Sleeping Arrangements

I've been reading sleeping arrangements by Madeline Wickham. This book was recommended to my by Julie. I know that she also wrote on her blog about the novel. (let's hope my analysis can equal to hers...)

The book starts introducing different stories. Almost like the Lord of the Rings connects different tales. However, the subject matter couldn't be MORE different than the Lord of the Rings! There are two families: The Strattons and The Murrays. Both families share a friend by the name of Gerard. This Gerard is a wine taster and owns a villa in Spain.

Also, both families share the desperate need for a vacation. Chloe (the partner of Phillip Murray) is a dress designer who works under the stress of demanding brides and their mothers. Phillip Murray works in a bank and is in the sticky situation of possibly loosing his job. The Murray boys, Sam and Nat are excited to take a break and enjoy a swimming pool and games. Hugh Stratton works non-stop and barely knows his own two little girls (Beatrice and Octavia). Whereas his wife, Amanda is a busy stay at home mom who is desperate to perfect her already glowing tan.

However....Gerard books them both at his villa for the same week!!!!!!! The vacation doesn't start out too smoothly for the families. Both are very mad about the mistake. And....Hugh and Chloe are forced to look back 16 years at the time that they were dating. This booking mistake was quite coincidental! (or was it?)

I'll have to read more to discover the mystery, or lack of behind Gerard's "whoopsies"

THE END!

I just finished Three Days, and it was a good book. However, I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. It was relatively slow moving and just a very silly idea. (Being captured by a sweet family?)

At the end of the story, questions raised throughout the book were answered (fancy that!) The reason Claudia (the woman that Jackie took walks on the beach with) was being kept by the family was because there was a girl around Jackie's age that had died. The girl's name was Antonia and was very close to Claudia (her mother). The family replaced Antonia with Jackie.

In the last couple of scenes, Jackie is taken to Antonia's grave, and this is where Jackie understands the reason she was treated so well and kept at the home. She sees through the family's tears that this girl was very important to them.

Jackie also is taken to the train station by Claudia. In other words, she is released to go back home. Jackie takes out a picture of her mom and tells the photograph not to worry, and that she'll be home soon. Then, she sits back and waits for the train to make it to the airport.

This is the most unrealistic story EVER!

Jackie is now fully moved into the house of the Italian family. The two men (who she has discovered are the sons of the woman at the house) are rarely home. However, the mother stays at the house full time and takes care of Jackie like Jackie was her daughter. Believe it or not, Jackie isn't as scared as she was at the beginning of this strange experience. The mother draws Jackie's bath and the two go on walks along the shore near their home. Jackie is very aware of the fact that the family has a story, or something to tell her, but she just can't seem to grasp what it is that they want!

Honestly, this is a very very slow moving book and it contains a lot of day to day details. Like the fact that the lasagna smelled delicious mixed with the basil growing in the clay pots outside. And that the sun warmed her fingers while she watched the woman in the kitchen. (the woman being mother). Then, the book goes into detail on how the mother carefully puts layers of pasta, cheese, and white sauce with fresh herbs in order, and then repeats the process multiple times. It can get VERY slow and quite boring, but somehow the story keeps you hooked. You just HAVE to know what will happen in this BEYOND strange story!!!

A Situation I Would Not Do Well In!

I’m now reading Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli. It’s about a girl whose father gets killed by a heart attack during their father/daughter vacation in Italy. Jackie (the daughter) doesn’t have a cell phone and doesn’t know what to do. She is left stranded on the Italian highway with a dead father and rental car.
Unfortunately, two men in a truck pick her up. She is VERY scared (and who wouldn’t be??) She has no choice but to go with them. They take her to their home and give her very nice things. They give her a beautiful room that is made just for a girl her age. Also, at the home is an older woman.
Since Jackie speaks little to no English, she has to piece together the family’s life. During all of this, all she can think about is how badly she wants to go home. The family’s marinara smells delicious, but it’s not the same as her mother’s. She can only imagine what is going on in the world. The home she is at is in a very secluded area and all of the neighbors speak…you guessed it, ITALIAN!
I’m only into the very beginning of the book, so I don’t know too much about the plot, but I have been getting to know Jackie. She seems to be a very considerate and brilliant young girl. It is obvious that she will find a way to get herself out of the situation no matter what. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem too phased by the whole “being helpless” thing. Of course, this strange, yet very kind family does help with that little fact…

Final Remember Me?

The End
Oh my word!!!! This was such a funny story!!!!! There is a section of the book where Lexi is trying to help her husband Eric impress his customers at an open house of one of his beautiful houses. Lexi and Jon (a man she apparently was having an affair with, though she can’t remember him…..) were in charge of putting Italian stones into the exotic fish tank. However, Lexi throws the rocks in and ends up killing one of the fish. When she scoops the fish out (yes, with her hands!) she puts it in the “loo” but can’t find a flush button. She asks Jon how to flush the toilet, and Jon responds by giving her a remote control. When she tries to figure out the control, she looses patience and just jabs at all the buttons. NOT A GOOD IDEA! All of a sudden the read lights start flashing and an alarm rings out. While cages start coming down on the guests Lexi realizes she really got herself in trouble. But thank goodness for Lexi, Jon saves her by disguising her mistake as a “test of the alarm system’s state of the art qualities”.

This is just an example of the crazy things that happen in this book. It’s just hilarious.
Unfortunately, I have this habit of reacting to books out loud when I’m reading, and I really had to try to not laugh (for fear of strange looks from classmates)

I would recommend this book if you like a good laugh and a light read. However, I wouldn’t really recommend it to the males…. It’s a feminine type book. Though if you WANT to read it, go ahead!

Remember Me?

Amnesia….
I changed the book I will be reading for this quarter. Thanks to Julie, I’ve started one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in awhile. It’s really funny, and a nice light read.

Lexi (the main character) gets into a car crash and looses her memory. She can remember everything up to three years before the crash. Unfortunately this means she can’t remember her husband, friends, job specifics, or who she is… Also, it doesn’t exactly help that she was a very ambitious woman when the accident happened, but three years before she was a low self-esteem, low totem pole worker who thought tight purple shirts were attractive.

So far, Lexi has been let out of the hospital and brought back home to her beautiful, remote control home. To her dismay, she finds herself constantly screwing up while trying to be the professional she once was. It’s absolutely shocking how she has transformed from her tacky old self into such a polished businesswoman.

Her husband, Eric writes a book that gives her details on everything she used to do. (Like, what she normally eats for breakfast). Some of the things she used to do come naturally to her, like complicated yoga moves and how to walk in heels. It’s all in the muscle memory. (how ever, she can’t remember how to drive a car…which might be a good thing)

When Lexi goes back to work, she discovers that she can’t remember her assistants, or even what she is supposed to be doing in her position. The company relies on her as the head of her department, but she is completely useless. It takes the workers a while to realize that she can’t be depended on for all the answers anymore. I wonder how long Lexi will be able to keep up with their demands before collapsing under the confusion and pressure? Is the old Lexi up to handling the modern Lexi’s life?

The Misfits (part 1)

Hmmm…. Names, Ties, and Adolescence

I’m starting the book, “The Misfits” by James Howe. I’m not too far into it yet, but the some of the obvious main characters have been introduced. Bobby, a twelve year old boy, also known as Fluff by fellow classmates works in a tie store. He is called Fluff because he loved Marshmallow and peanut butter sandwiches when he was young.
His boss is named Mr. Kellerman (or Killer Man), and so far, this man has come off to be quite strict as to how his tie shop is run. He wears suits and whips around his silken handkerchief.
Squeeze Tookis is one of Bobby’s friends. He is a greasy, dirty, slimy boy who is very concerned about a Forum that Bobby and his friends have (Skeezie included). Other members of this Forum include Addie, a tall girl who is very smart and Joe. Joe scares other boys because of his feminine characteristics. Joe is also incredibly creative, and according to Bobby….possibly too creative.
It is apparent that Bobby isn’t a fan of names or tags. I can definitely understand this due to the fact that he is called Fluff. He thinks it’s silly to call someone by a name that only encompasses a small part, or individual characteristic of a person. He believes that there is so much more to a person than a name, and to judge a person through their label is shameful and disappointing. By doing this, you aren’t giving the person in question a chance to be themselves and you are missing out on enjoying what that person has to offer.

Last of The Book Thief (from me)

Last on The Book Thief
I finished the Book Thief and I can honestly say that the WHOLE book is fantastic! Really! It’s a great way to remember history, and look at how the Holocaust affected not only Jews, and Gypsies, but also every single German person. Also, it affected humans all around the world. You just simply can’t escape the drama of the terrible event.
As sad as I know it sounds, everyone but Liesel dies at the end of the book. The thing is, it is important to express the devastation of the time. How else would a book narrated by death end? Honestly, if you don’t expect the story ending in his work, I can’t imagine what you were thinking.
Near the end of the story, Liesel happens upon a group of captive Jews that goes through her town. She sees Max, and it kills her inside. To keep herself and family alive, she can’t do anything. Can you imagine how many children during this horrific even must have faced the same problem?
Often, I think it is a common misconception that only Jews were hurt during the holocaust, but as Markus Zusak points, that is VERY wrong. I wonder, "where would my family be if they were in Europe during the time?" I can’t imagine how devastating it would have been to say goodbye to my father who was called to war, and to have to pretend to conform to Hitler’s ideas. (Assuming I didn’t fit into the category of people who were so scared for themselves that they supported Hitler).
I truly admire the people like Liesel’s family, who stretched everything they had to bring some justice to the world. Their sacrificed their own protection for someone else who was being tortured. These acts are HONEST forms of courage that many wouldn’t be able to accomplish. Though this is a very sad piece, Markus Zusak inspired me through it.

The Book Thief Continued....

More on The Book Thief
As MEA has just passed, I’ve had some extra time and therefore I have gotten quite a bit farther in The Book Thief. So, far I REALLY recommend this book!
From the last post, we are aware of Max, Liesel, Papa and Mama (the foster mother). Also, you have been introduced to Liesel’s light fingers and desire for books.
Another very important character in this story is Rudy. Rudy is Liesel’s best friend and the boy obsesses over Jessie Owens. The two make for quite a strange pair, but nonetheless they really have a “story book” relationship. Rudy follows Liesel on her trips to the mayor’s house. He lifts her through the open window on the side of the large house; she sneaks in and picks a book that she thinks wouldn’t be missed too badly. After she picks her piece and hops back out the window they take off down the dusty road.
Rudy’s father was sent to fight in the war, along side Papa. Both children and their families suffer from the war and loss of a father figure. Eventually, the children get so hungry that they start stealing from local farms. To them, a handful of apples looks just as appealing as a birthday cake.
Another developing character is Max Vandenburg. Liesel starts spending quite a bit of time with the man in hiding. She realizes that he needs some outside stimulation. She gives him weather reports, which he enjoys quite a bit. We learn that Max was quite a fighter when he wasn’t in hiding and we also see that he is quite educated. He starts painting with Papa’s paint. The walls get covered with his inner frustrations.

Book Thief cont.

Book Thief Cont.
Last post, I gave an overview of what I remembered of the story, because I wasn’t very far into the book and didn’t have too much to say. Now I’m about ¼ of the way done, and have a little more insight.
One of the main aspects of this story is how Liesel “steals” books. This desire took hold of her when her brother died. At the funeral, the grave-digger had a manual that explained the proper way to bury a corpse. He dropped it, and Liesel picked it up. Since the family was on a train to the Liesel’s foster parents, they boy was buried in a remote place that would never be visited by Liesel again. She had nothing to remember her brother by, except a silly manual (that she couldn’t even read!)
So all in all, the theft began because Liesel was trying to hold on to her brother.
The first few nights that Liesel spent at her foster parents’ home were terrible. She would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming for her mom and brother. Papa (the new parent) would come in and sit by her bed, reading to her. Eventually, during these episodes of extreme awakedness, Papa would start teaching Liesel to read. She really wanted to read the digger’s manual, and in a strange way, Papa thought it would help her to say goodbye to her brother, and end these nightmares.
Along with Liesel’s story is the story of Mr. Max Vandenburg. Max is a Jew, and is fleeing. His father faught with Papa in the last war, so Papa agrees to let the boy come to the house on Himmel Street. The family takes in the Jew. Max hides in the basement.
We’ll have to wait to see what happens next….

Fairy Tales

The Wild Swans
This weekend I was cleaning out my bookshelf and I have books piled all over the floor. When I was having trouble falling asleep, and saw heaps of books, a crazy idea overcame me! READ!!! I saw on the top of the pile, there was a book of fairytales that I remember my Aunt giving to me when I was little. Honestly, I never had my Grandmother read anything to me unless it was Beauty and the Beast, or it had tons of horses. This time when I opened the book, I realized that there were many stories I wasn’t familiar with.
I like fairy tales to this day, but for a completely different reason than I did when I was four. Fairy tales can tell you so much about culture and history. It is interesting to me that almost identical tales can be found all over the world.
One of the stories I read was about the Wild Swans…
It had the classical “snow white start”. A queen wanted a beautiful daughter with raven hair and pale skin. Through the whole skin desire, we are shown that during medieval times, pale skin was desired, and a characteristic of the wealthy.
One thing I really enjoyed about this piece was the fact that the main character (a woman) was the one who was saving the men. So often it is the male saving the damsel in distress, which to me is a little repulsive and honestly…monotonous. Not only does this girl save men, she saves 12!!!!
You see aspects of history through the descriptions of clothing. For example, the girl (who is surprisingly nameless throughout the story) must make 12 cloaks for the men she is trying to save from a terrible curse that forces them to be swans all day, and can only return to their natural human state at night. Also, social classes show us that this story happened centuries ago. Princes ruled over towns in castles full of servants and court members. Due to the fact that the men were turned to swans, and not cranes or parrots, I think it is safe to conclude that this story took place somewhere in Europe.
I would have to say that the main theme or moral in this tale is to keep trying and never give up. The girl saving the swan men must stay absolutely silent until she finishes her robes, which proves to be hard through certain tasks, but nonetheless, she achieves it in the end.
Fairy tales are yet another way to look into the lives of others, and try to understand where they are coming from. Yes, I do agree that The Wild Swans isn’t probably the most in depth story, but they do exist and many are quite complicated. Nonetheless, I really did enjoy this story. I love the power to the women! (since it is often not so much the case in fairy tales)

Jazz Poetry

Charlie Parker (The Bird)

Lately, I’ve been reading poetry from a book of Jazz related poems. I’m a huge fan of jazz music, and one of my favorite musicians is Mr. Charlie Parker. As you can probably conclude, the poem, Charles Parker 1920-1955 (Waring Cuney) is about the bird himself.
It is about what Charles did to the blues. How he filled his saxophone with special “curly cues” and how he is now gone. But, his music is revived through John Birks, and others. It’s in remembrance of how Parker influenced jazz music.

Religion of Jazz

Jazz is My Religion(Ted Joans), is a wonderful poem that compares soul music to soulful ideas (such as religion). One of the more comical parts of the poem is when Mr. Joans gives famous musicians ecclesiastical titles. For example…
Minister Monk (Thelonius Monk)
Priest Ellington (Duke Ellington)
Reverend Dizzie Gillespie
Brother Bird (Charlie Parker)
And my favorite… “Pope John, John COLTRANE” (line 15)

Also, Ted Joans compares Harlem and soul music clubs to the commercial church. He feels that when you are moved by music, it is just like being moved by God.

The poem ends with “Hallelujah, I Love JAZZ so Hallelujah I dig JAZZ so Yeah JAZZ IS MY RELIGION” (lines31-33). I think that this ending is quite funny. In fact, I found this whole poem to be a wonderful smile instigator. It’s a great, light-hearted piece. Not one to keep you wondering about the philosophies of life, but rather just to entertain (like an upbeat piece of jazz music).

The Magician's Nephew (In Theatrical Form)

The Magician’s Nephew (In Theater Format)

A couple of days ago, I read through a play that was based off of C.S. Lewis’ story, The Magician’s Nephew.

This story starts with a friendship between two neighbor children, named Polly and Digory. Their adventures start out quite small, they enjoy rainy afternoons just creeping through their attics. One day, when they are in Digory’s uncle’s study, something extraordinary happens. Digory’s Uncle Andrew gives Polly an enchanted ring. Andrew is a peculiar man, who is obsessed with magic. He makes rings that will transport anyone to another world. (Though he is not quite sure what that other world is like). He needs a couple “guinea pigs” to test his magic on, so he chooses two helpless little children. When Polly slides a ring on her finger and disappears, Digory is forced to go and find her.
The children find themselves in a place between the worlds. It is a wood, full of puddles, and in each puddle is a different place. All you have to do to get to another world is put on one of Uncle Andrew’s rings and step in a puddle. Digory wants to explore this unknown territory, so he and Polly choose a puddle. In the world they first visit, they awaken an evil queen. The evil Empress Jada follows them into their world, and then eventually into Narnia. All the while, this queen is destroying everything she touches and is trying to overtake all of the worlds! It is quite a scary situation.
When the children and queen go to Narnia, Aslan (the creator of all worlds) sends Digory and Polly on a mission to find an apple. This apple is said to protect the world of Narnia from this evil witch. When they come back with the fruit, Aslan rewards them by giving Digory an apple for his mother (who is on death’s bed). This apple will cure her of any disease. Finally, the children are sent home. And all is well.

I really enjoyed reading this story in a different form than the traditional book. When I was little, I read the Narnia series multiple times and I am quite familiar with C.S. Lewis’ tales. At first, I had to read the script myself, so that I would be aware of what was coming when the play was read in a group. As a group, you get different voices for each character, which really gives you a clear picture in your mind. Not as clear as a movie, or theater production, where there are props, back rounds, etc., but nonetheless it is more clear. Also, the fact that you are trying to embody a certain character when reading, helps you to see the other characters through a different perspective. For example, to Empress Jada, Polly is seen as a pain in the rear, whereas to Digory, Polly is an admirable friend.

This was a great way for me to get a new view on a very familiar story.

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