Or a day off.
My Monday thus far:
Sick child (the elder) at 3 am.
Round trip to smallish city north of here for an appointment.
Set up a loan with the bank for a truck & camper.
Installed new photo-editing software on computer.
Picked up new laptop for soccer association.
Ate lunch at 3:45.
Pizza for dinner. The sick one will have soup or toast.
This book is beautiful. And awful.
I understand completely why it’s been endorsed by the National Alzheimer’s Association. A book about the “Scarlet A”, written from the perspective of someone with an early-onset diagnosis? Unprecedented.
Simply put, this book made me sad. It brought up memories of my great uncle, who died from Alzheimer’s. His wife, my funny-as-hell Aunt Terry, also died of it. The last time I saw her was 1992, and she was deep in the disease. She said that she recognized me by my eyes, which sounded so sweet and hopeful. Unfortunately, her daughter-in-law confirmed that she rarely knew anyone at that point.
Possibly the saddest thing about my uncle & aunt’s story is that their only son (my second cousin) has early-onset Alzheimer’s. He’s been on meds for a decade, give or take, and they’re working as best they can. He certainly hasn’t had the same progression as Alice, the title character of this book. He still knows me, walks his dog multiple times a day, and hasn’t become a huge burden on his wife. He still seems like himself.
With Alzheimer’s, I’m not sure what would be worse: seeing your loved one deteriorate, and being able to do nothing, or finding out that you carry the gene, and will get the disease for sure. 100%. No prevention available. I think I’d struggle more with the knowledge, and would possibly decide not to know. But only if I had someone who could watch me for symptoms.
Sometimes, I ask myself what I would choose to lose, if I had to: sight or hearing. We humans are such morbid creatures, and I’m no exception.
Now I know that the loss of my mind, my memories, my very sense of self, would be much, much worse. And so much more heartbreaking.
Ahh, Sookie, how I’ve missed you. Charlaine Harris’ latest book in the Southern Vampire series was just as fun as the rest. Dead & Gone is one I’d recommend. But only after you’ve read the first 7 (8?) books in the series.
The books are definitely escapist, what with all the vamps, weres (not just wolves, either), shape shifters and fairies…among other creatures. There’s some sex (relatively PG) and many interconnecting storylines going on at once. There are also some violent scenes, but nothing too horrible.
These are the books upon which the HBO series “True Blood” is based. Interestingly, it has not pissed me off when the TV show goes off the rails and doesn’t follow the book. I’m ok with the alternate reality, especially because it slots in nicely with the overall tone of the books. And I get to enjoy the books, knowing that I won’t necessarily see any of it on the TV screen in future.
Wow. This was quite the book. I’ve heard about the various civil wars and genocides in different parts of Africa. I didn’t realize how deeply “western” religions have penetrated. Sure, I knew missionaries have been there for years….I just didn’t get that the message had stuck. I’ve also never thought much about how there are Muslims in Africa (duh).
Hi, I’m Canadian. And somewhat ignorant. And feel like a bit of an idiot now.
The book focuses on the children of Africa, and what effect the unrest has on them. The last story was particularly horrifying…and sad, because of the likelihood that it’s a very close version of someone’s truth. The stories made me uncomfortable, because children should be held sacred. They should not be forced into slavery by people who pretend to help them. They should not be forced to witness murder. They should not believe prostitution is the best option. They’re CHILDREN.
I’ve always wanted to visit Africa. It fascinates me in so many ways. I’m just not sure I could handle the sad side of it in person.
In case I didn’t make it clear: READ THIS BOOK. It’s beautiful and haunting. And it’ll make you think.
The Curse of the Singles Table: A True Story of 1001 Nights Without Sex
I’m not sure what possessed me to pick this one up. Non-fiction, even. This is what I get when I wander the library at closing – the library in my hometown, that’s so much larger than our current small-town library. (Not for long…our new, huge library is opening in 2 months!) Lucky for me, the book was worth it. Suzanne Schlosberg is funny, without trying too hard or seeming too ridiculous. Of course, I cannot imagine 1000+ days without sex. Wow.
Overall, a good read. Also a nice antidote to the other book I’m reading right now (Say You’re One of Them).
I finally spent my $25 Chapters gift card. Yes, six (6?!) more books to add to the pile. Er, piles. I love clearance sales.
And then, stupidly, I went to the library in my home town – they’re nice enough to let me have a card with full membership, even though I live 4+ hours away now – and took out four more. I had to go in anyway, since my card wouldn’t work for ordering books online (my parents do the pick up & bring them to me when they visit – am so spoiled). It had expired.
Wow. Didn’t know library cards could even do that! The “To Read” list is officially off the charts. I would guess it’s somewhere upwards of 30 books, most of which I own.
Oh, and I managed to check another one out from the local library tonight. Someone stop me already!!! All these books….and then reviews. I’m never going to sleep again.
There’s been a lot of togetherness chez Refinnej in the past month. The kids had two weeks off for the holidays, D took a few vacation days at the end of the year, and I had some days off right before Christmas. I love spending time with the family, but now that we’re into month 3 (4 if you count the chills of October) of what is our looooong winter, they are beginning to wear on me.
READ: If this were spring or summer, I could kick their skinny asses outside to ride bikes or something. Instead, I listen to them sing (badly), argue (incessantly) and whine (intermittently).
So, I escaped. A good friend from Down Under is here until Tuesday, and I couldn’t let her entire visit slip by without seeing her. And? I was going a little squirrelly.
I drove to Vancouver yesterday morning, visited my sister & my mom at their respective workplaces, and then met up with the lovely M and Karen (aka my other sister) for some Swedish shopping and Greek food. It was a wonderful evening: good food, lots of laughs, and NO CHILDREN.
Today was spent shopping with my sister & her boyfriend, and then I was back at Karen’s for dinner and some downtime. All in all, a great day. Tomorrow is lunch with a great group of friends, some time with the ‘rents (I’m staying with them, and they seem to want to actually SEE me at some point), and dinner.
I’m heading home early Monday morning. it’s just enough of a break to feel like me again, and to ensure my boys live to see their next birthdays.
So. The kids got Beatles Rockband (Wii) for Christmas. They probably don’t know who the hell the Beatles are, but hey! It’s Rockband. And they know that damn submarine song. They spent some gift cards on two other Rockband cd’s, which finally arrived today. Speaking of which: nice f-ing “tracking” option, Crappy Post. As of this morning, it still showed that the parcel was in Mississauga.
Not. The. Point.
My children? Love to sing. LOVE to sing loud. And neither can carry a tune. Just like their mother. (and father, truth be told) Is it wrong that I want to tell them to stop singing, when they just got cd’s with songs they actually know and love?
Probably. I’ll stick to “keep it down” for now…..and will probably escape to the bedroom shortly.
Well. I’m glad I took a chance on this book. It was unnerving to read a book without knowing the main character’s name until Chapter 7 (8?), but it was well worth it. There’s no way to put it down – you’ll never know the whole story that way.
It’s set early in the 20th century, in what I think is the prairies of Western Canada. Maybe the Western US. I couldn’t tell for sure. Doesn’t matter. I can’t think of what else to say….so I’ll quote the blurb on the back of the book. It was enough to hook me:
In 1903, two vengeful brothers and a pack of bloodhounds track a mysterious young woman across the western wilderness. She is nineteen years old. Half mad. A widow by her own hand. So begins The Outlander, an original & wholly satisfying read.
On the still-evolving book-rating scale I’m using: Read it. I recommend it highly.
“The Brightest Star in the Sky” – Marian Keyes
I’ve liked almost every Marian Keyes book I’ve ever picked up. Sure, they’re vaguely formulaic, but the people that should be together don’t always end up together. And she’s good at dreaming up some hilarious (and maddening) characters. This one didn’t disappoint. I started and finished it yesterday, reading during the “Top Gear” marathon BBC Canada was running. It was too hard to put down, even for what has become one of my favourite shows. The narrator of the story wasn’t a person – not yet – and that was different.
Other books by the same author that I fully recommend: Watermelon, Anybody Out There, Rachel’s Holiday, and Angels. Oh, hell, read them all.
*******
I’m going to try to keep a record of the books I read in 2010. I absolutely suck at reviewing books – I have plenty to say, but have a terrible time putting it into words. Eloquent I am not. That may change with practice. Or maybe not. I warn you now, all my reviews may be along the lines of this:
Great book. Go read it for your damn self.
Apologies in advance.
