Matt raised his eyebrows "Yes?"
"I was thinking of the flasher," Lizabeth said. "And it occurred to me that I'm much more frightened of you than I am of him."
Matt stomped the lid down on the can of joint compound. "There's all kinds of fear," he said. "Some kinds of fear are much more fun than others."
It was true, Lizabeth thought. Matt was a ride down a white-water canyon. Danger had its upside, she decided. There was nothing like an occasional shot of adrenaline to spice up your life.
Lizabeth, Lizabeth, Lizabeth, a small voice whispered, those are fairy thoughts. Better watch out, ... (pp. 104-105)
Smitten by Janet Evanovich was a very quick read for me and I found it fun and entertaining as well. Lizabeth, a single mom, needs a job and Matt, a sexy carpenter, hires her just for the fun of it. Their attraction for one another is instant and intense. Throw in an eccentric aunt, a neighborhood flasher, a dog that keeps stealing food from the family meals, and a home that needs a lot of repair, you now have a crazy story true to Evanovich style. I loved Smitten and recommend it to other chick-lit readers.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Shipping News
Drumroll of rain. Stupid Man Does Wrong Thing Once More. (p.89)
The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx is a prize winning book, having won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 1993 National Book Award for Fiction, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. As with most "prize winning" books, I had a slow start at it but then the storyline caught my interest and kept me going for a satisfactory ending.
Quoyle is a man that fits all the stereotypical images of the down-and-out middle aged man with a past: he has his private demons from his childhood and adulthood, he is overweight and questionably attractive, his wife cheats on him, he struggles at his lack-luster job, he has few friends, and his self esteem is extremely low. What he doesn't realize is that he is not stuck in this depressing life; all it takes is a change of course and a new perspective and attitude.
A spinning coin, still balanced on its rim, may fall in either direction. (p.11)
Tragedy strikes Quoyle's family and he finds himself in need of a new direction in life for him and his two young daughters. His aunt suggests moving to the coast of Newfoundland where their family originated and she grew up as a child. When they arrive, they find a life they never expected. New people, new jobs, new living conditions, new possibilities for everyone... a fresh start of sorts.
Water may be older than light, diamonds crack in hot goat's blood, mountaintops give off cold fire, forests appear in mid-ocean, it may happen that a crab is caught with the shadow of a hand on its back, that the wind be imprisoned in a bit of knotted string. And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery. (pp. 336-337)
And with that fresh start, Quoyle learns about love: love for life, family, friends, work, and a special woman. A story of blossoming, learning, and experiencing, Proulx's The Shipping News was something of a surprise for me. I questioned whether I could ride out the storm of the dark beginning and then I found light in the journey that continued to the end. I really liked the book and recommend it to others who also enjoy this kind of reading experience.
The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx is a prize winning book, having won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 1993 National Book Award for Fiction, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. As with most "prize winning" books, I had a slow start at it but then the storyline caught my interest and kept me going for a satisfactory ending.
Quoyle is a man that fits all the stereotypical images of the down-and-out middle aged man with a past: he has his private demons from his childhood and adulthood, he is overweight and questionably attractive, his wife cheats on him, he struggles at his lack-luster job, he has few friends, and his self esteem is extremely low. What he doesn't realize is that he is not stuck in this depressing life; all it takes is a change of course and a new perspective and attitude.
A spinning coin, still balanced on its rim, may fall in either direction. (p.11)
Tragedy strikes Quoyle's family and he finds himself in need of a new direction in life for him and his two young daughters. His aunt suggests moving to the coast of Newfoundland where their family originated and she grew up as a child. When they arrive, they find a life they never expected. New people, new jobs, new living conditions, new possibilities for everyone... a fresh start of sorts.
Water may be older than light, diamonds crack in hot goat's blood, mountaintops give off cold fire, forests appear in mid-ocean, it may happen that a crab is caught with the shadow of a hand on its back, that the wind be imprisoned in a bit of knotted string. And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery. (pp. 336-337)
And with that fresh start, Quoyle learns about love: love for life, family, friends, work, and a special woman. A story of blossoming, learning, and experiencing, Proulx's The Shipping News was something of a surprise for me. I questioned whether I could ride out the storm of the dark beginning and then I found light in the journey that continued to the end. I really liked the book and recommend it to others who also enjoy this kind of reading experience.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Man Hunting
Kate smiled smugly. "Well, I'm counting on it being sexy. I have a date this afternoon."
"Oh, Lord. " Jake closed his eyes. "Who are you going to destroy now?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The hotel would appreciate it if you'd just throw back the men you don't like without maiming them."
"I haven't maimed anyone."
"You almost drowned Lance, you scared Peter into heart palpitations, you stabbed Donald with a fork, and you hit Brad over the head with a bottle." Jake shook his head. "And they still ask you out."
"Lance asked for it, Peter was cheating, Donald was an accident, and, I might point out, I hit Brad to save you --- an act I have regretted every since."
"They ask you out, but they don't keep you. Has any guy actually finished a date with you?"
Kate sat up, outraged. "Listen, I've had affairs with men."
Jake snorted. "So you've said, but where are they now?" (p.131)
I love Jennifer Crusie and my latest read Man Hunting did not let me down. Kate is ambitious, good looking, rich, but without a man. She has a plan, though, to find her perfect match and is off to The Cabins Resort to initiate it. One problem: a date with Kate can end dangerously for the men she thinks might meet her criteria. And Jake always seems to be there to help these men to safety. Jake, Jake who? Oh, he's the brother of the hotel's owner who appears to have dropped out of life. But soon Kate and Jake become "buddies" and are the last people in Toby's Corners to see the sexual tension and love between the two of them. Will Kate find her ideal man and live happily ever after? Will Jake always swear off women and ambition in order to continue living his quiet life on the lake? Will these two ever take a good look at each and find what they are missing in life?
I definitely recommend Man Hunting. It is typical Jennifer Crusie, but that's ok by me. I like the predictability of her chick-lit books. They are fun and easy reading. I love the craziness she shows when two people are looking in the wrong places for love or meet the person of their dreams without realizing it because of their preconceived notions of "the right person." And I like it when the woman gets her man in the end.
"Oh, Lord. " Jake closed his eyes. "Who are you going to destroy now?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The hotel would appreciate it if you'd just throw back the men you don't like without maiming them."
"I haven't maimed anyone."
"You almost drowned Lance, you scared Peter into heart palpitations, you stabbed Donald with a fork, and you hit Brad over the head with a bottle." Jake shook his head. "And they still ask you out."
"Lance asked for it, Peter was cheating, Donald was an accident, and, I might point out, I hit Brad to save you --- an act I have regretted every since."
"They ask you out, but they don't keep you. Has any guy actually finished a date with you?"
Kate sat up, outraged. "Listen, I've had affairs with men."
Jake snorted. "So you've said, but where are they now?" (p.131)
I love Jennifer Crusie and my latest read Man Hunting did not let me down. Kate is ambitious, good looking, rich, but without a man. She has a plan, though, to find her perfect match and is off to The Cabins Resort to initiate it. One problem: a date with Kate can end dangerously for the men she thinks might meet her criteria. And Jake always seems to be there to help these men to safety. Jake, Jake who? Oh, he's the brother of the hotel's owner who appears to have dropped out of life. But soon Kate and Jake become "buddies" and are the last people in Toby's Corners to see the sexual tension and love between the two of them. Will Kate find her ideal man and live happily ever after? Will Jake always swear off women and ambition in order to continue living his quiet life on the lake? Will these two ever take a good look at each and find what they are missing in life?
I definitely recommend Man Hunting. It is typical Jennifer Crusie, but that's ok by me. I like the predictability of her chick-lit books. They are fun and easy reading. I love the craziness she shows when two people are looking in the wrong places for love or meet the person of their dreams without realizing it because of their preconceived notions of "the right person." And I like it when the woman gets her man in the end.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Keeping The Feast
Keeping The Feast is an inspiring story of what happens when tragedy strikes a happy marriage and a couple must suddenly fight to find their bearings. It is a testament to the extraordinary sustaining powers of food and love, to the healing that can come from the simple rituals of life, even during the biggest challenges, and to the stubborn belief that there is always an afterward, always hope. (back cover)
I loved John also because, like me, he liked to cook as much as he liked to eat, because both of us grew up in homes where honest food was the central magnet that brought us all to the same table two or three times a day. ... I loved him also because both our families came to the table not just to eat, but to talk, laugh, share our problems, share our lives. I loved him because I could envision a lifetime of ordinary meals together, alone or with good friends who might share our sense of what nourishment really means. ... I loved him because he was smart enough to know that food was a lot more than fuel. (p. 36)
A biography that describes love, food, travel, depression, and healing, Keeping The Feast by Paula Butturini boldly tells the story of family, friends, and the daily routines that helped during the many years of recovery after her husband John Tagliabue was hit by a bullet and had to heal not only from the bullet wound but from illness and depression as well. Butturini's vivid descriptions of food and country are rich and memorable. Her descriptions of depression and its effects on others are heart wrenching. And her love for her husband and for food are very obvious as she relates her detailed story to the reader.
A single bullet started it all. ... But even a single bullet takes at least two paths: one through a body, the other through life itself. The first path is visible, gory, dramatic. All the same, it is the simple route. The second path is imperceptible, hidden, and therefore far more fraught. The second path cuts through a once seamless life, splitting it in two: the old life before the bullet and the new life after. Neither doctors nor patient can see the second path, so the wounds it leaves often go unnoticed and untreated. Both can lead to long-term festering. (p.100)
I could not put this book down. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I appreciated Butturini's fusion of food, routine, patience, and healing. I loved her detail. And my heart felt for John and the struggles he endured from his health and depression. A positive story that is not always a happy one, Keeping The Feast continued to show hope and love despite the many challenges that John and Paula faced.
All of us cook, I think, in part to feed our daily hunger, but just as important, and perhaps more so, we cook and eat to feed our spirits, to keep us all in the same orbit of life. As the generations turn, as our family expands, the table and its simple pleasures --- never just the food, but the food and the talk, the food and the laughter, the food and the tears, the jokes, the memories, the hopes --- still hold us in place, well anchored in a safe harbor. There may very well be another depression or endless other troubles, big or small, lying in wait for us, but rather than freezing in fear about what may come, we try our best to live and enjoy the lives we've been served forth. (pp. 253-254)
I think this statement fully illustrates the inspiration that Paula Butturini draws from when telling her story. Honest and refreshing, I absolutely loved Keeping The Feast and recommend it to others.
I loved John also because, like me, he liked to cook as much as he liked to eat, because both of us grew up in homes where honest food was the central magnet that brought us all to the same table two or three times a day. ... I loved him also because both our families came to the table not just to eat, but to talk, laugh, share our problems, share our lives. I loved him because I could envision a lifetime of ordinary meals together, alone or with good friends who might share our sense of what nourishment really means. ... I loved him because he was smart enough to know that food was a lot more than fuel. (p. 36)
A biography that describes love, food, travel, depression, and healing, Keeping The Feast by Paula Butturini boldly tells the story of family, friends, and the daily routines that helped during the many years of recovery after her husband John Tagliabue was hit by a bullet and had to heal not only from the bullet wound but from illness and depression as well. Butturini's vivid descriptions of food and country are rich and memorable. Her descriptions of depression and its effects on others are heart wrenching. And her love for her husband and for food are very obvious as she relates her detailed story to the reader.
A single bullet started it all. ... But even a single bullet takes at least two paths: one through a body, the other through life itself. The first path is visible, gory, dramatic. All the same, it is the simple route. The second path is imperceptible, hidden, and therefore far more fraught. The second path cuts through a once seamless life, splitting it in two: the old life before the bullet and the new life after. Neither doctors nor patient can see the second path, so the wounds it leaves often go unnoticed and untreated. Both can lead to long-term festering. (p.100)
I could not put this book down. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I appreciated Butturini's fusion of food, routine, patience, and healing. I loved her detail. And my heart felt for John and the struggles he endured from his health and depression. A positive story that is not always a happy one, Keeping The Feast continued to show hope and love despite the many challenges that John and Paula faced.
All of us cook, I think, in part to feed our daily hunger, but just as important, and perhaps more so, we cook and eat to feed our spirits, to keep us all in the same orbit of life. As the generations turn, as our family expands, the table and its simple pleasures --- never just the food, but the food and the talk, the food and the laughter, the food and the tears, the jokes, the memories, the hopes --- still hold us in place, well anchored in a safe harbor. There may very well be another depression or endless other troubles, big or small, lying in wait for us, but rather than freezing in fear about what may come, we try our best to live and enjoy the lives we've been served forth. (pp. 253-254)
I think this statement fully illustrates the inspiration that Paula Butturini draws from when telling her story. Honest and refreshing, I absolutely loved Keeping The Feast and recommend it to others.
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