Elegantly Random

Tree hugger in training.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Earth recently. I can't really pinpoint one specific thing that's causing me to do this, but it's probably a combination of moving to Seattle and being amongst the granola hippies of the northwest, downsizing to an urban lifestyle, and the reading and viewing material in our house lately.

Jay has been consumed with the works of Michael Pollen (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food). I've been reading Bill Bryson's science 101 review, A Short History of Nearly Everything. We've also been watching Life on the Discovery channel, among other things. When you get HD, you suddenly find yourself watching a lot of Discovery channel. The icing on the cake? We sat down and watched the horrifying documentary Food, Inc. 

Because of all these things, the conversations lately in our home have been circling around issues of food, the health of the planet, sustainability, animal and vegetable farming in America, the fishing industry, and more. And let's just say we've both found these conversations a little bit scary and a lot sobering.

Basically, here's the issue. I think humans are very self-absorbed. For one reason or another, be it spiritual or scientific or technological, most people think we're the top dog, the culmination of millions of years of evolution of life on this planet (or the magical work of God and his embodiment on Earth). But reading some things about the history of the universe has reminded me what teeny, tiny specks on an infinite radar we are, and it all feels pretty presumptuous to me. To quote Bryson,

"It is almost impossible for us whose time on Earth is limited to a breezy few decades to appreciate how remote in time from us the Cambrian outburst was. If you could fly backwards into the past at a rate of one year per second, it would take you about half an hour to reach the time of Christ, and a little over three weeks to get back to the beginnings of human life. But it would take you twenty years to reach the dawn of the Cambrian period."

And the Cambrian Explosion wasn't the dawn of life, either. It was merely the moment (in a geological moment, meaning millions of years), 530 million years ago, of progression from earlier lifeforms to more complex ones. Think about it. We've only been here for the blip of an eye. And we could easily vanish in another blip, and likely will at some point.

And the Earth will probably go on, as it has in the past when other things have occurred to wipe out a species. But all that said, we're kinda fucking it up. We're escalating things to a level that's a little scary, for us and for our other friends who share our space. And I'm sorry to go all touchy-feely granola girl on you, but I kinda feel bad about it. Two years ago, when I first really found out about the realities of farming in America, I was pretty horrified, but you know, it's hard to make big changes. Something has to happen, a light bulb has to go off in your head. And the more I know, the less I can ignore the truth, which is that humans are raping the ever-living shit out of the planet.

And regardless of what that means long-term, after I'm dead, it sucks for me NOW. It sucks to realize that the food you eat, be it animal or vegetable, isn't good for you, in fact may be poisonous. It sucks to realize that the air we breathe is poisonous because of all the cars we drive and the lead we create. It's not fun to open your eyes, and so most people don't. You know the offshore drilling crisis has a lot of people angry, because a bunch of politicians said it was okay to drill offshore. Why anyone ever would believe that, I don't know. Use your head. You are drilling for oil inside a huge ecosystem. What could go wrong here?

So here's where we are, Jay and I. Our eyes are open. We're making some changes around here, talking about some more things. We already eat healthy, for example, but we're upping our commitment to eating non-processed foods. Do you know how hard it is to avoid processed foods? It's hard. We're talking about reusable goods - I'm looking into reusable feminine products for my "time of the month." We're cutting back on the meat we eat, and we're going to attempt to eat as much meat as possible that's been raised sustainably. We already ditched a car, and now we only use a tank or less of gas per month. We moved into a smaller, more energy-efficient abode. Granola? Maybe, but it's the right thing to do.

Michael Pollen's mantra in his books is, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." He doesn't mean be a vegetarian - in fact, he supports eating meat in small amounts. But what meat are you choosing? How has it been farmed? How were the animals treated? Was it even good for you? Same with the plants you put in your body - were the doused in pesticides? Chances are, they were. What resources were used in order to bring you your food? Pollen says food is the most important thing you buy, so spend more on it, not less. Buy local. Aim for quality, and also for integrity.

We'll never be able to get it all right - at least, not anytime soon. But our eyes are open, and we're trying.

Cream of the crop.

I admit it - I didn't read as many books in 2009 as I did the year before. But more isn't necessarily better, as we all know. I read some really good stuff this year, a couple of duds, and a bit of crap. But it sure was fun! This is the year I absolutely fell head-over-heels for nonfiction, particularly travel-related lit. Below are some of my favorite books I read this year - hope you'll enjoy a few of them.

 

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This guy writes the most intense, awesome stuff. This is, as the sub-title indicates, a personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster of May 1996 in which eight climbers from Krakauer's expedition were killed in a rogue snowstorm. The book details the sport of mountain climbing as well as the industry behind guided summit experiences. Krakauer, himself an experienced climber, gives an absolutely harrowing narration of the terrifying events on top of the world's highest peak. This book scared me to DEATH. Seriously, what I took away from this is - no one should EVER climb above about 15,000 feet. Really, 10,000 is crazy, as far as I'm concerned. But Everest? Lunacy. You should read this, and then you should read his other books too.

  A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

2009 was the year I became a huge fan of Bill Bryson. I know, a little late - but I'm also catching up on a lot of books and authors I missed out on during my teen and college years. Bill Bryson is FANTASTIC. Hilarious and witty, you will absolutely laugh out loud reading his books. I read three this year and plan to read all of his others. This is the true tale of Bryson's adventures hiking the Appalachian Trail, accompanied (at times) by his fat friend Katz. Hilarity ensues.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I just finished this, and it's just as good as I had heard. Larson juxtaposes the history of the Chigago World's Fair from its inception and throughout construction and the entire run of the event with the tale of H. H. Holmes, an incredibly creepy and somehow under the radar serial killer who built, basically, a death hotel in downtown Chicago during the fair. This book was outstanding. And if I'm being honest, as much as the info about the fair was interesting, I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the stuff about the crazy guy. He had a KILN, people. In his hotel. 'Nuff said.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

After the sixth Harry Potter movie came out last year, I was inspired to re-read the series, and I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome they still are. Not that it's been so long since they were written, but I did wonder if maybe all the hype would somehow lessen their charm. Nope. They're great. And #4 is still my favorite, because the way Rowling handles the changeover from light and fun kids' series to dark and twisty adult adventure is just brilliant. If you haven't read these, if you're a Potter nay-sayer, I say to you - you're missing out. 

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Ah, yes, the quintessential true crime thriller. This book is pure genius, plain and simple. Capote reconstructed the series of events surrounding the murders of Herbert Clutter and his wife and children in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959 and wrote a book that reads like a novel. It's pure and sheer genius at work, and it set the stage for every single crime book - real or fiction - that followed. It's scary, it's twisted, it's heart-wrenching, it's sympathetic - and it's grounded in reality. 

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Another from the "I should have read that in the 90s" category - this book was outstanding. Seriously, I couldn't put it down. This is the prime example of real life being stranger (and far more entertaining) than fiction. The book tells the story of the murder of Danny Hansford in Savannah, Georgia by reputable antique dealer Jim Williams. The case resulted in four murder trials - and some voodoo. All of you need to read this book - it's awesome. You will particularly love reading about the Lady Chablis, a Savannah drag queen who befriends Jim. And when you're finished, take a trip to Savannah - it's a beautiful old city and it's really fun to see all the things described in the story.

 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This is the sweetest book I've read in years. I am not a huge fan of the chick lit or romance genres, but I'm also not anti-romance or anti-love stories. And I adore historical fiction. This is a love story, set in London and Guernsey after World War II. The main character is Juliet Ashton, a columnist for a London paper who became famous writing upbeat stories during the war. Through a series of events and her love of reading, she becomes associated with a group of people in Guernsey who formed a book club during the war. The book is made up of letters between Juliet and the people of Guernsey, her publisher and her close friends. It's so sweet, but not saccharine - it's just one of those wonderful feel-good stories that warms you up inside. Highly recommend.

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes 

Let me start by saying I've never seen the movie, nor do I plan to, because I'm pretty sure they bastardized it and turned it into a crappy chick flick. I remember my mom reading this book when I was in high school and loving it, and I just never got around to it (seriously, that's been the theme of my book list this year). What a treat, though. The woman who wrote this book, Frances Mayes, is the chair of the creative writing department at San Francisco State University (pretty sweet gig, eh?) as well as a renowned food and travel writer. For real, sign me up for her life. Anyway, the book is a memoir of Mayes and her husband buying, renovating and eventually living in a villa in rural Cortona. And let's be clear - this place is dilapidated and ramshackle in every sense of the word - it's fascinating to read about how she and her husband went about finding and then fixing up the place, all while dealing with many miles of distance and a language barrier. It's fabulous, and she also includes several mouth-watering recipes she developed with foods from her garden and local shops.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates 

Wow - what an outstanding and intense book. I can absolutely see why it's considered a modern classic. The story involves Frank and April Wheeler, a young married couple who purchase a home in New England and start a life together. On the outside, perfection - they're just starting out, they're attractive and smart, he's got a great job, they've got two beautiful children. But on the inside, things are a shambles and the couple fight hard and often. In a desperate attempt to change their lives before they become stuck in them, April suggests moving to France. The plan, at first, energizes the two of them independently and as a couple, but Frank is never as committed to the plan as April. Things begin to unravel and you'd better be ready with the tissues. This is a tough read, I won't pretend otherwise. Difficult, depressing subject matter, but Yates is a master of prose and he brings April and Frank intensely to life. I recommend it, but don't say I didn't warn you. The same goes for the movie, brilliantly acted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (who probably each deserved Oscars for their performances) but really, really tough to watch.

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner 

This was truly one of the best books I read this year. Eric Weiner is a longtime National Public Radio (NPR) foreign correspondent. In this book, Weiner set out to familiarize himself with the scientific study of happiness (yes, there is such a thing, and its headquarters are the World Database of Happiness in the Netherlands). Post-research, Weiner sets off for a year of exploration in some of the world's happiest (and most depressing) places. And the results will surprise you. Who knew that the people of Iceland were so full of joy and bliss? They are. From Thailand to Qatar, Moldova to Switzerland, Weiner provides keen observations as a participant, not just an observer. I laughed out loud at some of his more Bill Bryson-esque moments (he's sort of a crank, and he fully admits it) but was also touched at some of his more surprising revelations. Check it out!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 

This was the last book I read in 2009 so it's still pretty fresh in my mind. Wow. This was a total surprise - I literally had nothing to read at the airport and picked it up on a whim. I'll admit, I chose the book because of the adorable golden retriever on the cover and the fact that the author is from Seattle. Win and win, I thought. And the next thing I knew, I was laughing and crying over the story of Enzo, the lovable hero of the book, and his master, Denny, a semi-professional race car driver. The book is told from the perspective of the dog, whose voice is witty and wise, and Stein's got a fresh perspective on what it might be like to be a dog. I really can't say enough about this book. It's got a wonderful, heart-tugging storyline and so many fun and sweet moments. Just get it. Trust me.

So far, my 2010 is off to a great start - I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and it's fantastic. I also joined an online book discussion group with some of my fellow yarnie friends (don'tyoujudgeme) and our January selection is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I can't wait to read. But as always, I'm looking for recommendations. So tell me, what did you read this year? What did you love?

 

This is my stubborn face.

Over Thanksgiving break, my husband and I were doing some holiday chatting and planning - what we need to buy and bake and whatnot in the ever-dwindling time before Christmas and Hanukkah. In my case, I was stressing over my handmade holidays - I'll get to that later. So we're chatting and my husband looks at me sorta sheepishly and he says, "I've got a confession to make. I feel guilty saying it, but I'm going to go ahead and do it."

And of course I, being a world-class worrier, start wondering what horrible thing he's going to tell me. Well, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what he was about to confess.

"I sorta want a Kindle," he says to me. And I died a little bit inside.

In case you live in a cave, a Kindle is an electronic device that allows you to download and read books and other publications. You can store up to 1500 books on the thing, and you can easily save your place and return to it. You can also make notes and do other nifty things with it. It can read to you. And it's wireless. It's a magical alien reading device for the 21st century! 

Kindle on Amazon 

Here's the thing - I like electronic gizmos as much as the next person - probably more. I'm a technologically savvy sort of girl. I've got an iPod, a Blackberry, a laptop computer filled with high-tech software. I'm maybe not as savvy as some of my uber-geeky tech friends, but I'm well above average. And I love to read. So you would think I'd be down with the Kindle. It's pretty small, but the monitor is big enough that you can read fairly comfortably. It's portable, so you can take it with you even easier than you can books or magazines. It's cheaper to download books, magazines and newspapers than it is to buy or subscribe, so you quickly make back the money you spent on the device. You can take it to the gym and on airplanes and subways and things. It's green and saves the world a little bit...kind of sort of, but at least the trees are happy. Kind of sort of, but it FEELS greener.

But as much as you might expect me to love it, you'd be wrong. I don't love the Kindle. I'm trying to get excited about it, but I can't. Because I love books. I have loved books - passionately, madly - since I was a tiny, tiny child. I have carried one with me every single day, everywhere I went since I learned to read at age four, maybe sooner. I adore the feel of books in my hands. I like the physical, tangible act of turning the pages. I love the smell of a musty old book - yes, I just said that. I do. I sniff my books. It's true. I sniff the library books too, and I love the comforting old-musty-book scent (and sometimes you get a whiff of the last reader's cologne! Or a crumble of their breakfast! Exciting!). I read books in the gym, standing in line at the store, in bed, in restaurants, EVERYWHERE I can. I consider it the great tragedy of my life that reading in the car makes me sick. I'm a bookworm in every sense of the word.

And I'm afraid - no, I'm not afraid, I'm fairly certain - that the Kindle is a sign of the ever-advancing death of the print industry. Sure, there are some things that will always need to be printed - but magazines and newspapers are already going out of business left and right, as are bookstores. If you can't find a way to get your shit online, it's not gonna sell. Everything is online and most everything is electronic. I don't want to be a stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddy, but I still want to hold on to my books. Real paper and leather and cardboard in my hands. My logical side can absolutely see how a Kindle or other reading device would be super handy. If nothing else, it would save me SPACE - books are such a pain in the ass to store and to cart around. But I'm not ready. I don't want another electronic gizmo.

Because here's the thing. People say they'll get a Kindle and also still read books. But over time, they won't. Eventually, they'll give up the books, because the Kindle is easier. And humans are laaazy mofos. It's already happened to me with my Blackberry. I can barely function without it. I cannot imagine not having a smartphone anymore. Not an option. It's happening to me with journals. I've had a journal since I was 7. I barely write in one anymore, though, because I write everything on this blog or elsewhere using a computer. Or on my aforementioned Blackberry. The same thing, I feel, will happen with books, and then they'll just be these weird, old-fashioned things that weirdos like me collect. They'll have some in museums and kids will go, "Mom, what is THAT?" "It's a book, sweetie. See, you turn the pages like this..." "I have to TURN the PAGES? MYSELF?!" 

So I told my husband he'd have to wait - for one, because I already bought all his Christmakkah gifts. But also because I'm just not ready. I need a year to mourn over the death of my beloved friend, the printed book.

 

 Y'all probably think I'm being melodramatic but I swear to shit I just shed a tear.

What are your thoughts on the Kindle? Is there any 21st-century bandwagon you're just unable to jump on?

But wait! There's more!

Oh my god. My day has been made. The folks who brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I haven't actually read yet - saving it for the beach) have once again conspired to please me. Me specifically, of course. Because it's all about ME! But I digress.

Behold! On September 15, you can pick up your copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!

As my dear friend Cheryl put it, "Well, if a giant squid kills Willoughby, I'll be happy." Amen.

Best. Cover. Ever.

My good friend Joan gave me my birthday gift a few days early. Given my love for Jane Austen, zombies and off-color humor, it only took a couple of strong reviews to make this my most-anticipated summer read. But the true deal-sealer? The cover art.

CHAPTER 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. Never was this truth more plain than during the recent attacks at Netherfield Park, in which a household of eighteen was slaughtered and consumed by a horde of the living dead.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is occupied again?"

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not and went about his morning business of dagger sharpening and musket polishing - for attacks by the unmentionables had grown alarmingly frequent in recent weeks.

Awesome.

Certified sparkle-killer.

In lieu of my posts recommending books and discussing the movie Twilight, I've had several comments, emails and questions from readers wondering what the hell is wrong with Twilight (book and movie) and why am I not a fan? Allow me to expand on this - since you asked. For those of you who haven't yet read Twilight and plan to, consider averting your eyes - there may be spoilers.

You may recall that I have in fact read the first two books of the Twilight series entitled Twilight and New Moon. In all honesty, I did enjoy reading the first book in a "if I were 14, I would absolutely love this book" sort of way. It was a fast, entertaining read, and though I found the plot predictable and the writing overly saccharine in places and got a little sick of Bella's swooning over her sparkly, beautiful vampire love interest, Edward, author Stephenie Meyer seemed to pick up the pace just in the nick of time.

New Moon was a different story. I found it tedious from the very first chapter, and even more predictable than the first book had been. Furthermore, by halfway through the book I had completely lost interest in Bella - which is a shame, since she's the focus of the series and Edward disappears for the better part of the second book. Making matters worse, new friend/love interest Jacob and the story around him was so transparent, I found myself ready to pound my head against the wall waiting for Bella to put two and two together.

Now for the main reason I've written off this series. In New Moon, Edward basically leaves Bella because he thinks that his relationship is endangering her life. Duh. This is a theme that you're basically strangled with throughout the series. So he breaks her heart and disappears, and what does she do? She has a breakdown. She becomes depressed and withdrawn from her friends and family. She doesn't begin to heal until she finds another guy to hang out with (Jacob) and she admits that she knows he's interested in her and keeps him around for selfish reasons. Then, the second Edward is back on the scene, Bella ditches Jacob, who's now all werewolfed out (oooh! torn between a werewolf and a vampire!), and goes back to Edward. There's no fight about why he left her. There's no anger that he vanished for the better part of the year. There's nothing but pathetic, boring Bella, dependent on her sparkly vampire to complete her.

And while I'm not the biggest feminist on the planet, I'm a bit disgusted that Stephenie Meyer couldn't draw up a leading lady with even the slightest trace of independence or strength. This is the most male-dependent character I've ever read, and millions of teenage girls are reading these books and soaking it up. Couldn't Meyer have made Bella just a bit more of a role model for all her readers? Couldn't she have at least stood up to Edward and demanded some respect?

Am I asking too much of a book geared toward teenagers? I don't think so. Shit, Dawson's Creek had stronger female characters than Twilight. And y'all know how I feel about Katie Holmes.

So, to summarize...What we have here is a tired storyline (forbidden love!) with a predictable plot and one-dimensional characters (Edward is perfect! Bella is boring!). That's two strikes. And the female heroine has about as much gumption and strength as a stick of Orbitz gum. I'm checked out. And you toss in all the millions of crazy people my age and older who are obsessed with this stuff and I really start to get a little befuddled, not to mention creeped out.

Final Grade: Twilight, book 1: B+ for teenagers, B overall. New Moon: C for teenagers, D overall.

That said, I'm still totes gonna see the movie. Saturday, at 1 p.m. With a big supply of vodka.

But you don't have to take my word for it.

Each year, I resolve to read more books. Ever since I was a tiny tot, reading has been one of my biggest pastimes. There's never a day when I don't read at least for a few minutes, and most days I read for an hour or more. If I were stranded on a desert island, the one thing I'd need with me would be a really good book - ok, and maybe a tube of Chapstick.

In 2008, I read 27 books, which is seven more than I read in 2007, and I'm pleased to report that almost all of them were pretty darn good. There was only one I didn't finish - Evening by Susan Minot. What a steaming pile that was! But tonight I want to tell you about the ten books I most enjoyed, and you can take that for what it's worth. If you're looking for a good book, there may be something on this list for you. Caveats: I don't read books with lipsticks, baby strollers, wedding rings or martini glasses on the cover. I didn't really like the Twilight books all that much (and I'll tell you why another time). And I'm really into drama and nonfiction. That said, take this top ten list for what it's worth.

Top ten reads in 2008 (in no particular order aside from the order I read them):

Atonement by Ian McEwan
This was the first book I read in 2008, and I could not put it down. I think I read the whole thing in less than two days, and it's a dense book, written in a style that reminded me of James Joyce or Virginia Woolf (only a whole lot less tedious). The story revolves around a series of events witnessed by a young girl, her interpretation of them and the consequences of the stories we tell. It's a heartbreaking, haunting story of what appeared to be and what might have been. McEwan is an absolute master of both the English language and of storytelling.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
It's a classic, but somehow I missed it in school - never had read it until this year. And I suppose it's not quite accurate to say I read it, but rather, listened to the book on CD as read by Sissy Spacek. And it was fantastic. I love it when something completely lives up to the hype. The story of a Southern girl coming of age as her father defends a man on trial for a crime he didn't commit amidst prejudice and hate has surprising relevance today.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Some of you may not have gotten into the series, but what I always loved about these books was that they allowed children to grow up right alongside the characters. Adults enjoyed the first few books because they were whimsical and reminded us of Roald Dahl and other writers. But around about the fourth book in the series, Rowling really took the saga to a deeper, darker place. The seventh book in the series was intricate, touching and tender - a perfect capstone to a historic achievement.

Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Had Obama not won the presidency in 2008, he would definitely have had a future as a writer. His first book, written in 1995, is all about his personal struggle for identification as a black man. Obama tells of growing up with his grandparents in Hawaii and his mother in Indonesia. He is brutally frank about race issues in Chicago and his struggles to connect with the family he never knew in Kenya.  The tough questions he boldly asks of himself and the world earned my respect.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This book absolutely haunted me for days after I finished it. And then I saw the movie - intense. Journalist Jon Krakauer expands on an article he wrote for Outside magazine detailing the strange disappearance and untimely death of Christopher McCandless,  a young adventurer who died alone in the Alaskan woods. A thrill-seeking adventurer and hiker himself, Krakauer weaves stories of other explorers and loners into the framework of McCandless's journey as he tries to piece together the chain of events leading up to his death, and the motivations behind what would seem to some a suicidal odyssey.

The Road by Cormac McCarthey
It's tough to explain why you should read this book - it's one of the most stark, bleak and terrifying novels I've ever held in my hands. The world, and almost everyone in it, is dead. There is a father and his son, and they are trying to survive, trying to find food to eat and shelter from the cold. Trying not to be killed by the bandits who would kill for the last remaining scraps. Desperation seeps through every page, but in the father's determination to take his son to a better place, to help him survive, there is a very inspiring hope.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
After spiraling into depression, Elizabeth Gilbert took a year to herself. She spent four months in Italy exploring true pleasure, then four months in an Indian ashram seeking spiritual nirvana, and four months in Bali attempting to marry the two. This is one of most passionate, inward-searching travel memoirs you will ever read. I found myself asking, what are we doing with our lives? What should we be doing? And craving gelato like you wouldn't believe.

The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics and Religion by Matt Taibbi
If you read Rolling Stone, chances are you've seen Matt Taibbi's scathingly cynical pieces. I happen to love them - you may not. But even if you're conservative to the core, this is an interesting - and scary - read. Every country must rise and fall, and Taibbi explores the way people act at that moment when their country is breaking apart - which, he claims, is happening right now. He discusses how we can no longer separate fact from fiction, and the role the media, the government, and the people have in skewering the truth. He travels to Congress and chats up the crazies from the 9/11 Truth Movement. A major part of the book revolves around his under cover work as a pseudo-member of a major born-again Christian church in Texas. This book just might piss you off, terrify you, or both.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
This book is really, really weird - and a whole lot of fun. Charlie Asher's wife dies and then he becomes Death - and hilarity and madness ensue. This book has a little bit of everything - pawn shops, dark magic, demons, the devil, slobbering hellbeast dogs, a cute toddler, racial stereotypes and a lesbian! Need I say more?

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Squeezed this book in right at the end of 2008, and loved every page. This is the story of a teenager who has an affair with an older woman, and years later discovers her involvement in the Holocaust. One of the reasons I was drawn to this book is that it brings up questions I've long thought about - who are the people who commit crimes, and who are the people who love them? The story deals with the German guilt following the Holocaust and what it means to love the people who committed unspeakable crimes.

Honorable mentions you might want to consider:
The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island by Linda Greenlaw
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Here's to more great reading in 2009! Now - do you have suggestions for me for this year's reading list?

Take a deep breath...

In her best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love (which I read last week at the beach and is absolutely living up to the hype), Elizabeth Gilbert writes, "Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure. Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one. Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused with everything from porn to theme parks to wars, but that's not exactly the same things as quiet enjoyment. Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today."

She doesn't mean that as a compliment.

Gilbert shares this reflection during her four month stint in Italy, where she went to heal and experience sheer pleasure after a bitter divorce and subsequent devastating breakup, learning Italian for fun and eating nothing but the world's most decadent foods. Later in her memoir, she goes on to detail her stay at an ashram in India and overall enlightenment in Indonesia. All of it is fascinating, honest, introspective and extremely well-written, and I highly recommend you read it.

But during my vacation last week, it was her musings on Italy and the American inability to just kick back and relax that I kept mulling over in my mind, long after I'd picked up my beach chair and showered off the sand after a day of reading in the surf (my favorite, laziest beach activity which makes up about 65% of my vacation every year).

Gilbert is so absolutely right, and I saw it on display last week in full. People can't leave work behind, not even for a few hard-earned days. Of the 10 of us on vacation, at least 7 were called to do something work-related at least once - checking email, calling in for a conference, cleaning up some sort of chaos in the office. I find this incredibly depressing. Not only that, I noticed many of my friends were unable to just relax for a week. Everyone had to be doing something - myself included - whether it was figuring out a purpose to the day, working out, cleaning, etc. We can't just sit still and be quiet. And this is wholly depressing news.

I found myself wondering if there was something wrong with me. Am I lazy? Is it an unattractive quality in me, that I can sit around and do nothing and be perfectly content? But then I realized, even I am a busy bee in my own way - even on vacation, be it reading or cooking for 10 or cleaning or knitting or heading out on an adventure.

But wouldn't it be nice if we, as Americans, could take a lesson from our European neighbors and figure out how to really, truly relax? Leave life behind, enjoy simple pleasures, just for a little while. For one week, just to breathe for a minute? Just to be.

My point in this post is not to say that the only way to relax or enjoy one's vacation is to be idle. Each of us relaxes in his or her own way, and there's no right or wrong way to take a vacation. My point is more to agree with Gilbert's claim that Americans have trouble to relax into sheer pleasure. I don't take that to mean that we should all spend our days in meditation, but I think her point is it's very hard for us to slow down and have quiet time with ourselves, which is what her entire book is about. So this post is not to judge those who want to live their life a certain way - in fact, I call my own behavior out and say, Do I even know how to relax? It's to ask the question - what more could we do to truly take time out for ourselves, to be introspective, to be calm, just for a minute.

For those sunny, carefree days...

Every summer, I spend a week at Holden Beach, NC. I look forward to this basically from the minute I arrive home from my trip to the minute I return. Those of you who know me know I take my beachin' very, very seriously. I don't just "book a beach house" - I study and compare each and every single house, looking for the perfect abode to house me and my loved ones for our highly anticipated getaway. I don't just "pack the week before" - I spend literally a couple of months mulling over which groceries, liquors, garments, CDs and books will accompany me 4.5 hours down the road to the Carolina shore.

This year, I think Jay and I need a vacation more than ever, and the countdown has been on for weeks (22 days to go!) As such, I'm getting pumped about all the reading I'll do! Because unlike most beaches, this one is really empty - just a long row of condos, sand and surf - no hotels, no malls, no golf courses, no nothing. Absolute peaceful serenity. Me and the gulls and the sand between my toes. If there is a heaven, I'm pretty sure that's it.

SO - knowing how much I treasure my week at the beach, I need to find me the best 4 or 5 beach books to savor. That's where you come in. I need recommendations! I have a few ideas in mind, but I am always open to suggestions for a good beach book. Disclaimer: I do not read books with martini glasses or baby buggies or diamond engagement rings on the cover. So don't even go there.

Bring on the literary goods!

Now that's wanderlust.

Sometimes it takes 12 years and a critically acclaimed film to get a great book on my radar - and I'm fine with that. I requested Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild from the library right after I read an article about the movie directed by Sean Penn and decided it was a must-see. But I have this thing where I have to read the book before I can see a movie, if at all possible. While waiting my turn to read the book, I picked up Eddie Vedder's soundtrack album, which is definitively awesome. Last week I finally got my hands on the book and couldn't put it down.

Regardless of whether or not you've seen the movie, you should read this book. I'm assuming that you like nonfiction as much as I do - the truth is, as they say, often stranger than fiction. For those of you who might not know, the book is a continuation of the article Krakauer wrote for Outside magazine called "Death of an Innocent" about Christopher McCandless, a 24 year-old college graduate from a well-to-do family in DC. After graduating from Emory College in Georgia, McCandless severed ties with his family, gave all of his savings to charity and began a two-year trek across California, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, Mexico, Alaska and many other states under the name Alexander Supertramp. He traveled light, carrying the bare minimum in food and gear, and lived off the land. He ultimately died in Alaska after living for 112 days in an abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail near Fairbanks.

Krakauer intersperses McCandless's story with tales of other vagabond wanderers who lived in the wilderness, as well as some of his own adventures, in the attempt to get to the heart of McCandless and understand what would lead him to take such life-threatening risks. He speaks with McCandless's family members and people McCandless met in his travels, piecing together as much information as possible about this strange young man.

The book is fascinating, and brings up some really tough questions about how we should live, the adventure-seeking nature of mankind and the importance of family and relationships. I found myself simultaneously invigorated by the thought of living a nomadic lifestyle, traveling often and living simply, and also disturbed at the way this young man threw aside the people who loved him and vanished without a trace from their lives.

It's a good book..."but you don't have to take my word for it." And now I can finally watch the movie!