DREAMS FROM MY FATHER

i must admit that what moved me to finish lazarus rising was the anticipation of beginning a new book. my christmas present to myself - dreams from my father. barack obama is a mesmerizing man, so despite my overt aversion to 'politics' (the aversion perhaps an effort to mask my own ignorance) i decided that he fascinated me enough to want to know more. but i was careful to choose to be introduced not to the politician, but to the man. i'm curious to know his person first, then maybe i could begin to allow myself to let the kind of hope - in his views philosophical and political, both - stir in me, that he has ignited in so many others these recent years.

i'll tell you this much, his writing is lyrical poetry. it's intelligent, musing, and profoundly moving. one of the reviews on the backflap of that paperback had it right on the mark - the book reads like a novel. amazingly, it's achieving the 'whisk me away to far off lands' effect on me, w/c i haven't felt in reading a book in a while. more amazingly (and a bit frighteningly), i've caught myself blinking in disbelief or as if suddenly waking from a trance - with the repeated realization that to a significant enough extent to merit awe and wonder, the experiences he describes really did happen to him. and all i can add to that right now, is 'whoa.'

update: 1/3/07
LOVED the book (dreams from my father). i was bawling like a freak at one point. and i was inspired to end the year fantastically. which meant a very hopeful start to the new year. barack is more mcdreamy than whoever is supposed to be mcdreamy on that tv show, in my estimation.

READ THE BOOK!!!

LAZARUS RISING

the first few chapters raised the hairs on my arms. i was really into the story. but then i got irritated about the scene that was too reminiscent of 'i see dead people'. but then i tried to appreciate. i am appreciating the mother's struggle. and the central question posed (thus far) is age-old, and i must admit i'm very curious as to the author's perspective - at least, how he decides to have his main characters respond. i hope this story's ending will satisfy.

update: 12/25/06
the book is laudable for its attempts to reintroduce some pervasive, important moral challenges characteristic of man's plight on earth. technically, i believe the 2nd half of the book could've been accomplished w/half the words. there was a superfluousness w/which certain characters' physical traits were described, and i'm unsure if the writer had a specific purpose for doing it, esp. for characters whom i didn't observe as being central to the story. nevertheless, i appreciated the effort. i predicted the ending, just in time for me to be disappointed at having done so, but i still almost cried. although i'm almost crying about all sorts of things these past few days... the father's plea to God via the priest... that scene was quite powerful.

THE ZAHIR

what a delightful purchase i've made! whining as i tried to stand up from my seat, i urged my tired feet to walk toward a hudson news shop at the las vegas airport b/c my flight was delayed in taking off. there, i quickly scanned the small book section doubtful i'd find anything beyond your run-of-the-mill cheesy paperbacks and revolting political bullcrap stuff. but thanks be to goodness there was actually a book that seemed interesting. so i paid 15 bucks w/c is most likely too much but was much less than i was anticipating to pay, so that was cool.

and so far so good!!! i'm reading the zahir by paul coelho. it's on some bestseller list (hence this shop carrying copies) and i figured it was b/c of the recent success of another book of his i'd read, the alchemist. but how deliciously surprising that i love it so far! i am fascinated by the character, marie - who seems to be in some respects, the type of woman i would like to be.

stay twiddly-tuned!!! i would've likely finished the book by now if i weren't so tired from this weekend. in fact, i'd like to stay up to read more, but i don't know if i could manage it.

update: 12/18/06
the zahir (or perhaps i) lost the pizzazz (sp?) near the end. what can i say....

BLINK

the book's title took on an entirely different meaning for me as i read the first few chapters - i was blinking away tears, i'm sad to report.

so if i'd honed my thin-slicing skills regarding relationships, would i have then immediately recognized that this most recent one was doomed from the start???

HOW TRAGIC.

but i pressed on and am about halfway through the book, although i'm completely disheartened. =(

HOW DEPRESSING!

update: 11/6/06
managed to finish blink at some point but i guess i was just finishing to finish, so i forgot i finished so i brought the book on the plane w/me on this most recent trip, only to realize i was rereading the last few chapters. there were some cool references in that book - like gottman, math, medicine, marketing, lots of psych-related stuff so that was cool. but it wasn't a page-turner, obviously.

THE THING ABOUT JANE SPRING

well, the thing about jane spring is that she is a dolt. but let me back up...

a friend was kewl enough to ship this book to me, signed and everything in anticipation of future fame... and i was thankful to have had something to read over the weekend. it was the perfect weekend for some light reading. anyway, for the purpose this book might serve and for how it may be further made available to the public (via another medium) i think it could be a success.

that having been said, i found the first half of the book exaggerated, incredulous. i failed to buy into it. and the second half was mostly ridiculous. and the book in its entirety, (especially the ending!) clearly sent a very wrong message - although i even question whether or not the author intended to convey a message at all - that might be giving her too much credit.

why would an intelligent, thorough lawyer choose a fictitious character after which to model herself???

some 'positives'...
1) i could relate to the bitchy jane, the callous way she communicated - though my bitchiness is more attributable to anger and hurt (i like to believe), while hers... hers i'd describe as inherent masculinity influenced by a military upbringing.
2) i could relate to wanting to reinvent oneself as a means to an end - i myself am believing more and more that there are characteristics that translate to being perceived by men as 'wife material'. [insert emotion of sad resignation here]. although my mule-like stubborness or perhaps lack of commitment prevents me from making progress to this end. admittedly, this contributes in a small way to my general hostility towards the book - i certainly couldn't pull off what jane pulled off. deep breathing to calm myself??? forget about it!
3) for reasons not completely explicable at this point, i did breeze through the book in less than two days. that is an accomplishment for which i applaud the author. perhaps it was a puzzling (as in, 'are you for real?') enough plot to drive me to turn the pages. w/c is why i think the movie version could be a success if it were made to be cheeky, slapstick - why not play up the 'unbelievable'? i see sandra bullock playing jane, or maybe reese witherspoon, but it would be too much like legally blonde reversed, maybe.

THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB

i feel a tinge of guilt for documenting this book on work email. the one who recommended it to me is in a quite senior role there and had i known some of the content beforehand, i wouldn't have mentioned the title when i wrote and said i'd read the book.

at any rate, i'm happy to report that this was a refreshingly entertaining read. though i hesitate to pass judgment knowing i'm likely prone to make generalizations that could easily be criticized. racial stereotypes was a key theme and if i could tilt my head in uncertainty as i read some of the passages, then i could picture someone else doing the same with anything i might write. ok, this doesn't much make sense, does it? anyway, the race topic i have for sure much to write about but it doesn't flow so fluidly, so i guess i'll just make some comments about another major theme - womanhood.

i applaud the author's success in having crafted engaging stories of women, of minority women, of latina women, of women of a certain age... of their identity issues, their relationships, their careers... it's great fiction that could very well be real. of course, the trick is to have the reader relate, and that i did - with most of the characters, interestingly enough...

her unabashedness and lack of restraint, crazy with words (and actions) upon having imbibed a few... her strength, her issues, her relationship handicaps, her talent, her romanticism, her penchant for hot cheetos and pringles, and the color green, and bergamot oil...

her materialism that can be traced back to a childhood of wanting, her fear of love, her fear of abandonment, her generosity, her temper, her lack of appreciation, her vanity...

her capacity for disillusionment and stubborn denial allowing her to fall prey, her love for her children, her sarcasm, her sharp criticism of others, her preserved infant-need for the comfort of parental care, her awakening, her survival...

her desire for success, to be acknowledged and recognized as a professional, as an intellectual, as independent, as strong, as composed, as sensual, her desire to make a difference, to make money, to be both woman and individual, to find love, to find compatibility...her lack of rhythm!

her confusion, her curiosity, her beauty, her uniqueness, her dream of unleashing the poet within, her desire to chronicle her journey, her true immigration and the impossibility of turning back...

and bravo for the reading questions at the end. they were good questions, though not too difficult to answer, at least not for me, they did help provide insight to what some of the take-aways i assume the author wanted for us to have.

mmm... i am pleased.

A HARD CHANCE: SAILING INTO THE HEART OF LOVE

this was a xmas gift i rec'd. i'm not into sailing and boat terminology but it was interesting being introduced to all of it. talk about passion. anyway, it was an interesting story based on real people, true relationships, and almost unbelievable events. it seemed that the author had a LOT of positive things to say about his wife, which is good. he did talk about memory and its imperfections. it's uncanny, life, that is. makes you wonder about the good that can come from a tragedy. where would they be now if not for what happened? not together, likely. would he have had the level of patience and love and forgiveness and admiration he developed for her if not for that awful night? likely not.