Gossamer by Lois Lowry

Two posts in less than 24 hours? Whoa! I guess I've had more time for reading in the last few days. For a while there, I had none!

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I'm in a divorce recovery class and last week, one of the other ladies recommended this book. She teaches Children's Literature and I don't even know how this book came up in conversation, but it did (it has nothing at all to do with divorce...please don't get that impression!) so I decided to to go Barnes & Noble and pick it up.

I'm so glad I did! Gossamer is a sweet little book (only 140 pages) about where dreams come from. It is the story of Littlest, one of the dream-givers, and a boy to whom she bestows them. There's a battle between good and evil...the dream-givers versus the sinisteeds, who inflict nightmares...taking place over the troubled boy, but Littlest shows great courage and determination in helping him.

Lois Lowry is an expert at writing in such a way that a child could understand the words and follow the story, but an adult can read the same story and get just as much from it...have you ever read The Giver? Wow!

I loved this story. It was a quick read, but was emotionally involving and left me feeling happy. I can almost believe in the dream-givers and the sinisteeds, because I certainly have felt the presence of each, whether real or imagined. I love the way Lowry weaves reality and imagination together. Her stories are always completely believable, if not quite real, and I find that wonderful.

And I must mention this: I love the dedication in this book! I'm a lover of Shakespeare, and Lois Lowry found the perfect lines to accompany her tale.

We are such stuff
As dreams are made on;
and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

~William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

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Prior to reading this novel, I'd seen the film only once, but had a clear enough memory to know essentially where the story was going.

I wish I hadn't known! I kept waiting for what I knew was coming, and so when those things were revealed in the novel, they didn't have quite the shock value that I think they would have possessed otherwise.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. There was a surprising amount of homosexuality between the two main characters, Idgie and Ruth...not explicit, but quite clearly understood. And it seemed both known and accepted by the characters surrounding them. This seems unlikely for the time period and especially for a small town in the Bible Belt...even today, I think, in a town as small as Whistle Stop. It was nice to read and imagine it that way, though...without all the hatred and heat that seems so tied to that lifestyle from the people who are so adamantly against it. The love between Idgie and Ruth was just...love. Just good. It was matter-of-fact and didn't dwell on the rightness or wrongness or nature of the thing. That whole thing was really the only surprise I had in reading the novel...it was essentially left out of the movie (on purpose, to make it more palatable to audiences of the time.)

My dad grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, so my family visited often when I was growing up, and still goes back when finances and time allow. I loved reading a story set in so familiar a place...they talked about Ollie's Barbeque (which, in the novel, didn't compare at all to what Big George cooked up at the Cafe, but is absolutely some of the best BBQ sauce I've ever had!) and on the cover of the book is a sign for Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale, a dark ginger ale which can only be found in Alabama, and is SO much better than stuff like Canada Dry (ick!) It mentioned Ensley, a tiny town outside of Birmingham where my Grandpappy had one of his furniture stores. I half expected to see a mention of Braswell's 1811 Shoppe in there somewhere, haha! It mentioned Gus' hotdog stand down on 16th...it wasn't named, but that's Pete's Famous...THE BEST hotdogs in the world. It's a little place tucked into a space between two buildings...the walls are so close that you can touch opposite sides at once...and you pay a dollar or two for a hot dog and a dollar for a Coke in a glass bottle and $0.50 for a bag of chips...SO good...but I digress...

I just loved that, along with being an excellent story of love and family and friendship and community, it also held a lot of nostalgia for me. Ninny Threadgoode tells the story like my Granny told stories (and with the same accent, too!) and I could see and smell and hear everything, even though it was a totally different time. Summers at Granny's house had that relaxed, timeless feel, so I could easily imagine it all.

I know people who are deeply offended by homosexuality, and due to that, I cannot in good conscience recommend this to everybody...but if it doesn't bother you (or doesn't bother you *much*) I do. It does have some rather blunt descriptions of violence, and I imagine that might not sit very well with some people. I have a pretty weak stomach for that kind of thing myself, though, and those parts didn't bother me too much.

It's a different sort of story, but a good one :-)

This was borrowed from one of my dearest friends, and if I'm not mistaken, she threw in another by Fannie Flagg...I'm prepared now for her writing style...perhaps the next will hold a few more surprises for me...no movie to have spoiled all the twists, y'know? I'm looking forward to it!

**EDIT**

I watched the film tonight (after finding it in thirteen parts on You Tube, haha!) and just wanted to say one more thing about the novel. The movie was fun, and it's pretty tough to beat Jessica Tandy! However, the book, as usual, was so much better. There were more stories woven into its fabric, which I know is difficult with movies, due to time constraints and things like that. But I truly did find that the film lacked the depth of the novel. Still good...still perfectly enjoyable...but (as usual) I find that I like the book better :-D

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Oh. My. GOODNESS. I always identify really well with Cecelia Ahern's books, but this particular one takes the cake. I didn't intend to use this blog to post about my personal life, really, but this post will be personal simply because I saw SO much of myself in this book. I've been thinking about this post for at least three weeks and still don't really know what to say, so I apologize if none of what comes out makes sense. I just finally decided that I needed to go ahead and post just to get it off my chest. Let me say this, though, before I say anything more:

I LOVED this book. LOVED it. I laughed and cried and trembled and absolutely loved every word.

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The main characters in this story are Rosie and Alex. They've been friends since they were little and know absolutely everything there is to know about each other. They grow up together and though they're in love with each other, they're too stubborn to admit it to each other. They each marry and divorce and Alex remarries...but they remain friends always. Rosie had a baby just after high school...an "Oops!" sort of pregnancy...and winds up with a little girl who absolutely becomes her life and livelihood. She's somewhat aimless for a long time...she doesn't know what to do with her life. She knows what she wants but not how to get it. Alex, meanwhile, moves to America while Rosie is left behind in Ireland, but they keep in touch, much as they always did, through letters and email and chatting online, with the occasional phone call. In fact, the entire novel is written as a collection of letters and chats, both between Alex & Rosie, and between them and a handful of their friends & family. It was an interesting writing style, and I liked it.

I see myself in Rosie's restlessness & discontent. I see, to some extent, my marriage in hers, and Mike in Greg, the man she married & divorced. I see Josh in Alex. I especially see my friendship with Josh in the relationship between Alex & Rosie. He and I communicate almost exclusively through online chat & in emails. He knows me better than ANYone else does, and I think it's safe to say that it's pretty nearly the same in reverse...he's shared a LOT with me. We've gotten each other through some really tough stuff. Josh and Alex even share some of the same quirks. Alex consistently spells "know" as "no" and Rosie corrects him all the time, and when that became evident, it reminded me of a conversation I had with Josh one night:

11:58 PM Josh: you okay?

me: -ish :-)

11:59 PM Josh: yeah

it's okay, you can say the F word

Fish

me: haha

Josh: see? it's fine

me: fish!

whew, that felt good!

Josh: WHAO! whao, now now

12:00 AM don't abuse it!

me: I'm liberated!

fish fish fish!!!

Josh: *looks left and right * shh

someone will hear you!

me: FISH FISH FISH

Josh: LOL

haha you're fun

12:01 AM me: haha

thanks

I think...

Josh: ?

me: :-)

Josh: haha

hey how do you spell whao

is it whia

whoa*

12:02 AM me: how do you pronounce it? if it's like "woe", then I'd spell it whoa

if it's like "wow" then I'd spell it...

wow...

lol

12:03 AM Josh: pshaaha

me: or whao

Josh: oh okay

huh

i've always done it whao

but i guess you're right, it is whoa

me: I've noticed :-)

Josh: : /

whoa is me

me: I think you should keep on spelling it that way!

actually, that'd be "woe is me" :-P

12:04 AM but seriously..."whao" is like one of your quirks

I like it :-)

Josh: heh

12:05 AM next you'll tell me to spell strange WIERD

keep spelling*

me: weird!

haha

I can't really recount all the specifics without ruining the book for any of you that may wish to read it (if there's anybody out there reading this anyway!) I DO heartily recommend this book, though. Cecelia Ahern definitely has a devoted reader in me. I have loved everything I've read of hers before, and now I think I've read all but perhaps one of her novels. There is always something in her books that make me think that somehow, she's in tune with me. I just see so many similarities to myself in her characters, and did I mention? one of the characters in this book was named Penelope! Not a major character, but still...AND there was a Josh, too! Anyway...have any of you seen the movie, "Stranger Than Fiction"? It stars Will Farrell, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Dustin Hoffman. Emma Thompson is a writer, and her heroes die in all of her books. She is writing a new book, and Will Farrell (who doesn't know who she is) starts hearing a woman narrating his life. At first he thinks he's going crazy, and then after a while realizes what's happening (you'll just have to see the movie to find out how he got to that!). The more I read of Cecelia Ahern's novels, the less surprised I'd be if one day I begin to hear a young, female, Irish voice narrating my every move. We shall see, haha!

This post might make sense to absolutely no one but myself...but there it is. The book just felt so extremely personal that I'm having difficulty actually reviewing it from an objective standpoint. Pick it up & read for yourself when you get a chance...it really is good! And if you read it and hate it, blame my good review on my undoubtedly biased opinion, since after all, I'd very much like for things to turn out as well for me (though perhaps somewhat sooner than later?) as they did for Rosie & Alex. If you read it, let me know what you think of it!

Castle

I just heard via @WriteRCastle (Richard Castle's Twitter handle) that there is a second book scheduled for release! Yay! Check it out HERE. I'm excited!

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

So, I actually finished this a month ago, at least. I immediately handed it over to my mom, though, and forgot to blog about it. Oops!

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I love The Mysterious Benedict Society series. This, the third book, felt like an ending, but it made a nice little trilogy. The reading level is low, so kids can enjoy the story (these are actually marketed as children's books) but the story is delightful for an adult who just wants to escape life for a little while. This was a fun adventure, piloted by four brilliant kids. I won't say much other than that, at least for now, since I don't actually have the book in front of me. I WILL, however, highly recommend this series. It's sort of Harry Potter-esque, but without magic. Just brains and exceptional talents that are, for the most part, plausible (however rare). Pick 'em up sometime, either at a bookstore or the library! I sincerely doubt you'll regret it.

Heat Wave

I'm a BIG fan of ABC's television show, "Castle", so when I heard that Richard Castle was actually publishing a book, I just couldn't help myself. I bought it, was slightly disappointed at its length (198 pages), but wound up loving it. It isn't the greatest book I've ever read or anything, but it was certainly entertaining!

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I laughed out loud in places. Got chills in a few. Despite being short, it was a well-told story that was believable and I really don't think it lost anything in being short. If you're a fan of the show, pick this up sometime! And...seriously, this might rest on my bedside table for a while, face down, because look HERE at the gorgeousness that is the back cover! (I think that link goes to the front cover, but there's a link from there to the back...I couldn't find one that'd work directly.) Seriously...he is one good lookin' man! :-) I like that it sort of pulls you into the show that much more...I know it's a PR thing, but it's fun!

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next! I'll probably take a break this weekend, as I'll be away from my place. I'll let you know, though!

retail therapy :-D

I've been oh-so-homesick lately, but I won't be able to make it home until after Christmas. So today, I went to Barnes & Noble and engaged in some retail therapy. Here's what I bought:

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern - one of my favorite authors!

What difference do it make? by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent - a sequel, of sorts, to The Same Kind of Different as Me by Hall & Moore, which was an incredibly touching book written by the unlikeliest of friendships.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle - a fictional author, haha! Fans of ABC's hit show, Castle, will recognize it, though, and fans of Nathan Fillion will appreciate the author's picture on the back of the book! I read the first eleven chapters online before ABC took all but the first ten down, and I just couldn't leave it unfinished! I bought what I believe was the last copy at the Barnes & Noble in Jonesboro, after seeing on Twitter that the books were sold out. I was quite happy to see this copy on the shelf!

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart - This is the third installment in the MBS series. I loved the first two, and heard a while back that there was a third. It came out this month!

The Best of Mystery: 63 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense by Alfred Hitchcock - Anyone who knows me knows that I positively adore Alfred Hitchcock. This compilation of stories from his Mystery Magazine was all of ten dollars and, according to the back flap, "is not recommended for late night reading. These masterful tales are guaranteed to unnerve." Sounds wonderful to me!