WILD From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed was published in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York and also in Canada by Random House Canada Limited, Toronto.
This adventure is true and based on the life of Cheryl Strayed after a death, adultery, divorce and heroine fascination. It is a true finding oneself while traveling on a trail that is not heard about hear on the East Coast as much. Over here on this side of the USA we tend to think about the AT or Appalachian Trail which runs from Georgia to Maine. So I was intrigued by the fact that there was a PCT or Pacific Crest Trail.
If you are going to do this type of hiking I think this would be a good book to read. As a woman I do not know if I would have attempted this by myself. I have always traveled with a companion. In the book, Cheryl does meet several trail hikers and forms a bond. They are inspired by her and she is inspired by them. I wonder if I traveled with someone on a trail whether I would give up if they wanted to stop. Maybe it would be a good idea to be on ones own, not to be pressured to stop or go on if you were feeling really vulnerable.
I was surprised she met only good folks with good intentions, except for a couple of times. The book lets you know the pratfalls of not being prepared, ill fitting equipment and how to make sure the boxes you ship to yourself actually make it in time.
The real story of course is the feeling of being lost in life. Not finding what you are looking for in the relationships that push you out into a world of exploration. I am not sure my natural thoughts after the bad events that happened in my life would be to hike a trail. I probably would be more of a run away to Europe for a month or drive across country type. I think that I would be to chicken to walk on a trail without a companion, no matter how much I could reflect on life without other input. Maybe a cabin in the woods with running water, showers and a fireplace would be a good compromise.
I liked the book it took her over 18 years to put this adventure into book form, I think it would be difficult to put your life on a plate for others to push around with their forks. I liked that she found herself in the end.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Review of: Where'd You Go Bernadette, by Maria Semple
Where'd You go , Bernadette by Maria Semple was published in 2012 by Little, Brown and Company a division of Hachette Book Group.
The narrator of this book is a little girl nicknamed Bee by her mother, because when Bee was born she has a heart defect and she was blue so her mom Bernadette, thought to name her Balakrishna. This God was blue. Bee is a smart girl who spend more time with her mom than anyone else. The people in her life are her mom-Bernadette, her dad- Elgin, her friend Kennedy. All the other people in her life are the school folks and their moms. Bernadette lovingly calls them gnats. The story is set in Seattle, with flashbacks to a time before Bee was born, provided by letters to a person named Manjula Kapoor and Paul Jellinek from Bernadette.
Everything centers around Bernadette, the gnats are constantly doing things to annoy her and are just mean. One gnat in particular Audrey Griffen even pretends her foot is run over by Bernadette's car to get sympathy from her fellow gnats. Elgin is not around to see any of this because he is ensconced in his Microsoft world trying to make Samantha 2 online for the vets to use. Samantha 2 works by turning on and off things with just a simple thought from the person wearing the headgear. But one of the gnats starts working with him and she idealizes him. She starts putting thoughts into his head about him being abused and they should have an intervention.
This book is about disappearance, see Bernadette removes herself from the public eye as an architect when her baby the Twenty Mile House, is bought and knocked down by her neighbor. She goes into a deep depression and add several Seattle. She buys a school to live in which she initially intends to revive, but starts dealing with the gnats and well nothing happens with the house. Their is a trip planned for Antartica, which initially Bernadette does not want to go to, she hates people. AN intervention is planned and Bernadette disappears again. The gnat at Elgins office takes advantage of this and gets Elgin to sleep with her, ONCE.
I am not going into all the details, but it was a fun read. I relate to Bernadette in a weird way. When I first moved into my home I was meet with people who really wanted to get into our lives. I am reticent about this and so I did not join Bunko or other things that were supposed to be want the IN moms did. When we first moved to the area we were coming from DC and moving into this small own town on July 4. There was a block party scheduled that they wanted us to come to on the third. That was when our movers were coming, we could not drive 5 hours away for a block party. They never forgave us, we were the outcasts, not born and bred in this city. Things are better, but I definitely identified with Bernadette and just wanting to be able to do my thing without being scrutinized about my choices.
The narrator of this book is a little girl nicknamed Bee by her mother, because when Bee was born she has a heart defect and she was blue so her mom Bernadette, thought to name her Balakrishna. This God was blue. Bee is a smart girl who spend more time with her mom than anyone else. The people in her life are her mom-Bernadette, her dad- Elgin, her friend Kennedy. All the other people in her life are the school folks and their moms. Bernadette lovingly calls them gnats. The story is set in Seattle, with flashbacks to a time before Bee was born, provided by letters to a person named Manjula Kapoor and Paul Jellinek from Bernadette.
Everything centers around Bernadette, the gnats are constantly doing things to annoy her and are just mean. One gnat in particular Audrey Griffen even pretends her foot is run over by Bernadette's car to get sympathy from her fellow gnats. Elgin is not around to see any of this because he is ensconced in his Microsoft world trying to make Samantha 2 online for the vets to use. Samantha 2 works by turning on and off things with just a simple thought from the person wearing the headgear. But one of the gnats starts working with him and she idealizes him. She starts putting thoughts into his head about him being abused and they should have an intervention.
This book is about disappearance, see Bernadette removes herself from the public eye as an architect when her baby the Twenty Mile House, is bought and knocked down by her neighbor. She goes into a deep depression and add several Seattle. She buys a school to live in which she initially intends to revive, but starts dealing with the gnats and well nothing happens with the house. Their is a trip planned for Antartica, which initially Bernadette does not want to go to, she hates people. AN intervention is planned and Bernadette disappears again. The gnat at Elgins office takes advantage of this and gets Elgin to sleep with her, ONCE.
I am not going into all the details, but it was a fun read. I relate to Bernadette in a weird way. When I first moved into my home I was meet with people who really wanted to get into our lives. I am reticent about this and so I did not join Bunko or other things that were supposed to be want the IN moms did. When we first moved to the area we were coming from DC and moving into this small own town on July 4. There was a block party scheduled that they wanted us to come to on the third. That was when our movers were coming, we could not drive 5 hours away for a block party. They never forgave us, we were the outcasts, not born and bred in this city. Things are better, but I definitely identified with Bernadette and just wanting to be able to do my thing without being scrutinized about my choices.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Another apology
I have been substitute teaching and trying to write a story, so by the end of the day I have not the eyes to read. I am almost through SONS AND LOVERS, by D. H. Lawrence, but it has been a few days since I have visited the Paul, his mother, Miriam and Clara. I have been really amazed at the sexual tension between, Paul and his girls,, that includes his mother. No girl is right for him and even though she says she wants him to find a nice girl, she refuses to let that girl be Miriam. Of course, if Paul had his way I think he would marry his mother. His fantasy is to have her and him live together in a nice house, just the two of them until she dies. I get the creepy feeling he would be like one of those people who keep the dead mother preserved in the bed she died in.
At this particular time Paul is infatuated with Clara Dawles, a married woman who is reseparated from her husband. Everyone knows this, but he is pretending that they are mere acquaintances, though his description of her neck and breasts when she bends over lead you believe otherwise.
Very interesting book.
At this particular time Paul is infatuated with Clara Dawles, a married woman who is reseparated from her husband. Everyone knows this, but he is pretending that they are mere acquaintances, though his description of her neck and breasts when she bends over lead you believe otherwise.
Very interesting book.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
MAZE RUNNER THE MOVIE
Maze Runner, the movie definitely lost something in translation. My son and husband were like this is Lord of the Flies meets the Goonies. I kept trying to tell them that this is not what the place looked like in the book. There were so many missing concepts, the code, the telepathy, the beetles, and the serum. My only comment UUUGGGHHH. No explanations left my family feeling lost. The ending totally different from the book, yikes.
Monday, October 13, 2014
1/4 through
I am currently 1/4 of the way through SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence. The thing I like about this book so far is that it is set in Nottinghamshire, where my daughter just finished a Masters Degree. I went to visit her twice and went to Sherwood Forest and saw the castle on the hill up from the train station. I even road the train from London to Nottingham and from Nottingham to York. It is know your surroundings while you read a book. My son, daughter and I even did a few pub crawls while in Nottingham. I keep hoping that he would mention some of the older pubs that we went to while we were there.
D.H. Lawrence went to the University of Nottingham though it was in another location and had a different name University College Nottingham. They hold a collection of his works. Again fun to be apart of history and recognize a location.
Being a mother I am intrigued by this book and again I am only 1/4 of the way through, but I have done some of the things that Mrs. Morel has done, like disapprove of a girl that my son has brought home. However, my son never once did what William did and criticize the girl and tell his mother that he hated the woman he was involved with. William I think was embarrassed by not only his family but his girlfriend, what person has not dealt with those emotions.
The father Morel is in a loveless marriage and it shows in how he treats everyone in the family. I know a person like this, he was a mean drunk and pity the fool who got in his line of sight. Many a times we had to intervene between my stepfather and mother. It is rare to have incite into a book when you have been in similar situations.
I am not sure where the book is going in regards to the relationship between Paul and his mom, but some of the passages make me wonder where D.H. Lawrence is heading. Paul certainly says things that seem awkward to me such as "I say, little woman, how lovely!" (pg. 437-kindle) and "Awfully! You ARE a fine little woman to go jaunting out with." (pg. 440). Neither of these things would I expect my son to say. Fine little woman, instead of mom, it is like he is going out with a girl. All around these two passages are flirtatious remarks.
Well, back to reading and hopefully some better understanding of the characters.
D.H. Lawrence went to the University of Nottingham though it was in another location and had a different name University College Nottingham. They hold a collection of his works. Again fun to be apart of history and recognize a location.
Being a mother I am intrigued by this book and again I am only 1/4 of the way through, but I have done some of the things that Mrs. Morel has done, like disapprove of a girl that my son has brought home. However, my son never once did what William did and criticize the girl and tell his mother that he hated the woman he was involved with. William I think was embarrassed by not only his family but his girlfriend, what person has not dealt with those emotions.
The father Morel is in a loveless marriage and it shows in how he treats everyone in the family. I know a person like this, he was a mean drunk and pity the fool who got in his line of sight. Many a times we had to intervene between my stepfather and mother. It is rare to have incite into a book when you have been in similar situations.
I am not sure where the book is going in regards to the relationship between Paul and his mom, but some of the passages make me wonder where D.H. Lawrence is heading. Paul certainly says things that seem awkward to me such as "I say, little woman, how lovely!" (pg. 437-kindle) and "Awfully! You ARE a fine little woman to go jaunting out with." (pg. 440). Neither of these things would I expect my son to say. Fine little woman, instead of mom, it is like he is going out with a girl. All around these two passages are flirtatious remarks.
Well, back to reading and hopefully some better understanding of the characters.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Calling Invisible Women-review
CALLING INVISIBLE WOMEN, by Jeanne Ray B\D\W\Y Broadway Books, New York, Random House copyright 2012 by Rosedog, LLC.
I thought I might just make this blank so that you would think the writing was invisible, to bad you cannot mimic the lemon water trick on the computer.
I suggested this book for book club back in January or February of 2014, I was feeling quite invisible when I read the first few pages I was hooked. But I did not read the book until October so that would be fresh in my mind for book club. The other lesser reason I picked the book is that I host book club right before Halloween, and who want a book about invisible women close to Halloween. I think both reasons paid off, because I finished the book and I think it works perfectly.
So the question is how would you feel if you became invisible in your household and nobody notices? While I was reading this book I had to laugh several times because it is so true. At breakfast my husband puts his head either into his paper or his computer before he goes to work, he will talk but seldom looks up, so would he notice? Also, there are many times, I am quietly reading or working and my husband or children will walk right past me calling for me, so did I become invisible?
I thought it was thought provoking which is one of my criteria for a book.
I also like some of the quotes:
From Irene the mother-in-law, "Invisibility can be an impediment or a power depending on what you decide to do with it." (pg. 89-90 on my I-pad)
I liked this because I thought what would I do if I were invisible, would I stay locked up in the house or would I go on an adventure? I would hope to be adventurous, finding problems and correcting them.
One of the things I would have done, if I had the power to be invisible in the book, would have been to remove the products that would have caused me to be invisible off the pharmacy shelves and not wait for the company to do it. That would have certainly made the reps sit up and take notice.
If you are feeling invisible and want a fun book that makes you think pick up this book.
I thought I might just make this blank so that you would think the writing was invisible, to bad you cannot mimic the lemon water trick on the computer.
I suggested this book for book club back in January or February of 2014, I was feeling quite invisible when I read the first few pages I was hooked. But I did not read the book until October so that would be fresh in my mind for book club. The other lesser reason I picked the book is that I host book club right before Halloween, and who want a book about invisible women close to Halloween. I think both reasons paid off, because I finished the book and I think it works perfectly.
So the question is how would you feel if you became invisible in your household and nobody notices? While I was reading this book I had to laugh several times because it is so true. At breakfast my husband puts his head either into his paper or his computer before he goes to work, he will talk but seldom looks up, so would he notice? Also, there are many times, I am quietly reading or working and my husband or children will walk right past me calling for me, so did I become invisible?
I thought it was thought provoking which is one of my criteria for a book.
I also like some of the quotes:
From Irene the mother-in-law, "Invisibility can be an impediment or a power depending on what you decide to do with it." (pg. 89-90 on my I-pad)
I liked this because I thought what would I do if I were invisible, would I stay locked up in the house or would I go on an adventure? I would hope to be adventurous, finding problems and correcting them.
One of the things I would have done, if I had the power to be invisible in the book, would have been to remove the products that would have caused me to be invisible off the pharmacy shelves and not wait for the company to do it. That would have certainly made the reps sit up and take notice.
If you are feeling invisible and want a fun book that makes you think pick up this book.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Gone Girl the Movie
STOP: SPOILER ALERT
If you have not read the book and plan to do not read this blog. If you have not seen the movie and plan to, you may not want to read the blog.
Wow, yesterday I went to this movie with my husband. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2583211289
I kept telling him it was a dark book, but he had been intrigued by the trailers for the movie. He has told me now that he is going to remove all box cutters from the premises. Through out the movie theater there was an audible intake of breath on several parts, when they realized he had been set up, when she uses the hammer to sock herself in the face and when she uses the box cutter. They do not mess around with the graphic detail. Rosamund Pike plays a great psychopath, I would not want to cross her., Of course, the book talks more on the details of the past males she manipulated and especially her box cutter friend.
The one thing the movie and book did was make me look crimes in a new light. Sometimes there is more to a case and we sometimes overlook something, because it does not fit into a nice neat package. History has proven many times, that people stop looking for a criminal when someone else fits so nicely in the box. This does not happen too many times, but it makes you wonder about the hype of the media in skewering the wrong person, because it is too easy. Once you find out who the real culprit is you feel a great disdain for the media. Well done producers and directors.
If you have not read the book and plan to do not read this blog. If you have not seen the movie and plan to, you may not want to read the blog.
Wow, yesterday I went to this movie with my husband. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2583211289
I kept telling him it was a dark book, but he had been intrigued by the trailers for the movie. He has told me now that he is going to remove all box cutters from the premises. Through out the movie theater there was an audible intake of breath on several parts, when they realized he had been set up, when she uses the hammer to sock herself in the face and when she uses the box cutter. They do not mess around with the graphic detail. Rosamund Pike plays a great psychopath, I would not want to cross her., Of course, the book talks more on the details of the past males she manipulated and especially her box cutter friend.
The one thing the movie and book did was make me look crimes in a new light. Sometimes there is more to a case and we sometimes overlook something, because it does not fit into a nice neat package. History has proven many times, that people stop looking for a criminal when someone else fits so nicely in the box. This does not happen too many times, but it makes you wonder about the hype of the media in skewering the wrong person, because it is too easy. Once you find out who the real culprit is you feel a great disdain for the media. Well done producers and directors.
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