what with being unemployed and all, i find myself with time in the day. and i often fill the time with the gym. since my back feels better than it has in a year (WAHOO!) i've been able to amp up my exercise schedule (tee hee - life without a chiropractor telling me what i shouldn't be doing), to... *GASP.... walking on the treadmill! i know. crazy. with all that being said, i hate the gym. i always have. i always will. i hate the idea of sitting inside, on a machine, 'working out'. but, i learned quickly when i hurt myself that i either use stationary equipment, or i don't sweat at all. so, i succumb to the pressure of the indoor gym world.
to pass the time, i find myself reading. nearly 3 books a week. so one of the first things i did when i arrived and we had a place in vancouver, was pick up a library card. needless to say, i've been like a kid in a candy store. i've been whipping through some goodies lately... i'd say some that may even qualify as some of my favourite books of all time now.
here's what i've been reading lately.
1. the cure for death by lightening - a story about a young girl in a small farming community in BC during the war. it's filled with somewhat magical stories, and filled with spirituality, partially due to a heavy presence of native friends and the reserve just down the road from the family. to be entirely honest, this novel was infuriating. the characters are hate-able (i'm allowed to make up my own words here), the lead character included - even being a young girl. i felt frustrated the entire time i was reading it... though, i suppose that's what makes a novel good. pulls you in, and keeps you wrapped up in it, regardless of how you feel about it.
2. room - i finished this book in a day. seriously. i could not stop reading it. written from the perspective of a 5 year old, who you come to learn has been born in a room where him and his 'ma' are being held captive. it's heartbreaking, and compassionate - it was so engulfing i felt like i needed to look up every case of a child or person being held captive, and make sure they're ok now. it's hard to read, as it's disturbing, but having it written from a child's perspective helps with that - seems to break the harshness down a bit into more easily swallowed bits.
3. eleanor rigby - i'll be up front in admitting i'm not a huge douglas copeland fan. but, the cover won me over. ha! i admit it - i choose wine from the label, and books from their cover. and honestly? it was good. a story about a woman named liz who is pure loneliness. it's humorous in ways, but mostly a wonderful and painful reflection on loneliness, spirituality, and gaining a life. also, props to copeland for delving a bit into the workings of a corporate environment that further encourages the loneliness that we all feel when we're surrounded by people.
4. farenheit 451 - everyone knows i love dystopian novels. all of them. any of them. so it's hard to believe that i hadn't ever read this one before. it's a story about a future society where most books are outlawed, and there is a strong push towards constant activity, noise and action to keep people's mind's busy, in order to prevent them from thinking. the main character is a firefighter - who, in this society, burns houses where these banned books are found, instead of putting fires out. it was a tough read, and yet - as most dystopian novels tend to be - it was so unintentionally true. it focuses on censorship, book burning and banning, and suppression of ideas... and even the moments in which the main character tries to have conversations with his wife, and she is too busy with the people in the tv to respond or even pay attention. yikes. definitely worth the read if only for the warning.
5. half-blood blues - a story that takes place in two times (1939 and1989), about jazz music during WWII (yeaaa... there's been a lot of that lately). this was another one that took me a long time to get through - not because it wasn't a great book (because it was), but because it was tough to read with the language that was used. written in the style of language that was true to the black population in germany during the war, it was one that i wanted to read every paragraph twice to make sure i was really getting it. it's an unbelievable story of friendship and loyalty. i was disappointed when it ended, which i think is a good sign.
6. maus 1 & 2 - a story written by art spiegelman, narrated by his father - vladek - about his survival tale of WWII and the holocaust. it's ability to share the survival story amongst stories of modern day visits, arguments, and bits of reality. there's something about graphic novels that have been drawing me in recently, and this has to be one of the ones you read, if you will delve into the world of graphic novels. it's heartbreaking, and so worth it.
to pass the time, i find myself reading. nearly 3 books a week. so one of the first things i did when i arrived and we had a place in vancouver, was pick up a library card. needless to say, i've been like a kid in a candy store. i've been whipping through some goodies lately... i'd say some that may even qualify as some of my favourite books of all time now.
here's what i've been reading lately.
2. room - i finished this book in a day. seriously. i could not stop reading it. written from the perspective of a 5 year old, who you come to learn has been born in a room where him and his 'ma' are being held captive. it's heartbreaking, and compassionate - it was so engulfing i felt like i needed to look up every case of a child or person being held captive, and make sure they're ok now. it's hard to read, as it's disturbing, but having it written from a child's perspective helps with that - seems to break the harshness down a bit into more easily swallowed bits.
3. eleanor rigby - i'll be up front in admitting i'm not a huge douglas copeland fan. but, the cover won me over. ha! i admit it - i choose wine from the label, and books from their cover. and honestly? it was good. a story about a woman named liz who is pure loneliness. it's humorous in ways, but mostly a wonderful and painful reflection on loneliness, spirituality, and gaining a life. also, props to copeland for delving a bit into the workings of a corporate environment that further encourages the loneliness that we all feel when we're surrounded by people.
4. farenheit 451 - everyone knows i love dystopian novels. all of them. any of them. so it's hard to believe that i hadn't ever read this one before. it's a story about a future society where most books are outlawed, and there is a strong push towards constant activity, noise and action to keep people's mind's busy, in order to prevent them from thinking. the main character is a firefighter - who, in this society, burns houses where these banned books are found, instead of putting fires out. it was a tough read, and yet - as most dystopian novels tend to be - it was so unintentionally true. it focuses on censorship, book burning and banning, and suppression of ideas... and even the moments in which the main character tries to have conversations with his wife, and she is too busy with the people in the tv to respond or even pay attention. yikes. definitely worth the read if only for the warning.
5. half-blood blues - a story that takes place in two times (1939 and1989), about jazz music during WWII (yeaaa... there's been a lot of that lately). this was another one that took me a long time to get through - not because it wasn't a great book (because it was), but because it was tough to read with the language that was used. written in the style of language that was true to the black population in germany during the war, it was one that i wanted to read every paragraph twice to make sure i was really getting it. it's an unbelievable story of friendship and loyalty. i was disappointed when it ended, which i think is a good sign.
6. maus 1 & 2 - a story written by art spiegelman, narrated by his father - vladek - about his survival tale of WWII and the holocaust. it's ability to share the survival story amongst stories of modern day visits, arguments, and bits of reality. there's something about graphic novels that have been drawing me in recently, and this has to be one of the ones you read, if you will delve into the world of graphic novels. it's heartbreaking, and so worth it.
what have you been reading lately?