I have finally got brave enough to try putting my contact lenses in, just one this morning to see how it goes. Now the big question is, can I get it out!!
I found Buried by the Times quite a heavy read so have put it to one side for the present. I have several old classics on my VRS so have started reading The Greengage Summer.
I am finding it a very interesting book to read, well constructed, logical and no denying which character is speaking. The story is not too long and one is tempted to side with the mother who, while an almost invisible character given she has been taken to a French hospital, yet the contrast between the children's expected behaviour and the reality makes this novel. I understand it was made into a movie in the 1960's with some very well known actors, including Kenneth More, would be worth watching.
The End of Life Bookclub has taken my fancy. I have always enjoyed stories of other people's illnesses but had purchased this kindle book hoping for suggestions of other books to read. I have purchased a couple from the 'bookclub' suggestions but find their penchant for esoteric reading not quite to my taste.
My school holidays are almost over. I have not achieved all I intended but began to realise, after some sage advice, that this is a time for me. Yesterday I had a relaxation massage and the masseuse recommended I try the books of Diana Galabadon. This is a whole new genre for me but may become a direction I follow as I try to read the less serious and delve into more reading for pleasure.
I often check to see if there are nay interesting book blogs I could follow. Here is one I found last week:
http://booksonthenightstand.com/ This is an interesting website as it also includes audiobooks. Have a look.
Thank goodness the World Cup of Soccer is over. I have not watched any of it, I hate most sports, particularly team sports which seem to have a rabble following them. Individual against individual is different; swimming, golf, eventing, tennis - these sports have style and endeavour, not the team sports which seem to have gone beyond the sport and into every other field.
I finished Committed on Saturday afternoon and felt some relief that Elizabeth Gilbert had finally taken the plunge, albeit at the behest of the US Government, marrying Felipe in a rather Bohemian ceremony. I am not sure it has made me think about anything other than my failed marriage and the descent people make into nothingness when they link their lives to others for all of eternity. Marriage is not something I ever wish to be involved with again, the single life is so exhilarating.
I then began reading this wonderful memoir of Nicole's adoption search. I turned off the TV, turned on the radio and sat and read this on my Kindle until my eyes began to strain and the words blur. Yesterday I finished it, a book read in record time. For anyone searching for birth family this book provides subtle guidelines, particularly around the disappointments which are inevitable when we meet our birth families. Unusually, Nicole found her father first, a tenuous relationship from which she gained more than Phillip did. Her mother, Eve, was cruel and self centered, seemingly unable to divulge her daughter's presence to anyone. As Nicole and her half sister Angela developed a beautiful if at times difficult relationship I began to see how the dreamt of reunion impacted on me also when I met my birth mother. I would recommend this book to anyone searching for or trying to understand their relationship with their birth family.
I did not really know what a Kindle single was but purchased this book a while ago as I really enjoy Susan Hill's books. I read it in about an hour but enjoyed the analogy of real hunger with a hunger similar to mine - the desire to be alone; writing, reading, sleeping, hobbies filling my day and dreams. A really quick but good read, particularly for those who enjoy a short story.
So I began reading this last night, starting where Will asks his mother who is attending a clinic for chemotherapy what she is reading. This is a question I often ask people, this book follows his mother's decline from cancer after a trip to Afghanistan for work. As I have only read a few pages, which seemed very interesting, I think I will pursue this book. I did keep stopping to watch the drama about the Air NZ crash on Mt Erebus, an insightful and well put together docu/drama. A great watch and disbelief that there was no debriefing for those who went down there to retrieve the bodies. Many of us, particularly those who knew someone on the plane will have had many memories revived.
Months of pain and difficulty walking have finally been diagnosed. An old Achilles injury has weakened my leg, scoliosis has shortened it and rickets as a baby due to an inability to absorb calcium has bowed my leg to such an extent I have one flat foot and one reasonably normal. This is an expensive journey, one which I have explored with a variety of people none of whom has come up with a valid diagnosis. New orthotics should provide some relief, hopefully.
Much of the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent absorbed in Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed, an absolutely fascinating unpicking of the history and social expectations of marriage. Interspersed with snippets of her journey with Felipe towards their inevitable marriage it is a difficult book to put down.
I am still struggling with The Lollipop Shoes, I understand each character in the book is marked with tarot symbols so one knows who is speaking. I find the time spent trying to sort out which character is talking wasted time and I lose the plot. I must check and see if the narration is by a New Zealander, I doubt it as our narrators are regarded as among some of the best in the world.
I picked up The French Market by Joanne Harris yesterday, at the library, it seems to be a wonderful collection of family recipes made from the fresh produce available in even the smallest of French farm markets. Good reading for a quiet moment unhindered by the mores of daily living.
Fromage au pain, the French staple diet, so much nicer than what we have here in New Zealand. One does not know what bread is until having tasted bread in France. I wonder why?
Boredom becomes an ever present factor in life as we age. Although we may be in the company of positive others our physical deterioration makes it increasingly difficult to undertake those daily activities which make life so interesting. Visiting both my 100 year old mother and another elderly person this morning I realised that even in company with continual visitors and entertainment on offer boredom is a regular feature of homes for the elderly.
Delete buttons are delicious, particularly the one on my VRS. Although I have enjoyed other light books by Nicky Pellegrino the affected narrator of When in Rome drove me mad and last night I hastily deleted the book and searched among all the new books I had downloaded yesterday from a plethora of RNZFB orders which arrived in my mailbox. My final choice was:
I really love Joanne Harris's books, their mysterious qualities, exit into unknown worlds, ethereal expectations and the need to follow the plot with devotion. I only listened for about an hour last night and am still trying to unravel the direction this novel will take. I loved Chocolat, the book, the movie, everything about it. I loved it so much I named my dog Chocolat, though today's generation have seldom seen the movie and do not understand the reasons why. I was unaware that Joanne Harris had also written two cookbooks, the one which appeals to me in the first instant is:
http://www.harpercollins.com/9780060893132/the-french-market#
I think I will see if I can borrow this from the library, I doubt I need another cookbook on my shelf at present.
The short sentence given to Rolf Harris, his victims have a life sentence, is appalling. 5 years is less than six months per conviction. Given his age I am sure he will be released in a fairly short time frame. This has been contrasted by the failure to convict the son of our Maori King who admitted drink driving, theft and other crimes. The outing of his disgusting Facebook page has shocked us all and the excuse that he may one day inherit the throne is nonsensical. he has an older brother, his aunt was passed over in favour of his father. Also, he is about to become a father, at 19, what level of responsibility does this show?
I am trying to understand When in Rome but keep drifting off to sleep and cannot find the theme of the book. Mario Lanza seems to be the main character which makes this book rather light in my estimation, but I will continue to read it as it seems to be a wonderful sleeping draught.
Last night I finished reading The Primal Wound and then spent half an hour cutting the myriad of post it notes shorter so I did not dislodge any of them from the pages. It has been a revelation, explains so much of my life, challenges me to change and deal with my issues and accept who I am.
A friend is travelling to Bali tomorrow and amid our jests not to take her stash of cocaine, marijuana, and lock her surfboard properly I still wonder at the risk people take travelling to this part of the world. There must be safer places to go for a holiday, ones where drugs do not become part of the daily scenario.
Another friend from work is travelling here, to Vanuatu, much safer. Perhaps I should be looking for a closer destination, perhaps even a part of New Zealand I have not visited before.
