time when there was only one). The town that boasted no chain restaurants during most of my childhood (I’m glad that Subway has finally found a home there, though). And the town with the hometown newspaper where I learned how to work for a living.

(And technically-speaking yet again, I’m not really from that town. Rather, I’m from a small farming community eight or ten miles from that town, but since it was the nearest outpost of civilization, in my mind, that town is “home” by default.)

It still shocks me sometimes how it is that I lived for the first 19 years of my life with no big-city amenities. Frankly, I like that I can walk from the house I live in now to the grocery store, the ice cream parlor and the city library. I like that I can go to the movies at the drop of a hat without having to plan for the 30-minute drive to the theater the next town over. I like that if my house caught on fire while I was out of town, my neighbors live close enough to see the smoke and call the police.

The reality, though, is that when I’m in that little town, it isn’t the amenities that come to mind; it’s the memories. Memories of a different time. Driving through this little town brings back those moments that I spent with the people who were so important to me at the time. Some of those memories are happy and some are sad, but either way, they’re unavoidable.

Wait. Let me back up. Maybe that’s too simplistic a view.

I’ve contemplated over the years why I become so weird whenever I visit “home”. It’s like I become a totally different person: emotionally insecure, scared, submissive. Being around my family, my old haunts, passing by the houses of people I knew so well but now haven’t spoken to in many a year…it can be somewhat disconcerting. I think I somehow forget that I’m an adult and I live in a different world now, with different friends, different relationships. But somehow, just being there, I get sucked into the nostalgia of it all. When I’m driving through that little town, I can remember vividly the trepidation I felt when I started 9th grade at the junior high school…my first day of school after eight years of homeschooling. I can remember my heart pounding with fear while walking through that cemetery in the middle of the night searching for a certain headstone. I can remember exactly how I felt the first time a boyfriend broke up with me, the moment I found out my best friend had been in a terrible car accident, or the year and a half I spent watching my mother die of cancer. Those moments in my memory give everything a sense of the surreal when I’m “back home”.

In real life, those pains are easier to forget, the memories fade into obscurity. But when I “go home”, they seem more immediate, more apparent. Those that I’ve lost, whether by death or by distance, become people to grieve again. Events that occurred, choices that were made…those things become painfully immediate in my psyche again. And so, it seems, for a short period of time during my visit, I become that same scared little girl I was when I lived there.

They joke here in Colorado that because there are so few people who live here who were actually born here, you can call yourself a native after you’ve lived here 10 years. I like the idea of that. Kind of like an adopted hometown.

So while I enjoyed visiting with the family that I only get to see once a year and doing the other things that I can only experience in that little town in southern Idaho, I am grateful to now be “back home” to my real home; the only home I now truly call home.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Last Blue Mile"

The Last Blue Mile

By Kim Ponders

Copyright 2007

HarperCollins Publishers

Adult Fiction

2 Bookmarks

I picked up this book because it was about the Air Force Academy, something I'm vaguely familiar with as it is located directly north of my house. I usually really enjoy books that include anything Colorado Springs, for obvious reasons. I was kind of surprised, however, by the topic and tone of this book.

The Last Blue Mile covers a period of time in the "incarceration" of cadet Brook Searcy at the Air Force Academy. The ritual, the hazing, the unpleasant nature of the story, was just a little bit discomforting. Although other scandals that had actually occurred at the Academy are mentioned, the main story begins with a cheating scandal and how the Academy is forced to deal (less-than-fairly) with the female instigator of the cheating, simply because she is female and because the Academy is still recovering from a rape scandal still fresh in everyone's memory. Brook is a bystander to this, but has her own demons that she has to face.

The story also focuses on General John Waller, the Commandant of Cadets at the Academy.....the one who has to put a good face on everything for us out in the "real world". The Commandant is forced to see things at this mostly-male military institution from a female perspective and I, even as a female myself, felt like he was placed in a terrible position between a rock and hard place regarding the decisions he is forced to make.

The story switches back and forth between these two main storylines, with a few others thrown in for good measure. But then something happens to Brook that made me want to stop reading the story entirely. Suddenly it was as if none of the rest of the story mattered except this new "event" that occurs, throwing the reader back to the rape scandal of previous years.

I didn't like the "ick" factor in the book and I didn't like that the book was really about something that I didn't think it would be about. Just discomforting. Probably would not recommend.

BOOK REVIEW: "More Than This"

More Than This

By Margo Candela

Copyright 2008

Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Adult Fiction

3 Bookmarks

Spoiler Alert!

Okay. I just have to say it. I loved reading this book. Well, at least up until the last chapter. More Than This is such a wonderfully indulgent, fairy tale read that I really just didn't want to put it down.

Evelyn and Alex have never met. But they keep "almost" meeting. A glance across a crowded train. Watching each other through the windows of their office buildings conveniently located across the street from each other. Odd circumstances and coincidences that keep them apart when they would be oh so perfect for each other! The story gets deeper and deeper and you just get sucked into this world where they both want what they see but can't seem to ever grab it....even though it's right there in front of them. I really enjoyed reading about these two people who have been disappointed by life, struggling to find meaning and purpose. Hilarious moments, especially for the Evelyn character when she takes on a "temp" job at her friend's company, and an ironic career position for Alex; two mothers with bright expectations for their adult children; and many other highly entertaining plot lines and characters.

But.......I'm just gonna say it. They don't EVER meet! Well, at least not in the book (I sort of imagined how it must have gone when I finished reading, but isn't that the author's job?) Yes, that's right. The author's last prosaic effort is the two characters explaining (in turn) what they felt and did in the moment BEFORE they meet. But, of course, as disappointingly disappointing authors always do.....she leaves the best part OUT OF THE STORY!!!!! I turned the page? Nothing. Nothing! So disappointing.

This book would have garnered at least 4 bookmarks if only the author had given me even ONE page of what it was like for these two perfect-for-each-other characters to get together.

Such an utter disappointment (......still worth the read, unfortunately. It really was a good book, so I can't totally dog it.)

BOOK REVIEW: "My Sister's Keeper"

my sister's keeper

By Jodi Picoult

Published by Washington Square Press

Copyright 2004

Adult Fiction

4 Bookmarks

Okay, so probably everyone already knows what this one is about because you've all seen the previews for the made-for-the-big-screen movie, so I'll keep my summary short. Young parents find out their very young daughter has leukemia. Brother is not a match for a bone marrow transplant, so parents go to a genetic specialist and conceive a "donor" sibling.....a perfect match with the genetic markers required to be a good donor. Flash forward to the young parents, now the parents of three teenagers, including middle child still suffering recurring bouts of leukemia, and youngest daughter who has undergone numerous medical procedures over the years to keep her sister alive.

But now, all of a sudden, young Anna has had enough. She is ready to call it quits. She doesn't want to be a donor anymore.....and hires a lawyer to make sure she doesn't have to.

In case you haven't seen the movie (or haven't read past the first two chapters of the book), I won't be a spoilsport and tell you the rest of the story or how it ends. But here are my thoughts:

This was a scary book to read. As a parent, it is my worst nightmare to be in the situation these poor parents found themselves in. There were many times while reading it that I had to just put it down for awhile because I couldn't stop the tears. However, it was an extremely well-told story and I felt like Picoult did an outstanding job of really digging in to the lose-lose situation that this family found themselves in. I did feel some sense of an "ick" factor in the book, just simply because the topic is so utterly controversial and unsolveable. With this situation, there was really no good outcome possible.

I usually avoid any cancer-themed books and I did know the premise before I started reading it, but I figured if it was good enough to make into a movie, it was probably a pretty dang good book and worth the emotional thrashing! And it was. "My Sister's Keeper" truly was a heart-wrenching story, but I came out of it with hugs for my family and appreciation for what I have.

I don't think I'll see the movie, though. The emotions in the book were raw enough and I wouldn't want to spoil it by having it simplified into a two-hour retelling.