Literature

Apparently I was tagged in a crazed meme game and didn't even realize it. Herein I make up for my tardiness with a fabulous personal statement on my reading habits.

Total number of books?
Too many. As in, we had a personal library and it was a room. I dunno, hundreds, thousands?

Last Book read?
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. And (not that you asked, but) I loved it. It was perfect airplane reading. The main character is fun and silly but not pathetically stupid. Possibly my favorite by Kinsella, and I've read all her books. Wow, I am feeling so girly right now. I do enjoy disrupting assumptions from time to time.

Last Book Bought?
Atonement by Ian McEwan. I look forward to seeing the movie and I hate reading a book after seeing its movie, so I put this to top of my bedtime reading stack (Alongside Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne in Splendour which I also purchased secondhand recently and which is also wonderful). Atonement is slow moving and sort of absorbing. Languorous describes the style and mood quite well. You feel from the get-go that something bad is going to happen, see it all being set up, but have no control. You continue because you sense eventual redemption (um, the title?). Of course I also sense the redemption will in most cases be too late. C'est la vie. Read an excerpt on Powell's.

Five meaningful Books?

1. Notes to Myself - A gem shared with me by David (who got it from his mom) many years ago, this collection of personal reflections by Hugh Prather has served in times of need as a blissful reminder of not being alone or excessively weird or an idiot for what I feel and think. There is little we can do to control thoughts, nothing to control feelings, so spending days or years worrying and beating ourselves (and those we love) up over what goes on in our heads is such a waste. Make note of it and go on with your life. This is a beautiful book in the best tradition of self help literature--earnest, amusing, grounded; it doesn't beat you over the head, though it will give you a soothing mental workout. Read an excerpt on Amazon.
2. Being Peace - I recall standing in a Buddhist bookstore in San Francisco one day in 1989, discovering the work of Thich Nhat Hanh. In college I kept with me little snippets from this book as reminders for self acceptance and joy in living at peace with oneself and the world. A fabulous introduction to mindfulness. Read excerpt. Right up there is Peace is Every Step, by the same author and a bit more practical.
3. Angle of Repose - When asked what my favorite book is, I often list this one first, and I've written plenty about it elsewhere if you want more of my opinions. I found this only after I was well grown. I had seen most of the places mentioned in the story and I love local history. Take all that into account and maybe it explains why I felt so deeply for this book; or maybe it's because it is just amazingly well written. Wallace Stegner put into this Pulitzer Prize winning book a little of everything--history, romance, family drama, a multi-generational saga, tragedy, travel, and above all beautiful prose. Another languorous story, but with enough different characters and storylines to keep a rewardingly slow pace. Read an excerpt on Powell's. Here's a reader's guide, if you feel so inclined. Or read another fan's views.
4. Free to Be You and Me - If I ever have kids, they will be made to read this book and embrace it whether they want to or not. :) A collection of stories, poems, songs, and pictures chosen for their acceptance of human differences, this book helped shape the way I view the world. It's a quintessential 70's nonsexist children's book, in support of the Ms. Foundation. Some might point out the agenda associated with the creators, but I see nothing wrong with the content of this book which I believe makes essential reading for children. You can read opening pages on Amazon or get some more background at Wikipedia.
5. Forever - Speaking of life lessons, Judy Blume books were for me, like many others, the safest, warmest possible welcomer to all things girl growing up. Contrary to what you might think of my education and childrearing views, I don't believe contemporary literature is always the best choice for children's reading. (Read more on the history of children's lit.) In too many cases literature written these days for young people is like empty calories. It's fine as a supplement to a steady basic diet of complex, nourishing foods. Unfortunately, that's not generally the case. Where was I headed with this? Right, Blume is exceptional in the Children's and Young Adult literature genres. Her writing is modern, honest, open, and informative--not-so-simple calories that happen to go down easy. In real life, kids make some smart choices and some dumb ones. Blume reflects this in her writing, and never seems to pass judgment. She also holds up no rose colored lenses. Life is lived, and lessons, hopefully, are learned. As it should be. Goodness, don't you love that I am so non-moralistic? ;)

The Big O

Thanks to Virginia and nostalgic vowel-buying amusements, I have a letter obligation to fulfill. She has challenged me with an "O" and I have to list ten items I love that begin with that letter. I could just as well tell you "O" things I do not love (onions, Oreo cookies), but that is not my task. Herein I present my "O" preferences, in no particular order...

1. The Office - Brilliant original comedy from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. I've loved how the American version was able to first copy then extend the British show and remain hilarious. Very excited that next season in US is to be super-sized.
   
2. Orange drinks - I couldn't drink the stuff all the time. I love it because it's a rare treat. The high brow version would be (San Pellegrino's) Aranciata or Orangina, but I could just as well savor an orange Fanta (especially the European recipe). Actually, this ought to be extended...
   
3. Orange foods - I love eating orange foods and drinks together. That sounds more than a tad odd. I did not just make this up, ask David. My favorite beverage with cheese is orange juice (yum). I can imagine little better as a guilty pleasure than a bit of boxed macaroni-and-cheese with a bit of sweet and tangy orange-colored beverage. Yes, very odd.
   
4. Outlander - this book and its sequels by Diana Gabaldon captured my (romantic) imagination a few years back and I've often found their characters in my thoughts since then. Though I have been frustrated by many of the events, and the basic premise is implausible (it involves time travel between 20th and 18th centuries), the story reads so very true and fascinating that it's hard to shake once you've entered the world. I suspect diehard fans of Harry Potter feel the same about Rowling's work.
5. The ocean - the sights, smells, feel. I love the water, especially from a coastline or on a boat. Relaxing in a row boat streaming my fingers in the water beneath, dipping my feet over the side of a sailboat as we heel, or sitting on a beach as gentle waves lap around me...ahh. Bliss.
   
6. The outdoors - much like the ocean, only without the inherent wetness associated with it. Fresh air is at the core of this love of mine, but I also love the expansiveness of the outdoors, the sense of endless possibilities. I get antsy and down when I'm cooped up inside for too long. Look back over my early Beaumont existence and you will see what I mean. My dream home and lifestyle incorporates indoor/outdoor living. Again, bliss.
   
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - a beautiful story. Yes, it's depressing in parts, but there is also a lovely hopefulness to it. OFOTCN is one of several examples of 20th century literature that puts me in a mood and place in my mind that is youthful, fairly simple, engaged about the realities of life but not despondent about them. Sigh. I feel similarly about Steinbeck's Cannery Row, Stegner's Angle of Repose, and the various short stories and novels of Salinger. There is hope and acceptance intermingled in such stories, and they remain my most cherished reading.
8. Onomatopoeia - I love the little sound I make to mimic David's computer when he is "pinged" - bloop! Or the feel of saying "bzz" like a bee. Again, I'm not just making this up for purposes of a list here. Ask David.
   
9. Orlando Bloom as Legolas in Lord of the Rings. I'm not sure this falls into love level, but I definitely liked him there and I need a ninth "O". Sometimes Orlando can be a bit too pretty in movies (though sometimes that prettiness is quite nice to look at). And in real life he seems to prefer that not-filled-in-enough facial hair thing going on. But in LOTR his Legolas is lovely and fierce, kind of a marvel to watch, ethereal, which works for the character. I want to be able to fire arrows as he does.
   (FYI, I had contemplated putting as my #9 the story of Orlando, which is a book by Virginia Woolf then a mesmerizing movie starring Tilda Swinton, each of which is fascinating in its own way. But as my time spent with either work was long ago, my infatuation might not hold up at this moment. I'd rather not express love now only to have to withdraw it later. That would be fickle and cruel.)
   
10. Oddity - my own, especially, but I do appreciate it in others as well. Note that I did not say "outrageous" or "obnoxious". Oddity is on the edge of things, outside the mainstream but not completely alien. It's got a fun side, and as an often all too serious sort of person, I embrace fun where I can.
    

That's all. Were you looking for another O item? I am sorry to disappoint if that's the case, for I am spent. State your own "O" preferences in comments, please.

Mememe

Is my blog a waste of time? Even though I started this thing to just have a place to share news and random thoughts, without concern for an audience, I feel pressure to have something up here worth reading. Do I live well with failure or am I deluding myself?

Anyway, it would seem there are a lot of people like me, and relief is offered us useless bloggers in the form of memes. Memes in blog-world are writing prompts, usually a list of questions or statements on a topic that writers can fill in and post. Often these are posted according to a schedule (such as Thursday Thirteen), and users link back to a common blog that allows others utilizing the same meme to read each others' postings. It's all a nice online community endeavor. (Oddly, the meme movement has brought about countless blog postings to explain memes, such as this one. How very "meta".)

Okay, as I said, I want to post interesting stuff, and memes seemed a good idea, but I've come very late to the game and there are only so many interesting topics out there. Apparently most have been used up already. Take the following example (I won't post link, because someone expended effort to post these ideas and I don't wish to denigrate their enthusiasm). But really, do you even care that I reply to these questions?

1. How many times do you wake up during the night?
2. On an average, how many hours of sleep do you try to get?
3. What day of the week do you do your "major" housecleaning?
4. How often do you move your furniture to clean behind it?
5. Do you do your dishes by hand or do you own a dishwasher?

Okay, I found another one that I'm willing to answer. It's called "Last Week".

Looking back on this past week what was...

1. The best meal you had? Cinn-a-stack french toast at IHOP with a cup of hot tea. It didn't ask what was the best meal for me.
2. The highlight for you? I found a posted job opening in Bay Area that looks interesting and for which I am qualified right now.
3. The lowlight? Not much low, really, because though I've been tired and sore from hauling stuff and loading moving truck and trying to reconcile school and work stuff in spare time, it's been a productive time. So maybe the lowlight was when I opened door to apartment a few hours ago and felt a desperate desire to go to bed and not get up for days. The desire for lingering rest seemed utterly unfulfillable in that moment.
4. Your latest night? About 1am, maybe much later. David and I couldn't get to sleep after I picked up his dad from airport and we finished loading truck. I had the giggles and was excited by camping out in living room.
5. Did you see any movies last week? If so, how would you rate them on a scale of 1-10? While camping out the previous night we watched The Da Vinci Code on dvd. It was much much better than I expected it would be. I'd give it an 8. I especially liked the overlays of historic scenes and the succinct background explanations created for movie from book.

Wow, I feel so much cheerier now. Was it good for you, too?