Happiness

I am officially sighing with relief for so many reasons right now! 1. I am almost caught up on my blogging. 2. On my trip to Phoenix I did not have a single soda! 3. I am already over the 40 book mark and April isn't even over yet! 4. Sunday was such a beautiful day I spent it outside planting a beautiful garden filled with flowers and herbs! 5. I finished all of my in-between books and currently only have one in-progress book!

I have also found a new favorite spot in Barnes and Noble. It is the section where they mark down all of their overstock. Books that just a few months ago were on the best seller shelf are now marked down to the $5 range. A lot of these tend to be mystery and romance novels, but lets be honest they have become a guilty pleasure!

On another note, I'm going to have to buy a second bookshelf. The first has just about reached its weight limit!

Update Book 38: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

From my first five points of this blog you can see how I'm continuing to reach all my goals! Although I was originally very inspired by "The Happiness Project," about half-way in it lost its glitter. Initially all of her "aha moments" were my "aha moments," but I got bored when she began adding pages of blogger comments to every chapter. I still love the idea of a happiness project and will reread some of her concepts in the future. Striving to be happier is always a good goal and my happiness commandments are still posted up next to my desk reminding me to be aware of what makes me happy.

To Phoenix and Back

* Parts of this post were originally written on April 8, 2010*

As I'm writing this, I am sitting in the airport making good on one of my four major resolutions:travel more. This trip will actually help me with a few of my resolutions... Reading by the pool, being conscious of my water intake, and I think the fearless factor might come in on Saturday when I attend my first ever NASCAR Race.

You may be wondering how exactly I am transcribing this particular post. Well in the spirit of being green, I am writing on the inside of a paper Starbucks bag. The inspiration to write about my latest read hit and I found myself without any paper so I had to get a little bit creative.

I am excited for my few days away from work, I hope they are rejuvenating. This particular trip has reminded me of one of my personality quirks; I am an over packer, a random packer, and a nervous packer. I worry about the oddest things. 'What if's' abound in my head as I fill my suitcase. I probably have two rolls of floss, shoes for every occasion, enough underwear for a month and four books for a four day trip.

My original plan had me only bringing along three books, but with only 80 pages left to go I had planned to finish "The Thirteenth Tale" to the en route to the airport. It was cutting it close, even for me. Maybe with a different book it could have been done, but alas as we were boarding the shuttle from the car park I had but three pages left. Many would have just left it in the car, but I couldn't do it. I had to know the proper ending. So four books will make the journey to Phoenix and back.

Update Book 33: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

It is getting increasingly difficult for me to decide what book to read next! This critic's recommendation bumped "The Thirteenth Tale" to the front of the list:

"A Wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics. Lovers of books about book lovers will be enthralled."

This is a story about the most famous living writer in world (fictional of course). Vida Winters has penned over 50 best sellers in her life, but there is one tale left for her to tell, her own. At the end of her life, she calls on a young biographer to tell her story. Written beautifully in a way that reminded me of other gothic ghost stories, I fell into the world Setterfield creates. "The Thirteenth Tale," is set on the moors in England and takes many cues from "Wuthering Heights." The tone is eerie, I could feel shadows and mist as I turned ever page. I really enjoyed this book and I found myself thinking about it long after I had finished.

A favorite quote:

"Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes--characters even--caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book they are still with you."

Update Book 33: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

It is sort of odd that while I was basking in the rays of sun in Arizona that I would again be drawn to a novel that takes place in grey and dreary England. I have tried several times to read "Jane Eyre," but it wasn't until I picked it up this past week that I knew I was ready for it. I think a part of me was nervous that it would be another "Wuthering Heights." I was relieved to find that instead of beautifully sorrowful, "Jane Eyre" is romantic and hopeful. I was captivated by this book and loved the style in which it was written. There is a reason this is on so many "must read" lists.

Update Book 34: The Island by Victoria Hislop

It is a good thing I brought along so many books for this trip. Not because I read them all (I only finished Jane Eyre) but because, while I was sitting at the airport waiting to board my return flight, I picked up "The Pilot's Wife." Within the first 3 pages there is a plane crash. Not exactly what you want to be reading before take-off. So I returned it to my backpack and picked out "The Island."

Yes, this is another WWII era novel--with a twist. The War actually plays a very small part, this is a novel about family history. The major plot twist involve the disease Leprosy. This book has heartbreaking moments and overall, I enjoyed it. I did feel like there was a lot of story in the middle but the ending was sudden and unsatisfying.

This book is another example of how books find you. "The Island," was one of the three books recommended to me by that mystery customer a year ago (also recommend "The Shadow of the Wind.") After I finished it, I was reading a friend's blog who moved to Norway last year. She also has a 'I'm reading' column. Her book is in Norwegian and called "Oya," but I noticed that it was by the same author. After some detective work I figured out that it was the same book! Alright, maybe not that big of a coincidence, but I still found it amusing that we were each reading the same book, but in different languages!

Update Book 36: The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

Even though I couldn't bring myself to read "The Pilot's Wife" while in the air, those three pages hooked me. A former 'Oprah Book Club Pick," I couldn't put this book down. This was one of the saddest books I have ever read. Not an "I'm going to cry" sad, more like an "I'm really pissed" sad. The underlying moral of the story that I took away from "The Pilot's Wife," is that you don't really know anyone. The only thing you can judge a person's character on are their words and actions. If someone was a talented enough liar you may never know who they really are. This might make it sound like I hated this book, but I really did like it. It was compelling and easy to read. I like Shreve's novels because they are all unique. As one critic says, "The Pilots Wife is highly readable."

Bad Blogger

Well I've been a terrible blogger for the past two weeks, I apologize. So here are my excuses.... I've been a very busy resolution keeper! Last week I spent four days in fantastically-sunny Phoenix, Arizona (so check travel resolution). We spent time doing a lot of things I've never done before (check fearless). I have nine new books to update (double check reading). While I was away I wrote a couple of posts that I have yet to put up. To be honest I've gotten out of the habit, but I don't want people to stop reading so my goal for this week is to blog my life away! Time to catch up. Check back later for updates!

Here is a fun quote for the day:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am the Messenger.

Remember when I was treading into the unknown waters of reading multiple books at one time? I was a bit nervous about how that was going to work out for me. Well it turns out that I am not satisfied with just having one or even two novels with bookmarks sitting on my table. There are officially three. The first reason is that I can't bring myself to read the 'vampire smut' books in public. The second reason is that it has been a few weeks since I have picked up "The Happiness Project." It was supposed to be my in-between-novels book. Instead I'm about 50 pages from the end, with no motivation to finish. But certain recent developments have made it clear that I need to be inspired all over again to pursue my happiness resolutions.

Earlier today I was feeling stressed about something and I just couldn't figure out what was tugging at the back of my mind. Finally I realized it hit me, my unchecked to-do list. Lately I have been causing myself stress by procrastinating until the last possible minute. Take last week for instance. Instead of buying my brother's birthday present earlier in the week when I was at the mall, I decided to wait until a half hour before dinner. This meant that I had to walk the entire length of the mall in a pair of heels that after a long day at work were killing my ankles.

I found it so hilarious that on the way to the mall that day I just so happened to stumble upon the 5:19 funny on a local radio station. The comedian was talking about traffic, and I felt like this punch line summed up my constant state of rushing:

"The freeways are for people like me, who have so poorly planned their lives, they are in a constant seizure to get to where they should have been thirty minutes ago."

The truth is that I made it on time for dinner that night, even before the birthday boy. So why am I making a big deal out of this particular event? Mostly because I haven't been following my Secrets of Happiness Commandments very well. Specifically number 15. Check off things from your to-do list. I've been failing at this one beautifully. Especially when it comes to all things theatre related. I don't know why, but lately it has been feeling an awful lot like homework to create the press releases, call newspapers for ad quotes, et cetera....et cetera. I don't know why but I put it off and put it off until I can't put it off a moment longer. I really need to work on this number 15. And get back to being inspired by "The Happiness Project."

Update Book 32: I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I do believe that I may have found myself a favorite author. Zusak also wrote #18 of the year "The Book Thief." Which, the further away I get from it the more convinced I am that it may also be my favorite book (and also a book I would openly recommend.) "I am the Messenger," is not as brutally emotional as "The Book Thief," but I love the style in which Zusak crafts a story. His characters are enthralling, his vocabulary is absorbing, and every word he uses captivates me as a reader. Zusak has managed to create novels where one moment you are laughing out loud and the next you are sobbing. After reading his books, you really feel like you lived the life of the main character. The only thing I can not understand is why all of his books are in the Young-Adult section. Not only are they as riveting as I've said, but they are also packed with mature content. My hope is that this doesn't dissuade people from picking them up.

"I am the Messenger," is about Ed, a completely mediocre man of 19 years. Ed is going nowhere in life until he stops a bank robber and begins receiving playing cards with addresses on them. The people who live at these addresses need some sort of help. Ed becomes the 'messenger.'

I'll admit that at first, I didn't understand the ending. It is one of those ambiguous figure-it-out-for-yourself conclusions. The more I pondered the ending, the more enthralled I became with it. I realize a lot of people will finish this book not interpret it the way that I did (isn't that one of the beauties of books?) and some may even think the author got lazy and ended abruptly. I think the author's intent was to make readers contemplate their own lives, mediocre of otherwise. This is a book that I will think back on often.

As always here are a few passages that I enjoyed that probably make little or no sense when out of context:

"I didn't know words could be so heavy."

"Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are."

"This isn't about words.

It's about glowing lights and small things that are big."

Recommendations, Pretty Please.

It might be because I have a blog and am currently obsessed with them, but lately I have been asked by many friends to give book recommendations. When that friend is someone who admits to hardly ever reading, that is a lot of pressure on me! There are few books that I can say I would recommend to EVERYONE. As much as I wish it weren't so, not everyone likes the same things I do. Since one of the goals of all this reading and blogging is to inspire others to pick up more books, I'm a little nervous when I make suggestions. All I can do is make a recommendation and hope that it's good enough so they aren't discouraged from future reading.

A friend told me that she goes into B&N and doesn't doesn't know where to look or what to choose. A book store can be a pretty daunting place. Dozens of different sections, thousands of titles, such pretty covers, how do to choose?! Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed in a book store I have found the best place to look for advice is in the Employee Recommended Section. Usually there is a wide-range of reader tastes, as well as an explanation for why that person decided to give their stamp of approval.

If you aren't an avid reader, take all of my recommendations with this bit of advice: You might have to read a lot of novels before you really figure out what sort of books you like.

Also, please don't take my book list on the right as a list of recommendations. There are several on there that I would never recommend to anyone and several that I read before this year that I want to share!

Update Book 31: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't enjoy "A Reliable Wife," more than I did. This is a page-turner just like the reviewers claim. I finished it in under a day, but I felt like something was missing. There were several paragraphs where I just wanted the author to get to the point. After I finished I looked up the reviews on Amazon. I found it very interesting how split readers were; half gave it five stars, the other half one. There is a decidedly sexual tone to most of the book that I assume many found unappealing. There is a good story here with some unexpected twists and turns. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I guess I am one of the few sitting right in the middle at three stars.

Book Lust.

Now that three months have rushed past in this year it is time to evaluate my progress. As of this morning I have thirty books completed. A day behind my target, but I am still ahead of pace to reach my goal. This brings me to my case of Book Lust. It is true, I have a problem. I can't leave a book store without making a purchase. I have dozens of books on my shelf waiting to be read and yet every week I add to my stacks. I also have a wishlist that reaches over 50 books. The truth is, I have a problem. But alas, I am not alone. My aunt told me of a book called "Book Lust." Written by a librarian, book reviewer, and bookaholic. Her book chronicles her favorite novels as well as books to fit every moods. So in the spirit of book lust, here are my favorite books of the year. In no particular order:

The Shadow of the Wind, The Book Thief, My Enemy's Cradle, Love Walked In, and The Kite Runner.

So what made these novels superior in my mind? It is in the details. That is what makes a story great and why not everyone can become a successful writer. Telling a story isn't easy. As a writer you know what happens; you see the pictures in your head and imagine the plot unfolding. When narrating that same story it is easy to overlook the details. But it is the small elements that make a reader fall in love with a character. It is the carefully woven words that create a solid mental picture and make reading a book such a personal experience.

Update Books 27, 28, 29: Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Books 1,2,3 by J.R. Ward

As promised not all of the books I have read have been works of literary brilliance. My mind needs a little time off. Enter the "Black Dagger Brotherhood." It is my guilty pleasure. Recommended by my cousin I finished the first three of the series in a week. Yes it is another Vampire series, but with a new twist to the genre. These books are what my friend Ashley and I like to call 'Smut.' Enough said? I think so.

Update Book 30: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Sometimes when I hear so much about a book it makes me wary of reading it. This was the case with "The Kite Runner." I had heard so many people talk about it and recommend it that it sat on my bookshelf for years. I think part of me was nervous that I would be disappointed with it. Finally, after a coworker read it over her spring break I picked it up. She had warned me that it was the saddest book she had ever read. But nothing could prepare me for this heart-wrenching story.

"The Kite Runner," is about family, friendship, and love. It is also about everything that is terrible in this world. The choices people make and the guilt they live with. At times it was difficult for me to read such a sorrowful story. I put it down several times to collect myself. Although the story is mournful, it is also beautiful. The sadness is striking. This is a story that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I realize that many people may be turned off by the idea of reading such a sad book, but I want to be clear that I did enjoy this story. One of the characters says it perfectly "Sad stories make good books." This isn't a good book, this a great book. This story opened my eyes to a culture that I know very little about. My understanding of the Middle East has come mostly from CNN and MSNBC. I will admit that I am extremely ignorant to much of what happens in that part of the world. "The Kite Runner" humanizes the people of Afghanistan. This should be recommended reading for anyone who attempts to form an opinion on any of the Muslim countries.

The Shadow of the Wind.

Update Book 26: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I wish that I had written my review for "The Shadow of the Wind" immediately after I finished it. Maybe then I could better articulate how much I enjoyed it. There isn't much I like more than a book written by an author that love books. It is obvious after reading this novel that Zafon is infatuated with the mystery and soul that is held within the pages. He understands that a book can have life and that only through the eyes of a reading can that life awaken.

This book is about Daniel a young boy in Barcelona who's father owns a small book shop. One early morning when Daniel is ten years old his father decides it is time for him to visit 'The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.' First time visitors are asked to choose a book and make sure that it never disappears. Instead of choosing a book, "The Shadow of the Wind" chooses Daniel. After becoming captivated by it, Daniel looks for other novels written by Julian Carax. Daniel finds that someone else is also searching for novels by Carax. Their quest is not for literary purposes, but for flammable reasons. Daniel soon finds that this enigma has found and burned almost every copy ever written by Carax. The journey that ensues is one of mystery and intrigue. About half-way through the main character, Daniel describes the story perfectly:

"Well, This is a story about books."

"About Books?"

"About accursed books, about a man who wrote them, about a character who broke out of the pages of a novel so that he could burn it, about a betrayal and lost friendship. It's a story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind."

"The Shadow of the Wind" didn't only choose Daniel, it also selected me. Sometimes I find books just by picking them up absentmindedly at a book store other times I feel like they chose me--as if I was meant to read them. So is the case with "The Shadow of the Wind." Over a year ago I was just about to close up the coffeeshop when a man came in and order a sandwich. I asked him if he would like something to drink along with his ham and swiss. He said he was actually heading to a different coffeeshop where he was going to join members of a book club. I asked what book they were reading. He told me that it wasn't one he would recommend but if I gave him a slip of paper he would jot down a few of his recent favorites. On the list were three books. "The Shadow of the Wind" was the third. After looking each of them up I added them to my wishlist. Then about a month ago I was looking through the shelves in my Dad's office when I saw a worn copy of "The Shadow of the Wind." It seems the fates were all trying to hint that I should read this book!

What I enjoyed so much about this novel was the eloquence in which it was written. At times it was brilliantly poetic and insightful. Here are a two of my favorite passages:

"Julian once wrote that coincidences are the scars of fate. There are no coincidences, Daniel. We are puppets of our subconscious desires."

"Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day."