eat pray love

I finished this book ages ago, but never got around to writing about it. I guess I'm better at keeping up my other blog than this one.

Written by Elizabeth Gilbert, this is a story about a year of her life when she travels to find inner peace, essentially. She has just finished a nasty divorce and wants to find herself. The first part of her year is spent in Italy (the "eat" part). She gains a lot of weight as she eats the delicious food and learns a lot from the Italian people while she studies the Italian language. I loved this section of the book. I think her voice is so honest and endearing.

The second leg of her trip is spent in India in her guru's ashram. I of course had heard of gurus, but I had never heard of an ashram and didn't know that Yoga was a religion and not just stretching exercises. In the ashram she has spiritual experiences as she learns to come to terms with her true self through meditation. I found this section of the book very interesting (because I don't know much about the religion), but also I thought there were golden nuggets of truth that were universal to all religions, including mine. I really enjoyed reading and learning from her experiences.

The last section is when she spends time in Bali. She went to Bali 2 years prior and had met a medicine man. He predicted she would come back to live in Bali for a time, so she did. Again, I didn't know much about the Balinese culture (if anything at all), so it was interesting to see the country through a westerner's eyes. Here she meets a man from Brazil named Felipe (and since the section is the "love" section, I'll let you figure out what happens in Bali!). Anyway, I think it served as the perfect ending to her journey because she had found herself and peace before she met a man and fell in love with him. It's my opinion that love works out so much better when you can love yourself first and then give love to the other.

I highly recommend the book, and yes! This is a non-fiction book I actually finished and enjoyed! Maybe because it was more of a memoir/biography than anything else, but I found it very easy to read, engaging and enlightening. I hear they're making a movie out of it (what book isn't these days) and Julia Roberts will play Liz. Should be interesting, but I'm not sure a movie will be able to convey the transformation she goes through as well as the book does. We'll see!

Proust Was A Neuroscientist

This is one of the books that I didn't finish. (Sorry Ellen!) I really meant to, but this was during the time we were packing up our house, finding renters, etc. etc. It was a very interesting book, but I just couldn't finish it.

The author, Jonah Lehrer, writes about various artists who basically understood scientific theories before the science really did. Part of the reason I had a hard time with this book was there were few of the artists I had any experience with. The first one he writes about is Walt Whitman, who I of course had heard of. But I hate poetry, so I didn't really have a lot of experience with Whitman. Another author, George Elliot, I have never read, and after reading this book, I don't really have a desire to either. Same goes for Proust. I guess I'm just not the artsy type! Or you could say, I guess I'm just not the more educated type. Anyway, it really was an interesting book that pointed out interesting ideas.

My favorite chapter was about a famous chef (don't remember his name), but it was all about food and how the chef understood the science behind taste without having to do scientific experiments to get it. He did experiments with food in his kitchen, but learned basic tried and true culinary practices that are still practiced today. I couldn't pronounce half the words, but it sure was interesting and made me think about what I eat and why.

So, if you're looking for a non-fiction to read, this is a good one. I'm just not a non-fiction kind of girl!

Once Upon A Quinceanera

Ok, so I challenged myself and read a non-fiction again. Sometimes I wonder why I do this because I really don't enjoy them. I don't know why, but I guess when I'm reading, I just want a story!

This book did give valuable insight into what quinceaneras are all about and a glimpse into the Latina culture. The format of the book was not to my liking. I couldn't figure out how it was organized. The author just seemed to ramble on, tending to be redundant and then threw in some of her personal story as well. Actually, it was the author's story that I found more intriguing than the girls' quinces she was writing about.

Basically, she tries to discover if quinceaneras are a good thing or not and doesn't really come to a conclusion. The statistics are there--about 25% of all Latinas drop out of high school and quite a few get pregnant in their teens (can't remember the statistic of that one). Anyway, she points out that as nice as the quinces are, they don't seem to be helping the Latinas prepare for a successful future (at least successful in the American view--perhaps being pregnant by the time you're 16 is successful in their view).

Not being a minority and really not know what it would be like, I found this book helpful in trying to understand their culture. The struggle to exist in 2 worlds and cultures must be daunting, and maybe that's why some just aren't successful in adapting to the American one.

Interesting read, but definitely not one of my favorites this year.

The Art of Happiness

I really shouldn't be writing about this one, seeing as I never finished it (besides the fact that I should be mopping the kitchen right now). But I thought you should know what I've been reading for the last 5 weeks and why it has taken me so long.

With this book I realized that although non-fiction is educational, I need fiction! Non-fiction just doesn't grip me in a way that makes me want to pick up the book and read, and so I seldom got around to it! When there are so many other things that demand my time, the book has to pique my interest to take it away from those other things.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book. The Dalai Lama spoke a lot of truths in his conversations with the author, things that we could all do well to learn and heed. I truly believe that truth is truth no matter where the source. I don't know a whole lot about Buddhism, but I know that a lot of what the Dalai Lama tries to do is what we all should do.

The premise of the book is that the purpose of man's existence is to find happiness. How we go about trying to attain that usually doesn't work because we're searching for happiness outside of ourselves instead of within. If you are looking for an interesting read and are in need of some self help--this is a great book for you!

BABYWISE

I told you my next post was going to be about Babywise! I'm sure this is no news to many of you, but this is THE book for parents as far as getting kids on a schedule. Now, Jack is only 4 weeks old, so it hasn't really proven itself worthy yet, but I'm hoping if I stick to the book, I'll get him sleeping at least 6 hours at night by the time he's 8 weeks.

Everyone has their different parenting philosophies, which you quickly learn once you become one yourself. This book operates under the premise that you as the parent set the schedule for your child (eating, sleeping, etc.) Now, that doesn't mean that you must absolutely stick to the schedule and have no flexibility. It's just a guideline. I found the book to be extremely helpful to me, being a first time mom. Jack pretty much eats on a 3 hour feeding cycle; which means he eats somewhere around 3,6,9 and 12, give or take. Last night he sleep for 4 hours (between 9 and 1). It was so nice to get that extra hour! It won't be healthy for him to sleep longer than 5 hours at night until he's about 8 weeks or so. Most Babywise babies sleep through the night on their own, but some need a little help. I'll let you know if Jack is one of those! ;-)

Speaking of feeding, Rusty has agreed to help me with one night feeding a week (Saturday or Sunday), so I can get a longer stretch of sleep on those days. I have borrowed a pump from my sister (thanks Jel) and so have a storage of milk in the freezer. Rusty just defrosts one of those and feeds it to Jack in a bottle. He takes the bottle no problem, and I just pump the side I would have fed him with when I wake up. We've only done this twice, but it's been nice that Rusty has agreed to help me out. I never thought he'd do something like this. Diapers, on the other hand, are a different story!

The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur

This book, written by Daoud Hari, was our book club book for this month. It's a really quick read and gives just a little insight into what is happening in Darfur, Sudan. We have heard things on the news and know that there is genocide occuring, but very few of us probably really knows what's going on. This is just one man's experience and what he has seen there.

I'm so glad my friend Keisha suggested this book. I think it's so important that we strive to understand current events that affect the entire world. With all the talk of government bailout and stimulus packages, lost jobs and homes, it's good to get a global perspective of things.

I met a man from Sudan at the Department of Education last summer as I was applying for my reading specialist endorsement. He was applying for a substitute certificate. He earned his bachelor's degree from ASU in political science and is going to school for his MBA. We struck up a really brief conversation and I knew we were going to read a book about Darfur in book club, so I asked him about it. His name is Deng Atem and he runs a non-profit organization to help the Sudanese (see www.s4sf.org). Anyway, I kept in touch with him and invited him to come to our book club discussion last Friday night. He agreed and it was so interesting!

If you know anything about Sudan, you have heard of the Lost Boys. Deng was one of these. His village in Southern Sudan was destroyed when he was 6 years old. He, along with many others, walked to Ethiopia to live in a refugee camp for a few years. Through a series of events, he lived in different refugee camps in different countries and even served in the military until he was 17 years old. He ended up in a camp in Kenya where the U.S. took some of these boys and brought them to America. Deng ended up in Phoenix. His stories were compelling, and although he had a different experience than Daoud, it still helped us see what life in that part of Africa is really like.

Needless to say, it really got me thinking about the blessings we all have. I know many people are losing their homes and their jobs and it's a scary time for our entire country. But we really don't understand what losing our home could be. For these people, entire villages are being burned down, women and children are raped and killed, 10 year olds are joining the army. Deng hasn't seen his family since he was 6. Even if we lose our homes or jobs, we still have our families, friends and people we can turn to. These people have no one. I really had a sense, after talking with Deng, that we still have so much to give! With our budgets tight and people living pay check to pay check, how many of us would be able to find extra money if we just cancelled cable or Netflix; went out to dinner one less time a month; or didn't get a pedicure that month. We live in a land of plenty and perhaps this downturn in the economy will help us see that we're all a bunch of spoiled brats. Maybe we need a piece of humble pie to help us acknowledge all the blessings we've been given.

Now I don't mean to undermine the serious nature of the economy. I know there are many people really struggling, so I don't want to sound insensitive. But 7.6% unemployment is nothing compared to the devestation other countries see for decades. I highly recommend reading this book, not only so you can see how blessed you are, but maybe you'll find a way to help out someone in need!

SELF-MADE MAN

WARNING: CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT!

This is the book club book I chose for this year. I saw this book in the bargain section at Borders and it reminded me that I had seen the author on a TV show (like Oprah or something like that). It intrigued me, so I bought it. Normally I am not one for non-fiction, in fact, I very seldom read it by choice. But this book was a very interesting non-fiction read and I highly recommend it.

The reason it's controversial is because the author, Norah Vincent, is a lesbian. She disguises herself as a man for 18 months as a social experiment. She wanted to infiltrate the man's world as a man and see what it was like. She makes it very clear in the beginning that she is not a transvestite or a person who desires a sex change. She just wondered what it was like to be a man.

There were many lessons Norah learned through her experience as "Ned" (her alter-ego). So many that there's no way I'll try to expound here. Suffice it to say, I learned a lot about my husband just by reading this book. Norah explains at the end that she still doesn't know what it's really like to be a man because she isn't one. But there are definite ideas that our society and culture have about gender, gender roles and gender expectations. I find this subject especially intriguing after all the hoopla about Prop 102 and 8 recently. The book really doesn't have anything to do with being homosexual, but it does cause one to think about what gender really is. Is gender something you're born with? Is it something you learn because society makes it so?

Personally, I believe gender is something you are born with. (See the Family Proclamation). I have seen this with my niece and nephew (twins that are very much boy and girl individually). That being said, I do not think that gay people simply choose to be gay and are inherant sinners because of it. I don't know why people are gay and I'm not sure we'll ever know. There are probably a thousand different reasons. As Norah discovered, she is very happy being a woman, has no desire to be a man, but for whatever reason is attracted to other women and not men.

I encourage a read of this book, even if you don't agree with it, as a means of opening our eyes to other ideas, thoughts and experiences. She uses very crude language and does talk about what goes on in strip clubs, so if that will offend you, don't read it. I'm just about to go to book club now and can't wait to see what everyone else thought of the book!

The Last Lecture

I just finished reading The Last Lecture from Randy Pausch. If you haven't heard of this book I would wonder if you've been hibernating for the last 6 months. This book is written by a Computer Science professor from Carnegie Mellon who delivered his "last lecture" because he was dying of pancreatic cancer. (He has since passed away after giving the lecture and writing the book).

After hearing about the lecture, I went online and watched the entire thing. I'm sure if you google it, it wouldn't be hard to do. It's a really good lecture, but a lot of it is specific to his profession and industry (which it should be since that's who he was talking to). Anyway, the book describes parts of the lecture, but is more about what life's lessons Randy has learned. By the way, I love how he calls himself Randy Pausch instead of Dr. Randy Pausch. For some reason it just makes him that much more real and easy to relate to.

The book is very short and won't take long to read. I think it was really worthwhile. It just brought to focus the really important things in life and made me wonder what I would do with my time if I knew I had 6 months to live. He's very realistic about his prognosis, but also optimistic, which I just loved. Lately it seems I have really needed help focusing my attention on the things that really matter. This book helped me do just that.

I highly recommend it! And for those of you who have read it, what did you like the most?

One of my favorites was when he talked about painting on the walls of his room as a teenager. I think it is so cool that his mom didn't care and Randy was so proud of his work. It reminded me of my cousin Ben's room in Boston. My sister and I went and visited and stayed in his room and it was COVERED with black and white drawings, writings and miscellaneous things from he and his friends. I love the fact that his parents let him be creative and artistic on his own terms.

That's all I'm going to say because I'm trying to shorten my posts! Merry Christmas!

Galileo's Daughter

For book club this month, we are reading Galileo's Daughter. It's a very good book, but I'm only about 1/2 way done and the meeting is a week from today. I'm in here blogging because the Presidential Debate is on right now and I get too emotional and charged about it, so I needed a break.

But I do have some comments I'd like to post about the book, even though I haven't finished it. For those of you who really know me and Rusty, you know that the only TV we watch is pretty much on Channel 8 (PBS). We actually became "Friends of 8" just to support the only quality TV left. Anyway, on Tuesday nights at 8 (most of the time) is a show called Nova. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. This last Tuesday night it was a fascinating show about how there is a black hole in the center of our galaxy and they have found a black hole at the center of about every major galaxy known. I may have heard this before, but didn't really know what a black hole was or why it was significant that it was at the center of the galaxy.

Anyway, it got me thinking about Galileo. First of all, I think he was a brilliant man, but he was also a very faithful man. His discoveries in science did not negate his belief in God. He could reconcile the two very easily. In fact, he worried that there would be a division between science and religion that didn't need to occur (which in fact, for the most part, has). But I can't imagine how amazed Galileo would be to look through the telescopes and other technologies we have today. Isn't it amazing that we can see GALAXIES? I really can't wrap my brain around it, any more than I can wrap my brain around black holes. And to think, sometimes we think we know it all!

There is so much out there we are unaware of or don't understand. I do believe in God and it amazes me that He understands everything. I suppose it takes an eternity to do, but still it's amazing. And when I think of the infiniteness (is that a word?) of the cosmos, to imagine that God actually cares about me, it's pretty amazing. Not only does God care about me, but I believe He cares about all his creations, which are innumerable!

I don't feel like my feelings are being articulated very well in this blog, but I am enjoying the book and it is causing me to look at the broader picture of life and the world. So yeah, I may get upset at the current politics of our country, but it sure is amazing just to be alive, isn't it!?

BOOKS I READ IN CABO

In May, Rusty and I went to Cabo San Lucas for a week's vacation. It was much needed at the end of the year and enabled me tons of time to read! We spent most of the week sitting on the beach or by the pool just reading! I thought I'd share some of the books I read while I was down there.

Here we are on Lover's Beach at the tip of the Baja California.

Marley and Me

This book by John Grogan is a must read for dog lovers! Even if you aren't a dog lover, you will enjoy this book. It's the first one I read on my trip and it's a very quick read. Grogan puts together a collection of vignettes about his crazy dog Marley. The subtitle of the book is "life and love with the world's worst dog". I can totally relate to him, having many trials with our dog Sandy. She is definitely like Marley in many ways, mostly in the way she won our hearts. At the end of the book Grogan talks about Marley's health declining and all the money they spent on helping him. Although Sandy's not old, we just spent a good chunk of change having her knee rebuilt. The things we do for our dogs! Be prepared though, it's a tear jerker. I was sitting by the pool next to Rusty while reading the saddest part of the book. I kept trying to wipe my eyes behind my sunglasses in an inconspicuous way, as to not draw attention to the fact I was crying! And some of you may have heard, this book is being made into a movie with Owen Wilson as John and Jennifer Anniston as his wife. It should be pretty funny!

Our Marley, Sandy on Christmas of last year.

Neverwhere

I picked this book up at the public library for $.50--I love the "Friends of the Library" where you can get used books really cheap! Anyway, it looked interesting to me and I had heard of the author, Neil Gaiman, because he wrote a children's book a few years ago called Coraline. I started reading Coraline but never finished it for some reason. Anyway, he is a science fiction/fantasy writer (right up my alley!). He's also British and the story is set in the underground of London (another plus! I actually had been to some of the places he talks about in the book). This is a very strange book. I really enjoyed it, but if there were one word to describe it it would be "dark". The protagonist, Richard, is just a normal guy, engaged to be married. While going on a date with his fiancee, he runs into a girl who appears to be hurt on the sidewalk. He takes her home and cares for her. This random act of kindness connects him to a different world that exists in the underground passages of London. The girl ends up being from a kind of royal family in this world and there are people trying to kill her. There's a lot more to the story, but you'll have to read it to see if Richard stays living in this "otherworld" or comes back to his normal life above ground! I thought it was very interesting and unlike any fantasy I had read before.

The Lightning Thief

This is a kid's book (young adult, actually). Written by Rick Riordan, it is the first in a series called "Percy Jackson The Olympians" series. I had heard about it from a colleague of mine because it deals with Greek mythology and that's part of the sixth grade curriculum. It's a very good book, and I would recommend it to kids who like fantasy. Rusty hates it when I read kids books, but I'm sorry, I think they're just as good as adult books sometimes! Riordan does a great job building believable characters in a somewhat believable world. It was written in 2005, and I can't help but wonder if he was inspired by J.K. Rowling in that way. Percy Jackson is a half-god (his father was a Greek god--I won't tell you who and spoil it). He doesn't know he is until he's about 12. Then he goes to a camp for half-gods like himself. They're trained by Chiron (the guy who trained Hercules). There's a lot of adventure in the book, even getting him to the camp is an ordeal. Because the setting is contemporary, you almost think that Percy could be a real person and you might have half-gods and characters from Greek mythology around you and you just don't recognize them!

I haven't read the other books in the series because I bought the 3rd book at our school's book fair, but I don't have the 2nd one yet! (And I cannot read a series out of order!)

I read another book, but I can't remember which and I need to go, so maybe later!