Week 4...and 5, and 6, and maybe 7

Okay, so it took me a little longer to read this last book than the first 3. In my defense, I took a 10 day vacation to Florida, which in and of itself, means several more days of preparing and recuperating! I'm not sure I can keep up the book a week pace that I originally hoped for, but I'm going to keep reading until I've read 52 books. I'm still optimistic that I can do it in a year. I'll just have to double up a few weeks! Any suggestions for future reads?

I have 2 books on the list for next week. One is a self-help kind of book for my health and it's called The Perfect 10 by Dr. Aziz. I read a good bit of it in the bookstore today because it was recommended to me by a friend. She has been putting its principles into use, and has seen a marked improvement in her overall health. The other book is Stephanie Meyer's only book that I have yet to read, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella . My best friend has a copy and I'm trading her for The Host. I figure it will hold me over until Eclipse comes out on video on December 4th!

Week 3: Sam's Letters to Jennifer

I sat down with this book while my 2 year old was in the bathtub. I sat on a bath mat and leaned against the cabinet. It wasn't the most comfortable place to read, and it sure didn't hold a candle to the comfy chair that I had in the mountains last week, but it worked. Fortunately, my husband came to get my son out of the tub, so I was able to keep reading...and reading...and reading. I didn't stop until I reached the end of the book!

The thing I loved most about this book was the positive message; life is short, so live it to the fullest. One of my favorite lines in the book is a quote from an artist. It goes something like this, "Life is a blank canvas, so you should throw everything you can at it" What a great quote! I think it is going to be  my new motto.

Aside from having a great message, I really related to the main character in the book. She is an overachiever who never misses a deadline at work, and suffers from a tragic loss that has prevented her from truly reaching her full potential. The loss in my life was my father. When he died, I felt like a piece of me went with him. It took me a long time to look at the world in a positive light again. I didn't know how to live in a world where he didn't exist. It's still hard, but I am finally in a place to believe that a piece of me didn't die with him. In fact, I believe the opposite...that a piece of him remains here with me! This book really solidified that for me. It's what we do with the memories that matter, and I'm so fortunate that my dad and I were able to make so many great memories during out time together.

As for being an overachiever...I swear it should be listed as one of my nicknames (and it is if you ask my best friend)! I am always taking on more projects and I have a hard time just sitting still. When I do something, I want to do it well- the first time. What I'm working on is letting go of that. I am trying new things (like this challenge), and seeing where the world takes me! For the first time in a long time I don't have a definite plan. I'm open to new possibilities and though it's a strange place for me, I'm learning to enjoy it. I'm living in the moment and making memories with my loved ones. Life is too short to be bogged down by plans, schedules, duties and the like. I want to live while the living is good!

I did it!

I read 2 entire books in 2 weeks, and found the time to blog about it! That may not sound like much, especially since I'm committed to reading 52 books in 52 weeks, but it is a huge accomplishment for me to just get through the first 2! I can't tell you how long it's been since I've read so much in such a short time. I have 3 kids and I work part-time, so it's not easy to find time to read. I was able to finish The Doctor's Wife this weekend, while relaxing here:

Near Boone, North Carolina

We took a mini-vacation with some friends to the North Carolina mountains where we enjoyed the crisp air, a great view and good company! It was just what we all needed.  I had a big comfy chair and more down time than I would have had at home, so I took advantage of it! Not only did I finish The Doctor's Wife, but I was able to get started on another book!

This week I had planned on reading The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I've read the Twilight Saga that she wrote, and enjoyed them immensely. This one looks quite different, but after reading the first few chapters in the mountain, I'm intrigued! Unfortunately, due to our trip and some other commitments that I have this week, I don't think I have time to read such a lengthy book (Why does she write such long books?).  So I've decided to go with Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson. It's a book my husband bought me after I read Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas a few years ago. He reads a lot of James Patterson novels, so when I showed some interest, he was supportive!

So this week it's Sam's Letters to Jennifer.  I already took it off the shelf and dusted it off, and we are ready to go! Hopefully I'll get to The Host next week!

The Doctor's Wife

I picked this book off the shelf at Walmart one day because I liked the cover, and the synopsis on the back. It's a story about 4 people whose lives intertwine in unforeseeable ways. The doctor, is an OB-GYN who moonlights at an abortion clinic. His wife is a writer and a professor at a local college. Their relationship is strained by his long hours at work, and unwillingness to make time for the rest of the family. When he starts working at the abortion clinic, he not only pisses off his partners, but he catches the eye of an anti-abortion group who begin to target him and his family. In the meantime, his wife becomes increasingly unhappy with their marriage and runs into someone who makes her feel alive again.

The other couple that this story revolves around is a famous, but almost extinct painter, and his beautiful wife.  His wife was his muse, and the subject of the paintings that put him on the art world's map. They have a sordid, almost incestuous past, and their relationship has faded to the point that he is no longer inspired or in love. He finds new inspiration from the doctor's wife and the story begins to unfold. Throw in some mental instability and a manipulative religious figure, and you have a recipe for disaster!

The story begins at the end, which was a little confusing. Each chapter was dedicated to a different character, and I found that it jumped around a bit. Overall, I thought the book was a good read, and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The story contains themes of adultery, abortion, mental illness, religion (if you can call it that) and politics. It forces you to look at these subjects and decide which side you would be on.  I enjoyed the plot twists and the way the author took you through the sordid pasts of some of the characters.

I'm hesitant to talk about some of the topics in this book because abortion, adultery and religion are things that most people feel very strongly about. However, I will say this...Given the right situation, I believe all of us are capable of cheating.  When a person who continually feels unappreciated and lonely allows him/herself to be in a compromising situation with another person who is able, and perhaps all too willing, to give them what they need emotionally and/or sexually, the results are likely to be a torrid affair. Whether right or wrong, it can happen to anyone. The key is not to put yourself in those situations.

Similarly, it's easy to denounce the practice of abortion, but I believe that the right situation could make one change his/her mind.  Most would think twice when it was their own family member faced with an unwanted pregnancy that was the result of a deplorable situation.  It's not always black and white!

I'm going to save religion for a separate entry but I can't end this entry without noting that I detest those who use the guise of religion to manipulate and/or harm others. It happens everyday, and I have no tolerance for it!

Okay...I'm getting off my soap box now!

My Final Thoughts about Eat Pray Love

The point of this blog is not to critique the books I'm reading as a whole, but I find that it's hard not to write at least about my reaction to the books. This week, the book I read has been made into a major motion picture, and I saw the film first. I'm glad I saw the film first, and read the book second. In this case, it worked.

The only thing I didn't like about seeing the movie first was that I pictured the characters as they were cast for the film, instead of how they are described in the book. The one character in particular that is markedly different is Felipe. In the movie, Javier Bardem plays the character, and although he looks like he's older than Julia Roberts, you definitely don't see the almost 20 year age difference that the book describes. He doesn't have white hair and isn't balding like the real Felipe. I have to say though, that I'm glad he was cast the way he was for the movie. If I had read the book first, it would have bugged me, but seeing the movie as a separate entity, I understand why they made the change for the big screen.

I could spend a lot longer on the differences between the book and the movie, but that's not really what I'm here for, right?!

So overall, I really enjoyed both the movie and the book. I love that it made me think about my own life in a way that I was desperately trying to do on my own, but didn't have the strength, or know-how, or whatever it was that I needed to do so. I love that in the end, she found the balance that she was looking for, and she changed the lives of others along the way. 

"So that's the final lesson, isn't it? When you set out in the world to help yourself, you inevitably end up helping...Tutti (everybody)." p 274

I am looking forward to the sequel to this book, Committed, but I want to sit with this one for a while before I jump into it. Next week I'll be reading The Doctor's Wife, by Elizabeth Brundage. I picked it up at Walmart today, and it looked like a good read. Hope I'm right! 

Some of My Favorite Quotes

Eat, Pray, Love is full of great quotes. So many, in fact, that I'm going to share a few of favorites here.

 "It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." Page 95

I think this is so important for so many reasons. As a woman, and more importantly as a mom, I find myself trying to live up to the expectations of others. And by others, I really mean my own misguided expectations of what I think people expect of a mother in her thirties.

As little girls, we all picture our grown-up lives and what we want it to include. For me, the fantasy always included a handsome husband, a couple of kids and a full-time job where I was able to be prove how wonderful and smart I was! Even though not everyone wants what I wanted, I still thought that that is what was expected of me. I didn't work long and hard in school to be a stay at home mom, living on my husband's money! But somehow, that's what I'm doing. Sort of.

The older I have gotten, the more that fantasy has changed. Being a stay at home became a privilege and a luxury that many mothers wished they could afford. I can now appreciate what I have and I feel so lucky to be the one that has raised my children- every day. I still feel the need to try and show the world how wonderful and smart I am, but I'm trying to live MY life better-- not the life I think I should have had, or the one I thought society/my friends/my family may have expected of me. I no longer strive for perfection, which is remarkably freeing!
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"You're like a dog at the dump, baby-- you're just lickin' at the empty tin can, trying to get more nutrition out of it. And if you're not careful, that can's gonna get stuck on your snout forever and make your life miserable. So drop it." page 149

This little bit of wisdom can be applied to so many situations in life. Whether you're hanging on to the "one that got away," or you can't let go of the guilt from past mistakes, it's usually just better to drop it! Let it go and accept it for what it is. Life is too short to stay focused on the negative.

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This next one pretty much speaks for itself. If we could all do this there would be a lot less religious strife in the world.

"I have good idea, for if you meet some person from different religion and he want to make argument about God. My idea is, you listen to everything this man say about God. Never argue about God with him. Best thing to say is, 'I agree with you.' Then you go home, pray what you want. This is my idea for people to have peace about religion." p 241

In other words, can't we all just get along?!
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"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around  the world looking for it." p 260

I believe this whole heartedly. Happiness isn't an accident or a stroke of luck. Like most worthy things in life, one has to put in some effort...take some personal responsibility. I think that it is up to each of us to decide our own destiny.

Perhaps this is a concept that is easier for me to subscribe to, since I don't put my happiness in God's hands.  I know enough people who give Him the glory for all good things in their life, and fault themselves for any negative happenings. I don't get that. But if you think about it, you can believe in both. If you believe God will provide the happiness that you seek, then your job, your  personal responsibility is to pray, and do the things that make you feel closer to God. Either way, happiness doesn't just land in your lap.
                        
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And finally, a quote about love. That is, after all, what this book was about, right?

"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life." p 298

I love this quote in particular because I think that's the beauty of love...it's knocks you off your feet, making you unbalanced, but without it, there is no balance in your life.
                      

52 Books: I’m not the only one

When I started this blog at 2am on a Monday, I didn't have the wherewithal or the forethought to Google the name that I had chosen to find out just how many other people are doing exactly what I'm doing. Apparently, there are a TON of people who have taken the '52 books in 52 weeks' challenge. I'm not sure where the challenge originated, and I don't really care, but I find it fascinating to read why others have chosen to take the challenge. It seems that many of the blogs dedicated to this challenge are set up to review the books themselves. I am definitely no competition there! I'm not sure how many of these writers are trying to make a name for themselves, or how many are searching for the balance that I seek. The problem is that I don't want to read too many of their entries, because I don't want to be influenced. I don't want to read a book because I liked someone's synopsis, or their reaction to the book. Similarly, I don't want to not read a book based on someone else's reaction to it.

So I am going to pretend that this is an original concept and there aren't hundreds of people all over the world doing precisely what I'm doing at this very moment. After all, they don't have the same frame of reference that I do. They hopefully don't have the same take on life either, making my blog interesting for what it offers that other do not. I will perhaps browse those other blogs when I have finished my journey, but I will resist for now.