A Bump in the Road

Shortly before Christmas, I sort of reached "obligation overload."  We've all been there, when life is running to fast for comfort and something has gotta give.  I picked this blog as the something.  What started as a short break has turned into about 6 weeks now.  My apologies to my dad, my globe-trotting cousin and you other 5 people who have been visiting this site hoping for an update!  What's funny is about a 100 times in the last month-ish, I have thought "this would make an awesome post" but somewhere between idea and motivation things got sketchy.  You see, I'm not really a "half-ass" kind of girl and the truth is the only thing I can really commit to this thing right now is just that.  The other half of my ass is busy trying to not be so "voluminous" in between binges on hummus and sourdough.  Sigh.....  Anyway, so on with the half-assed blog.  I can't gurantee that I won't "leave the building" again (I have two kids, a part-time job that feels pretty full time, a rapidly aging house and an increasingly desperate hummus habit...see above).  But I'll give it a shot.  Hope y'all had a Merry Christmas, happy New Year, MLK day, Groundhog Day, etc.

We'll start back slow...here's a book review that I wrote for the Moore Monthly.  If you ever are just dying for a printed copy of my "work" chances are you can find it here.  It's a pretty neat little magazine about the goings on in and around Moore, Ok.  A "baby Gazette" for lack of a better description.  You can find them FOR FREE PEOPLE!!! at lots of businesses in Moore and also at the Norman Public Library.  Anyway, the book was The Night Circus and was just about the quirkiest, most frustrating, and most beautiful book that I have read in a long time.  Here you go:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Once upon a time there were two ancient magicians who liked to play games.   Each magician would select a student and carefully train them in the ancient language and skill of magical manipulation.  And then, the students would be set into an “arena” of sorts to prove that their magic was more powerful than the other’s.  And this is the beginning of the Night Circus.  

When an elderly eccentric conceives the notion of a mysterious circus unlike anything the world has ever seen, he cannot imagine the ramifications of what he actually sets in motion.  As he hires talented and strange characters from all over the world, already the “stars” of the show have been carefully trained and molded for the performance of their lives.  

Celia Bowen, the magician’s daughter, was born into the magical world, even before she realized it.  Now a beautiful illusionist, she is a sort of matriarch of the circus and is intent on protecting it from any harm, even if that means destroying herself in the process.

Marco is a foundling, an orphan who was adopted and rigidly trained to win his teacher’s game at all cost.  However, when Marco and Celia finally meet, they forge a bond that is stronger even than the magic they have learned, stronger than their alliance to their mentors.

What started as a game has become a dynamic, breathing circus, a magical and wonderful place that touches the lives of so many.  Reading The Night Circus, you will find a rich, multi-layered story of pride, love, friendship, and the power of free will.  Each chapter will lead you further into an astonishing labyrinth where magic becomes reality and anything could be around the next corner.  With The Night Circus Morgenstern has built an intricate and alluring story that will keep you pondering long after the last page is turned.  

So, to recap, I will try to not be such a slacker in the future. No promises though, try to not be too heartbroken! But we'll give it another shot. Stay tuned for Turkey Tomatillo Chili, the Myriad Botanical Gardens...new and improved, and Adventures in Raising the Most Destructive Child on the Planet. Yep, that should keep me busy for a while...

Thanks for reading!

Book Review: Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

I read this book for our book club at the library.  Come join us next month if you love reading!

I have never read anything by Binchy before, which is strange because she is a very popular author and I generally love Irish fiction.  It always seems so quirky and poetic.  Anyway, this book certainly was quirky.  Each chapter is devoted to a different character, with many of them intersecting.  I generally enjoy books with multiple points of view and I enjoyed this one as well, but I have to admit it was sort of confusing starting each chapter with a new character.  It was almost like a chain, with one sort of organically leading into another. 

What each character does have in common is a connection to the well of St. Anne.  Deep in the whitethorn woods, outside the village of Rossmore, is a shrine to St. Anne where locals believe wishes are granted.  However, the town is divided over a proposed highway that would cut through the woods and destroy the well.  Some believe that the road would symbolize progress, others are adamant that the woods and the well be preserved.  As the stories unfold, you find such a cast of amazing and appalling characters, all desperate for St. Anne to grant them their wish.  Does the wishing well work?  It depends on who is asked.  Regardless, everyone has something to learn as they visit the famous well.  This books was a fun and interesting read with so many well-developed and dynamic characters.  I will certainly be reading Maeve Binchy again.

Book Clubs, precious mommy time disguised as something scholarly!

Today was the perfect day to wrap my hands around a warm cup of hazelnut coffee and spend some quality time with a couple of girlfriends. And I don't even have to feel bad about abandoning my husband with a pile of homework and two kids 'cuz, hey, it's BOOK CLUB! Clearly that is something important, intellectual, necessary almost. Really, we do almost always discuss the book for at least 10 or 15 minutes of the nearly 2 hours we spend sipping coffee and chatting.

Kidding aside, it is so important to take time occasionally and just sit with friends and discuss all of the large and small troubles and triumphs of life. And a book does provide a great sounding board for some great conversation. So, maybe you don't line-by-line discuss the book, but it's still there as a catalyst for conversation. Unless you spend the two hours discussing shoe shopping and toddler tantrums, and if that's the case, rock on sister! Everyone needs that from time to time too. In this hectic life we lead, something as simple as a quiet afternoon with people who make you happy and somewhat understand you can be a great recharger. Especially when Monday morning is barreling at you with the speed of an angry freight train. For your reading pleasure, here is a list of some (in my opinion) great books for mom discussions:

Anything by Sarah Addison Allen (just for fun)
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper by Trisha Ainsworth and Amy Nobile Bad Mommy by Ayelet Waldman (or really, any of her books)

There are lots of wonderful books out there for great discussions, and my group tends to read a pretty diverse mix of classic and modern, "mom" books and otherwise. But, in keeping with the purpose of this blog, I just thought I'd toss out a few particularly mom-centric ideas. Except for Sarah Addison Allen, she really has nothing to do with moms, I just can't seem to have a discussion about good books to read and not gush about her. Truly, half of the citizens of the small town where I pretend to be a librarian have had her books thrust into their hands by myself or my also-Allen-obsessed coworker who shall remain unnamed because she neglected to inform me about the upcoming release of Allen's latest book so that she could get ahead of me on the hold list, but I'm right there behind you Shannon! Pant, pant, pant. Sorry, betcha didn't know librarians were so competitive! Soooo, anyway.  Book club, it's good for the soul.