All about reading

Several years ago I told someone that I loved reading. When they asked me my favorite author, I had no reply. I vowed that that was a situation that I would remedy. A friend loaned me a John Steinbeck book and that was the moment I really became a reader.

Now my reading varies. Some days are perfect for a quick Sophia Kinsella "Shopaholic" book. Others are good for a motivating Barbara Kingsolver book about eating locally grown food. Others are good for a novel like Khaled Hosseini's "Kiterunner".

I love reading because it opens an entirely new world to you. When would you ever learn about life in Afghanistan or Italy or some country in Africa if you didn't read about them in a book? Reading makes all those places so much more accessible. Reading is also a kind of journal of my life. I remember readying Nick Hornby's book "About a Boy" in London, realizing that I was actually seeing all the things that he was talking about. I remember reading Rudy Wiebe's "Peace Shall Destroy Many" in high school and for the first time in my life wondering about the pacifism that I had grown up with.

So here, in no particular order, are some, but definitely all, of my favorite books:

The Gift of Pain - Dr. Paul Brand and Phillip Yancey
Dr. Paul Brand spent years working with patients that had lepersy and discovered that the disease affects their nerves so that they don't feel pain. As a result, they end up injuring themselves. Pain, while difficult, can be a good thing in our lives.

Love Lessons - Louise Smith Brady
This is an endearing book about several couples and how they met and fell in love. I remember reading this as a single person. If I may be so bold, allow me to quote a portion of her introduction.

When people ask me where to find love, I cannot give them any addresses. Instead, I tell a story about one of my first job interviews when I arrived in New York. I interviewed for a job at a famous literary magazine, with a legendary editor. I had no experience or skills, and he didn't for one second consider hiring me. But he did give me some advice I will never forget. He said, "Go out into the world. Work hard and concentrate on what you love to do, writing. If you become good, we will find you. It may take five years. It may take ten. But if your work stands out, we will call you."

That's what I tell people looking for love. Don't read articles about how to trap, ensnare, seduce, or hypnotize a mate. Don't worry about your lipstick or your height, because in the end it's not going to matter. Just live your life well, take care of yourself, and don't mope, complain or shop too much. Love will find you.

Sweetness in the Belly - Camilla Gibb
I am particularly partial to all books having something to with Africa. This one is one of many I could have chosen. It is about a girl who grows up in Africa and ends up going to England, never quite fitting into either place.

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
I don't even know how to describe this book without giving the good stuff of it away. Let me just say that if you read it, it is highly likely to dwell on your mind for days after you are finished.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
Memoir about a girl growing up in poverty in the states. I really enjoy learning about people's lives and the adversity they have to overcome to be the people that they are today.

Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures - Vincent Lam
Several intersecting stories about students going to school to become doctors.

I realize that those are definitely not all my favorites so I will end this list by noting some of the other authors that I have enjoyed:
- Jodi Picoult
- Anna Quindlen
- Anne Lamott
- Chris Bohjalian
- Camilla Gibb
- Sara Gruen

And now I will send out this request, I've loaded you up with reading suggestions for the summer. I would love to hear the books that you, my dear reader, think that one should definitely read at some point before they die.

I look forward to your suggestions...

If you're already spending thousands on a car

...why not spend a couple of hundred on new dishes?














I found this great Denby second quality website that is a lot less expensive than buying them in the store. So they have now been ordered and are being sent to my dear friend in Minneapolis and being picked up by my other dear friend when she goes down in a couple of weeks.


p.s. In case you're wondering, no car has been purchased yet. I'll let you know when we do.

Looking for a car part 2

Even Elijah is helping look for a car.

Looking for a car

The past few weeks have been taken up with trying to figure out what kind of car will replace my trusty 1992 Camry. It's getting to the point that things are going to start going on it and it needs to be upgraded. But, upgraded can mean a lot of things. It could mean a Civic Hybrid or it could mean a 2000 previously owned Toyota Camry.

I will admit that I have been surprised at how easy it is to justify the "next step up". If we're willing to spend A amount, then B amount is really only a few thousand dollars more. And if we're willing to spend B amount, then C amount is really not THAT much more.

It's amazing how the things that were once "wouldn't that be cool to have?" become things that we really want/believe we need. When we started looking for a car, I wanted an automatic car with AC and cruise. Last night we looked at a car with a moonroof, heated leather seats and a 6 CD changer.

The part that I really hate about this whole experience is the negotiation and interaction with sales people. I have a love/hate relationship with sales people. If the person is a little bit too smooth and wears a little bit too much cologne, I feel justified to not purchase a vehicle from them. But, if the person is really nice and helpful, I feel obligated to purchase something, anything really, from them. I have visions of them sitting at their kitchen table with their six children, not being able to provide a meal for them solely because, I, their unfortunate customer, did not purchase a car from them.

I continually have to remind myself that we still have a car that runs. (Well, two, if you count the standard sports car that isn't too practical for our 8 month old.) Regardless of what vehicle we purchase, I will not be a better friend, mother or wife. I will not be kinder or more compassionate. I need to remind myself that THOSE are the things that I want to model for my son and have as part of my life.

Well, off to look at more vehicles. Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to report that we've purchased one.

Trip to Edmonton

We just got back from a fun, yet exhausting, trip to Edmonton where Elijah attended his first wedding. He was amazing on the flights - sleeping through most of it. (Perhaps 6:30 a.m. flights are the way to do it even if it leaves the parents completely tired from waking up so early.) It was a wonderful time with friends.

We took the obvious trip to IKEA and purchased his first potty. (For the record, we didn't buy it because we're potty training him, it's because it was cheap.) We put him on it at the hotel and he started waving his hand around like he was taking the seat for a ride.

Second pool experience still not too great. I think it's the water temperature. (Yes, I do realize that he's smiling in this picture, making it seem like he enjoyed it. I'm choosing not to show you the crying pictures.)

At the wedding

Elijah "chatting" with the guys while wearing his really impractical, but totally cute, white pants.

On the plane ride home.