This is just sick and wrong.

Check this thing out. There is no way I will give this thing a try.



http://www.snopes.com/photos/architecture/skywalk.asp#update

Water for Elephants

In "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen you will meet a young man who somehow (Luck?) gets hired onto a Circus train. Although set in the early depression years it doesn't dwell on that. It is Jacob's memory of being on the train interspersed with his reality of living in a care center. After all he is 90 or 93, he can't remember which. The book is humorous while being eloquent. You meet animals and people, their likes, dislikes, and even languages. I found this book to be fun and easy to read. Give it a try. You will like Jacob.

In the Wake

I really like this little book. Only 202 pages. Written by Per Petterson, translated from the Norwegian by Anne Born.

Someone gave Arvid (the book star)a glass of Gin. He finds himself pounding on the door of a bookshop he worked in 3 years ago and doesn't how he got there or why his ribs hurt. That's where we start. As we follow him though his thought process we discover that his family were killed in a boat fire. Only a brother is left to him.

The journey of this story is how these two finally come to terms with their loss. It only took 6 years, the loss of both their marriages and pretty much everything else.

This book is beautifully written. It is erratic at first but as Arvid works things through the story becomes centered and thoughtful.

Ty counted to 10....and now I am it.

Ty tagged me a while back about what books I read. Sorry it has taken me soooo long to get to it, Ty. Here it is. Read it and weep. Or laugh. Or just shake your head in wonder.

1) A book that changed my life besides my ible:


This is a hard one because nothing has changed my life like the Bible. But...I guess I will go with Left to Tell, Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, Immaculee Iliagiza. The faith that this woman has is a miracle.






2) A book I would like to take with me if I were stuck on a desert island: The Source, James Mitchner.



Ya I know. Lots of words lot of information. But....I love this book. It is all about God. At least it is to me. I read this at least once a year.




3) A book that made me laugh:


Anonymous Lawyer, Jeremy Blackman. A partner at a large law firm writes a blog.
Marley and Me, I laughed so hard reading this book. The antics of Marley are amazing. Even more amazing is they kept him. I must warn you, this book will also make you cry.




4) A book I wish had been written:
How to instill common sense in people. 'Nuff said.

5) A book I wish had never been written:
Books written by most radio talk show hosts. It isn't bad enough that they are on the air waves, they are polluting our shelves. I guess Clark Howard is ok though.

6) Books I have been meaning to read:
The Everlasting Man, JK Chesterton ; Tulia Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a small Texas town, Nate Blakeslee; A Morbid Taste for Bones, set in 1137 on the Welsh border, Ellis Peters.

7) Books I am currently reading:


My Bible, Blue Like Jazz, In the Grip of Grace, Corelli"s Mandolin, A & P, Medical Terminology, Ethics and Law, CPT2006 textbooks.








8) Book I finished reading last week:
Hmm... Anonymous Lawyer.

9) Books that are on my reading list:



Bodies and Souls, Isabel Vincent; Spook, Mary Roach; Stiff, Mary Roach; Maimondies, Sherwin Nuland; Losing my Mind, an intimate look at life with Alzheimers, Thomas De Baggio; The Man who mistook his wife for a hat, Oliver Sacks I could on and on...it is pretty much pick a book, any book.

When all hope is gone...Give up and die

So. There is a German, 4 Americans, and a Greek in Mexico on vacation. Nope not a joke, just a book I read called "The Ruins." The German speaks English, the Americans speak Spanish, the Greek speaks Greek. The German wants to find his missing brother. The brother left a note with a map saying he was going to visit some ruins with a women he met. So they all get together to go help find this guy and look at the ruins taking along some light rations. They find the ruins and climb the hill that is covered with vines. They also find no people but they do find tents and backpacks. The long and short of this tale is the 6 travelers figure out the vines are killers. They are very sneaky killers. These vines can reproduce human speech and sounds including a cell phone. That creates some havoc. Accidents start to happen, the Greek gets hurt and the vines decide to help themselves. One by one the vines manage to get them. They begin to realize that there are no rescuers coming, that they are indeed in trouble. They have no hope. Nothing to look for or towards. Utter despair. They start to discuss maybe praying, but no one believes in God. They all perish in despair, hopelessness.

As I was reading this tale I was thinking of this as an allegory for life. We find ourselves on a journey and think we are prepared but in reality we aren't. People, things around us, Satan seem to imitate things that are good. They aren't. They start to hurt us and then as we start to bleed they devour us. Just like the vines. But we don't have to die. We have been saved from the hungry vines. We will not perish in despair and hopelessness.

Stuart: a life backwards

This is a biography. Yes of Stuart. It really isn't like most bio's though.
Certainly not like JFK's or Clinton's or pick one, any one.
Stuart is an alcoholic, drug abuser, he is a 'chaotic' homeless man. I almost forgot to add he has done prison time for his violent episodes. I know it sounds like others out there but it really isn't.
Stuart can pinpoint when his life changed. Thanks to his older brother and their babysitter. Luckily this story does not go into very graphic detail. Just a few facts, almost like what you would here on a radio news broadcast. It doesn't make you want to hurl.
This book is arranged going chronologically backwards, as the title suggests. Interwoven among the descriptions of his younger life are pieces of his life as he was helping Mr Masters write this book.
Stuart: a life backwards does have it funny moments, however, it also has some terrible moments. He has 2 favorite cuss words which I won't mention here. This is a family blog after all.
It is interesting how he describes his life and how much he "doesn't know, Alexander". How he struggles with trying to figure out why some people can experience horrible things and can have a happy productive life and others, like him can't.
All in all I found Stuart a likeable chap.

A few thoughts

I haven't read anything worth blogging about lately. A couple of mysteries that have left much to be desired. One was from an author I had not read before and will not read again. The story was over for me about a quarter of the way through. But I finished it anyway because that is what I tend to do. The other was from an author I had read before. I expected better. I just didn't find the characters believable. Although I did enjoy the political correctness/incorrectness that was a constant in the story line.

And last but not least. I decided to include a trivia question. Actually a pretty easy one :)

What is the name of Dudley Dooright's horse?

Left To Tell : Discouvering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

Buy It

Read it

Underline it

Read it again

Shakespeare Farce?

Charles and Mary Lamb (bother and sister) were very real and rather interesting people. They wrote "Shakespeare for Children" in 1807 ish.

The Lambs of London is about the Lambs as young adults still living at home and the people who they are acquainted with. Charles and Mary are both interested in Shakespeare. A young man becomes involved in their lives who has discovered new Shakespeare papers. Are they authentic or are they not? That is the question.
This is a short, quick, fun read. Enjoy it and then go to :

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/ylamb.htm

to learn more than you every wanted to know about Charles and Mary.

The Book Thief

author: Markus Zusak

One reviewer says it is like Harry Potter meeting the Holocaust. But not really. It is a tween book. It bridges the gap 'tween teen and adult readers.
I have to say that this is a wonderful journey of words. The story is about how words can make such an impact on a people. Hitler used words.

The narrator is Death. He really doesn't like his job. The Book Thief is about a girl trying to make her way in a world of confusion and growing up during WWII. She is a child sent to another German family in order to keep her safe during the war. She steals books. One of them before she learns how to read. These books keep her life, family, and neighbors held together during air raids. Her willingness to share her gift with others help break down a feud long in the making.

The author writes beautifully. You are reading along and then comes a sentence, a series of them, maybe a paragraph that just kinda grabs and shakes you. It says 'hey! hey! Read me again!

It is a story of love, hate, joy and despair. But most of all about love.

An Apologetic for the ALF

Let's see...A teen earning money for college, good and bad officers' of the law, pigs, dogs, young love, bullies, a post-Marxist intellectual, conspiracy, various other interesting people, and of course, drugs. All of these are an integral part in the travel from front to back. I did enjoy this book inspite of all the extreme left animal rights tirades. I guess I call them tirades because I don't happen to share the extreme views. The language is kinda ruff. It was interesting watching a young man with little confidence become a confident one though. So check it out, it does bring up some interesting questions.

Suite Francaise

I was going to blog about a new book called Suite Francaise (wiggle mark under the c). It is a story written by Irene Nemirovshy, a Jewish Russian, at least 2/5'ths of the story. She wrote this while in France during the beginning of the German occupation. She tells her experience of this using the medium of fiction. It is an incredible story. The say "write what you know" Irene Nemirovsky did. She didn't have the chance to finish it, she was sent to the gas chamber in July of 1942.
But I decided not to.

Marley and Me

7 hours. 289 pgs. I know..It took me a long time to read it(Ty I know you could have read it in 3). Best book I have read in years. DH asked me what I was reading. Must have been because I was laughing so hard. He didn't get to witness the tears running down my face as I read about Marley's last days.

Marley is a very large yellow lab. 97 lbs big. Goofy, dorky, trouble, watchdog, loyal. A story of a family and their dog. The lessons that we can learn from our four legged friends. How they love unconditionally. Amuse us. Torment us. And that old age /disease sucks.

Mr. Grogan makes a great point as he belatedly researches the Labrador retriever breed, always find out as much about a breed as you can BEFORE you decide on what to get. I learned that there are 2 versions of labs these days. English and American. Of course it is the qualities of the American kind that Marley demonstrates. The English version is more compact and calm. Thinking back on my 13 years in the Vet world it makes sense. The bigger they are the goofier they are.

Marley gets kicked out of his 1st round of obedience training. Chews up the garage when a thunder storm comes along while his people are at work. A truly ADHD dog.

As Marley moves through his life he experiences the sorrows and joys of his family. He learns how to accept little people as his own. Even how to comfort a stranger.

Maybe this book affected me the way is has because we put our 11 year old Aussie down this year. I remember watching Fisher grow old as well as diseased. I remember him as a puppy with more energy than the sun. His gawky teen age years. The dog that met us at the door with a smile and a stuffy. He really didn't understand "No" when it was time to quit playing. The old man that had a hard time getting up. He was the son we didn't have. Fisher was the dog that would never die. We loved him...Unconditionally as he love us.

We live with just Jasper now. She misses Fisher too. She meets us with a smile and a rawhide bone that she will not chew on with out Fisher around. She just carries it with her. Jasper is 5 now and getting grey. She is the American kind of yellow lab. And no matter what we say....We love her too. Unconditionally.

The Dog Whisperer

Ok... I haven't read the book but I have watched many episodes on the National Geographic Channel. The guy is amazing! No loud voices, just calmness. He stresses that the dog is an animal. Yes, an animal. Not a people. What a concept. People need to be the dominant member of the pack. Once that is established it is easier to work with your dog. Having worked with dogs for 13 years I find that it is common sense. I also realized that I did treat dogs that way. Of coarse sometimes that wasn't the ideal way to act at that time. But is was all good. I would recommend the book based on how he deals with animals and people on the show. His motto is " I rehabilitate dogs and train people".

Mind Block

Why is it that when I sit down to write I can't think of anything worth saying?
I am supposed to be blogging about what I read. You would think that would make it easier right? Nope. I look back at the list I keep and wonder which one to pick on, I mean pick. When I pick one I can't think of an intelligent thing to say. Maybe that is a good thing :)

Fallen

Back in January I came across "Fallen" by David Maine.

David Maine's fictional account of Adam, Eve, and fam. Come on, we all imagine what might have happened in between the lines. I do anyway, sometimes.
The writing drew me in and made me forget that we didn't really know all that. Sign of a good writer, or maybe I am just simple, hmm could be :).
A simple story of a family who have no idea how to be one. They have moved to a new "town" and are wondering how to survive. Adam and Eve are bitter and they blame each other for being moved from the Garden. They have a favorite son, and the other one knows it. Cain is not a happy son. He wants to be the favored.
The book starts out at the end of Cains'(i think that is where the apostrophe goes) life and the story unfolds backward. Dealing with things we struggle with in our everyday lives it is interesting to read how Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, might have faced them.
It is very different that's for sure. I recommend it.

I forgot

I forget to mention that Enrique's Journey is a true account of his journey.

The Answer is No

Enriqe's Journey not only tells the story of his travel to the US/Mexico border but also the relationship between him and his mother.
The trip north is a life and death challenge. On foot or on the tops of trains he took his chances. He didn't know who was more dangerous, the gangs, police forces, yes forces, or some of the citizens. And he "met" them all.
Enrique and his sister grew up with relatives. Their father wasn't really in the picture. Their Mother didn't even say good by to 5 year old Enrique. He grew up wondering if his mother loved him.
I won't spoil the ending. It is a complicated decision she made.
Is money more important than love?

Enrique's Journey

A newly published book, Enrique's Journey, is about a 17 year old who is trying to get to his mother in the United States. His home is in Honduras. Traveling thru Mexico as an illegal immigrant is at best a terrible experience. Enrique hasn't seen his mother for 11 years. She left her children with family members so she could get to America to earn money to send home. It is the story of poverty, sadness, and the desperation of a mother to provide. The question is has she done the right thing?