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Recent Reading: To Kill a Mockingbird

Here in the Fiftieth Anniversary year of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, I celebrated by finally reading it. I know you are shocked to hear that I have lived this long without reading it and think I must be pulling one over on you. But it is true. And now I lament that it took me so long. The characters were like family or old friends to me.

First of all, my mother's family is from Alabama two counties east of Monroe County (or Maycomb County, if you please). So I know Lee's characters very well--the way they talk and act and love and fight and protect. Second, Lee was born just six years after my grandmother, making her a contemporary of my grandmother and very familiar-feeling to me. Even so, Scout's sassy mouth and tomboy ways are more like my mother than my grandmother.

I think that I, even though I am really a non-re-reader, will read To Kill a Mockingbird many more times in my life. I bonded with the characters, became enraged with the hateful, pitied (and became enraged with) the ignorant, and loved every minute of it.

Recent Reading: Bel Canto

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. From Ann Patchett's web site: Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening, until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.

Using a setting more appropriate for a thriller, Patchett has written a beautiful, lyrical love story(ies) complete with a large, distinctive cast of international characters and some Stockholm Syndrome dynamics. I really enjoyed this book. From the love-smitten Russians to the Japanese businessman with a gift for playing the piano to the poor girl with hopes of a better life who finds herself on the wrong side of the law, the characters are beautifully rendered and mostly believable. (I do believe, however, that a bunch of armed, teenaged terrorists would be more brutal toward hostages.)

The one thing I don't like about the book: The epilogue, which I could have done without. I won't give anything away here. But for my reading preferences, I would have preferred this book without the epilogue.

A Tale of Two World Cups

Four years ago, we moved into this house. (Please note what a considerable record it is that 1. Keith has had the same job for four-and-a-half years now, and 2. We've lived in the same house for four years.) When we moved in, we had an air mattress, two dogs, some clothes, and a borrowed 13-inch television. For two weeks we camped out like this in our new home while we replaced carpet, painted, and generally spruced up the place.

During our infrequent rests, we watched World Cup Soccer. On a 13-inch TV.

Fast forward four years. Now we are down a dog and have done a nice job of filling the house and making it a home.

And this year we can watch World Cup Soccer in high-definition on a 47-inch TV. What a difference!

Recent Reading: A Slow Burn

A Slow Burn by Mary DeMuth. This is the second installment in DeMuth's Defiance, Texas trilogy. The first book, Daisy Chain, mesmerized me. While I quickly churned though A Slow Burn, it didn't mesmerize me as much as the first book. The reason why? I couldn't identify with the characters.

In Daisy Chain, I felt that Jed Pepper and I had walked in the same shoes for parts of our individual adventures. In A Slow Burn, I cannot relate to either Emory Chance or Hixon Jones. They are both in the previous book, which leaves off where this book picks up. I wanted to relate to them, tried to relate to them, because I am already invested in this story and want to know these characters and find out what happened to Daisy. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in me to like a drug-abusing mother who took her child for granted or relate to the handyman who feels that God has told him to marry her.

My friend Jed Pepper is still around and lurking in this book, though his home life doesn't seem to have improved any. The next and last book of the trilogy is from Jed's mother's point of view. Since a battered wife is something I can relate to (not personally, people), I look forward to getting to it soon.

Recent Reading: The Alienist

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Without beating around the bush, let me tell you that I love this book. This was my second reading, both of which were for book clubs. In New York City in 1896, an eclectic group of "investigators" are tasked by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to solve a series of murders of boy-whores--a segment of society that is rarely even acknowledged. Using the latest theories and advancements in psychology and forensic science, the group of fledgeling profilers forges an understanding of the murderer long before they eventually have to face him.

Aside from the obvious fascination for anyone who watches any of the CSI franchise, I think the writer part of me is engrossed by the idea of understanding how people think and operate and react to the world around them. Well, that's what Carr's profilers are doing, just without the benefit of actually knowing who they are understanding.

I also recommend Angel of Darkness, which features our same cast of characters in search of another baddie.

Recent Reading: Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. We read Fahrenheit 451 for our last book club meeting. Since we are meeting next week to discuss another book, the time seems right to finally say something about the last book. For weeks now, I've wondered what my block is, why I can't form any cohesive comments about Fahrenheit. I still have no answer to that.

Every time I read this book, I am stunned by what a compelling story it is. Keith and I have a fair number of books, and the number keeps growing all the time. To immerse myself into a world where books are forbidden is agonizing. To imagine a life with no books, no imagination, no education is frightening. I wonder if I'd rather burn myself with my books than allow someone to deny me a life with them. I certainly hope I never have to find out.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me in this reading was finding out that Keith had never read Fahrenheit before. Perhaps the biggest joy for me in this reading was watching him read the book and talk to the book and enjoy talking about the book. It's a wonderful thing to share something you love with someone you love.

Yes, I'm 40

Last Saturday was my birthday. It was a big deal kind of birthday. To celebrate, Keith and I trekked to Florida's Gulf Coast, to the origins of me.

On Friday, we went to Honeymoon Island State Park with the intention of enjoying it and Caladesi Island. Since a storm front was rolling in and a small craft advisory was in effect, the ferry to Caladesi was not running, so we had to settle for Honeymoon Island. We walked up the beach as far as we could, looking for shells and other interesting sea life. It wasn't so bad with the wind to our backs. When we turned around, the wind and sand weren't very pleasant. When the pelting, stinging rain started, I was pretty much done with Honeymoon Island.

After we de-sanded and -salted ourselves, we headed to downtown Dunedin for dinner at a neat little Mexican restaurant and some window shopping at some cute little shops. When we walked out to the municipal marina, the sun finally shone just long enough to set. Then, we made a detour--literally; the road was closed--around the hospital where I was born.

Saturday we went into Tarpon Springs to buy a clean sponge and to enjoy a yummy lunch of Greek food before heading back to Orlando.

Our Saturday evening small group turned into a social event/birthday party later that night. It's just difficult to be serious when you're having so much fun turning 40.

Recent Reading: Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker. When I was a kid, on Saturday afternoons, our local channel 44 ran Creature Feature, which was typically a cheesy horror movie hosted by Dr. Paul Bearer. This was probably my first introduction to vampires. When, as a teenager, I read Stephen King's Salem's Lot, I was fairly sold on the merits of vampires as entertainment. Over the years, I've read a few Anne Rice vampire books and seen more than a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but I am by no means a vampire junkie (I'm standing firm on not reading any of the Twilight books). If I were a vampire junkie, I would have read Dracula a long time ago, I guess.

The sum-up: I loved Dracula. The flawed characters, the heroes, the villains, the weak-willed women, the strong Mina Harker, the gradual unravelling of the story from various points of view, and the intricacies of the storyline. And a strong Texan never makes for bad reading, does he?

It's a wonder I haven't read this book before now. It's not just a horror classic; I think it is good literature and good fiction. I was intrigued by the art of the storytelling as Stoker spun out the story slowly, dropping hints and planting characters and suggestions along the way. Caught up in the epistolary style--the letters, journals, newspaper clippings--of the book, I was taken aback when Mina Harker started assembling all those pieces in the actual telling of the book. But afterward, whenever her party of vampire slayers would refer to the reams of work they'd collected on Count Dracula, I felt like part of their party--I had the same reams of their work in my very hands. Nice touch.

I am of a similar mind with my friend, Toni, who, upon finishing Dracula, began to read Frankenstein. My shelf of books such as Doctor Faustus, The Adventures of Dorian Gray, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde seems to be beckoning me.

Recent Reading: Drops Like Stars

Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell. This is a visually beautiful and artistic book that bills itself as "an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, driven by the belief that there is art in the agony." Though it is about 150 pages long, it took very little time to read it... largely because many of the pages only had a few words on them. I said it was artistic and beautiful.

I have great interest in both subjects: suffering and creativity. I've suffered, and I'm creative. Then, the book opened with the beautiful story-image of a man who visits the same hospital twice in the same year--once for the miscarriage of a grandchild and another time for the birth of a grandchild. Suffering and joy cohabitating the same hallways. But then the book devolved into a collection of interesting stories and quotes.

I know several people who are infatuated with Rob Bell's message to the masses. While I do find him to be well-educated and to possess a broad knowledge base, my personal experiences with his work have not significantly enriched my life. This book in particular ended very abruptly for my taste and had me flipping many blank pages to find the real point of the message. I didn't find it. Perhaps because I believe that the works of Christian pastors should always lead the reader to Christ in some way, and Drops Like Stars didn't deliver on that expectation.

Roger in Moving Pictures

Thirty-nine seconds into this video on the web site of The Ledger, Roger is marching in place almost in the middle of the video screen. And at 3:57, Kim's sister and nephew can be seen watching the buses pull away from The Lakeland Center.

Down Range

Yesterday was the official ceremony sending my brother's unit of the Florida National Guard off to Fort Hood en route to the Middle East.

Even though this is Roger's second deployment to that area of the world, this is different from the last time. In 2003, he was deployed with just a handful of soldiers; this year, about 2500 Florida National Guardsmen deployed. Several months after Roger deployed to Iraq in 2003, Keith and I undertook our own deployment-of-sorts and moved to Texas; right now, we don't even have an inkling of a desire to move. In 2003, Roger was married and spent a good deal of time worrying about his wife (now ex); this time, his girlfriend is on the same deployment, which may present its own special set of worries.

This year, we will pray for Roger daily, send lots of care packages, proudly support him from a distance, and yearn for the day when he comes home. If God lays it on your heart, we would appreciate your prayers, too.

Recent Reading: Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Our book club read Things Fall Apart as our last selection. Admittedly, I've never read any African fiction and wasn't exactly keen on using my precious pre-holiday reading time to explore it. The group gave the book mixed reviews, ranging from "It was okay, but I'm glad I read it" to "I loved it and will definitely recommend it." Amazingly enough, Keith and I were both in the "loved it" camp.

Consider this to be fair warning: If you want to read a book and like the main character, this is not the book for you. Okonkwo has a few redeeming moments, but fundamentally he is a hard man with hard hands and hard ways. As a matter of fact, during our book discussion, we entertained the question, "Is there a character that you identify with or will take with you?" That was a difficult question that mostly received a resounding "no." (However, there is one scene with Okonkwo's second wife, Ekwefi, that will likely stay with me for a long while.)

Even if I'm not particularly fond of the characters, I was smitten with the language and the rhythms of the book and could almost hear the drumbeats in certain passages. I appreciate any book that can transport me to a land I don't know, make me think of life in a different way, and help me understand characters living their own lives in ways I would never otherwise know.

Three Things That Kept Christmas From Being Perfect

1. Food Poisoning. On Wednesday, we went out to dinner. Thursday, Christmas Eve, was bad.
2. No Internet. My web site and e-mail were down from Friday to Sunday. I couldn't keep up electronically.
3. A Cold. I awoke from my Christmas afternoon nap with the beginnings of a cold. Hopefully yesterday was the worst of it.

Other than those little things, our Christmas was spectacular. I hope yours was, too.

Recent Reading: The Hobbit

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. Yes, I've read this before. And, yes, I do love it. I am, after all, the woman with the "Let's Hunt Some Orc" tag on her car and the nearly life-sized Aragorn.

We read this selection for our latest Book Club gathering, at which Keith led the discussion, which was so much fun for me to watch, because he loves the book more than I do. Prior to the Book Club meeting, I was certain that Keith was going to ask us to name all thirteen dwarves, so I diligently practiced and memorized them (probably can't name Snow White's dwarves, but I can Bilbo's, even though Keith didn't ask). Here they are with no cheating: Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Kili, Fili, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, and Ori.

I was also almost certain that he would try to lead the discussion in some Elvish language but was spared having to practice that.

I enjoy the fantasy, the adventure, the danger, the dragon, the treasure, the tiny hero, and even the touches of humor. But with this reading, I began to think that Bilbo's party should have lost a dwarf or two on its way to the Lonely Mountain. Surely a greater sense of real danger would heighten my reading of the book, right? Just a thought. And I am a little concerned about Tolkien's recurring device of using the eagles to save everyone's hides. But other than those little things, the book continues to capture my attention and make me dream of dragons and brave heroes and magical adventures.

Using Her Gifts to Help Others

The most recent article I had published in The Southwest Orlando Bulletin is about Ashleigh Ciambriello, an active local teenager who is in her first year at Ithaca College in New York.

Recent Reading: Einstein's Dreams

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. It's a rite of passage for all freshmen on campus to read the same book and participate in discussions. This year, somebody at Agnes Scott College had the fun idea to create alumna book clubs around the country so that we, too, could participate in this annual ritual.

So in anticipation of spending an evening with some fellow Scotties, I read this book. Unfortunately, the day after the scheduled book discussion, Keith was scheduled for a surgical procedure, so I didn't attend the book club. It sounds like I missed a lively discussion, so much so that the ladies involved want to meet once a quarter to discuss a book. I'm in for that.

But back to Einstein. I read this book a month ago and have thought about what it is that left me not feeling the love for this book. Every chapter is only two or three pages long, and the book is a fast read. So what's the problem? Here it is: I wanted more.

For years, Keith and I have joked at various times about doing like Einstein and taking a nap to solve a problem. Therefore, the idea of this fictional look at what Einstein actually may have dreamt about while formulating his theory of relativity was fascinating to me. Each chapter is a discrete dream, with a couple of "interlude" chapters that give a snapshot of Einstein in waking moments. Each chapter is almost like a different world where time operates differently. In one world, there is a center of time where time actually stands still. In another dream, everyone knows the exact moment of the end of the world (and then gather together holding hands like Whos on Christmas morning while the world ends). In yet another world, time moves backwards.

It truly is a fascinating idea for a book. But I wanted more detail about each of the worlds, about how the people lived and felt. But maybe Lightman's strategy was brilliant. Give me just enough detail to make my own brain work on filling in those missing pieces.

A Shower A Day

Sunday morning, Keith and I went to a co-ed baby shower in honor of the newest addition to the Cooper family, a little girl schedule to be delivered into this world on December 14. Not only was it fun to get a head-start on celebrating this little life, it was also fun to watch the men squirm and be uncomfortable at a shower. They quickly got over it when the games began and their competitiveness overshadowed the discomfort. But as it turns out, I'm pretty good at baby shower games that don't involve not saying the word "baby" and tied for first place in two of the three games we played.

One of the games our lovely hostess, Danielle, coordinated was the always-entertaining "Guess the Baby" game. It's fun to see your friends a million years ago, either looking exactly the same but smaller or looking like totally different people. Unfortunately, if your name is David, you might mistake an adult woman for a male child. And then the adult woman would have to give you a very hard time about that.

I thought it would be fun to share our pictures from the game. So that no one is embarrassed by confusing us one for the other, Keith is on the little four-wheeler, and I am wearing the red dress and holding the Easter basket. Keith's picture was taken in El Paso (see all the sand?) in 1969, and mine was taken in Florida in 1971.

Now that I think about it maybe this photo shoot started Keith's fascination with motorcycles. Maybe mine started my fascination with bags.

Oh My Darling Clemmonses

This past weekend, we had the great joy of seeing some friends from Texas. David and Stephanie Clemmons, who have this very infrequently updated blog, are in Orlando this week introducing Parker and Caroline to the wonders of Disney World. To our utter delight, they flew in a day early to spend time with us. Not only did we get to just enjoy one another's company, but they met some of our friends here, Stephanie experienced Publix for the first time ever, and they introduced us to Geocaching.

I'm no expert at geocaching, but I'll do my best to provide a brief primer. Normal, everyday people put together fairly weather-tight little treasure parcels and cleverly hide them in remote and even frequented areas. They then post the coordinates of the cache on a web site, which allows people to use a GPS and possibly some hints to locate the cache. Inside is a logbook to sign, maybe some trinkets to trade, and perhaps even a travel bug that would like to make its way to another cache somewhere. After a treasure hunter finds a cache and signs the logbook, he or she then goes back to the web site and makes note of the find.

On Saturday afternoon, we walked to two nearby caches, which Keith found. Ta-da! (The photo is of Steph returning the logbook to the first cache before Parker returned it to its hiding place.) Then on Sunday morning, as we were headed to Disney, we decided to scout out another nearby cache. Stephanie found it. I didn't find a geocache, but I did stumble upon another, more low-tech treasure known as a Letterbox. Ta-da!

On the way home from Disney, Keith was playing with the Geocaching iPhone app (yes, there's an app for that) and said, "There's a cache just up here on the right." So we pulled into a city park and traipsed through the woods to find our first solo cache. Ta-da!

Who knew there was so much cheap fun to be had so close to home?

Living Her Dream

Early last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Barb Simon, who was embarking on a new phase of life and starting her own radio show. (Article here.) Well, Barb is moving up in the world and continues to positively glow about the wonderful things that are happening in her life. Here's an article about some of the recent changes in her life and career.

The Great Faith Debate

On last Thursday, September 17, which happens to have been my little brother's birthday, my two Keiths (husband and uncle), myself, and a couple of friends met up with about 7,000 more people at UCF Arena to watch The Great Faith Debate between atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, and Christian apologist Dinesh D'Souza, author of What's So Great About Christianity and What's So Great About America.

I have been a fan of D'Souza's since reading What's So Great About America many years ago in a book club. He made a compelling, logical argument to support his thesis and won me over, which maybe wasn't so difficult since I was already in the camp that believes America is great.

My familiarity with D'Souza's logical thinking made me very excited about the debate, which sought to pose three questions (What about God?; What about Christianity and other religions?; and What about science and reason?). It was a fairly lively debate, much of which you can easily find with a quick YouTube search.

D'Souza did not disappoint, stating clearly that he was making his arguments based on reason and not on Biblical revelation. Anyone who knows me will certainly know that I am a Christian and, therefore, inclined to automatically side with D'Souza. Likewise, anyone who knows me well will certainly know that I like to be intellectually challenged and am not afraid to look at two or more sides of an argument, regardless of whether I believe them or consider them to have any truth. So knowing very little about Hitchens except that he had written this book whose title alone makes me cringe, I approached this event assuming that Hitchens is (and, yes, he is) a very intelligent man and was looking forward to a logical argument to support his identification with atheism. I was disappointed. Aside from calling Isaac Newton a "raging crackpot," the most profound thing Hitchens said all night was that his primary belief system is that people should risk thinking for themselves and assume all responsibility and consequences for that risk. He believes that is the most important thing about being human.

Maybe the best part of the evening was meeting D'Souza and getting my books autographed. He was a bit surprised to see my copy of What's So Great About America, and now I have two more autographed books on my shelves.