Well, it’s obviously not Book Review Tuesday. Nonetheless, I have decided that a break with tradition is utterly acceptable and therefore today shall henceforth be known as Temporary Book Review Friday. The theme is Mother’s Day – but with a twist.
See, I’ve been thinking a lot about mothers lately. Not only is Mother’s Day approaching, several of my very closest friends happen to be pregnant, I’ve been spending more time with some Awesome Kids (speaking of which – check out TheAwesomeKids.com, where you too can have some awesome kid-type fun), and I’ve been spending more time with my own mother, helping her out a bit as she is recuperating quite nicely after a hand and a foot surgery. CAVEAT: none of the mothers referenced above are in the least bit wicked, evil, or downright mean. HOWEVER: thinking about kids/mothers in my own life led me to think about kids/mothers in books (yes, this is how my brain works – everything ties back to books. Teehee). Continue reading Wicked, Evil, and Downright Mean: A (Slightly Unusual) Homage to Mother’s Day
So I have decided to start crafting and posting my own personal “Top Ten” lists. I figure, people often ask me for recommendations or for my “favorite” books, and this is the quickest and easiest way I can think of to respond to those types of questions. You see, I have always had a hard time coming up with a “favorite” book. Whenever asked for one, I immediately issue some sort of follow up question: “favorite what?” or “favorite to take where?” or “what do you like?”. This usually prompts whomever asked the question to roll their eyes and accuse me of lawyering up, but I stand by my follow-up questions AND my inability to pick one “favorite.” Continue reading Top Ten Lists: Classics You Should Read That You Will Actually Enjoy
When we last saw our Fearless Writer and the Tuesday Book Review, she was discussing the miracles of non-fiction (see “On Non-Fiction or When a Story is Not a ‘Story’”) and promising a follow-up post featuring reviews of some of her favorite non-fiction books. So here we are, one week later, and I am all set to deliver on that promise.
These are but a smattering of the fabulous works of non-fiction out there – each of which, to my mind, reads as easily and entertainingly as any fictional bestseller. It just goes to show that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction, and that anyone who thinks non-fiction has to be dry, boring, and slow-going is just plain wrong. And if you doubt me, think about this - where on earth do you think fiction writers get the inspiration for their stories?? I mean, sure, some of my ideas literally come to me in dreams (and from what I have seen/read, I am not that unusual in this regard - which is both a comfort and a bit of a downer, because I liked thinking that I was unique in this…), but many more are inspired by true events, conversations, or tidbits of daily life. Because the theater of the absurd is (sad but true) all around us… Continue reading Non-Fiction Redux or When Truth Really IS Stranger than Fiction
More fiction today - a little dark, but it WAS a pretty grey and depressing day today…
*** Flash, Bang, Zip
First, there was dark. And then, in an instant, light: over-bright, cliché light. The kind described in every Liftetime Made-for-TV Movie, every sappy love story. I was blinded by it until, in an instant, it winked out and was replaced by a furious flash of clips – the scenes of a life.
FLASH: I am six years old, sitting on my grandfather’s knee, staring up into hard brown eyes buried in a shriveled apple-doll face as I am told “NO!” over and over again without ever understanding why. Continue reading Flash, Bang, Zip
So my sister has come to visit for Easter (hi Mamy!), and she brought me a new copy of a CD mix she had burned for me years ago as well as some new music to listen to, and that got me to thinking about music and when I listen to it…
I have always been a person who has enjoyed silence – do not think I am one of those people who cannot sit still in the quiet, because I am not. I heart quiet. Seriously. When I am reading, when I am thinking, when I am working, when I am just sitting about. Quiet is a great and glorious thing, and was long one of the best benefits of being a Single Girl Who Lived Alone. The vast majority of my friends have long been married and/or with children. And none of them had quiet. Ever. So my ability to have The Quiet Time was not only a direct source of pleasure to me, but also a bit of a “teehee – I have it, you don’t” indirect pleasure as well. That is a teensy bit Schadenfreude-ish I know, but still true – don’t judge me until you’ve enjoyed the miracle of The Quiet Time yourself… Continue reading Whistle While You Work or The Importance of Background Music
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