Friday, July 31, 2020

July 31, 2020 BEHIND THE MASK

The MASK. It's complicated. NO matter which kind I try---MY GLASSES FOG UP AND I CAN'T SEE A DAMN THING. It's SO frustrating. I've tried different materials, ties,  nose clips--HELL--I'm on the verge of bankruptcy. I've finally decided that I'm just going to wear my glasses to drive and the HELL
WITH IT. I'll be blind as a bat the rest of the time. While I'm talking about masks. I have a question that must be answered before I go back to school. Do my masks have to color coordinate with my outfits? I know that sounds like a strange questions BUT I have certain standards. Can I wear a mask that's purple & red with an  orange outfit? Seriously--I'm NOW seeing the "MASK" as part of my ENSEMBLE--much like a scarf. AND I AM A SERIOUS LOVER OF THE SCARF. Don't think I'll be wearing my scarves to school though--a MASK and a SCARF together IS  JUST TOO MUCH. SO--is my MASK--my NEW SCARF? If so--then I need to get to work. I've got some coordinating to do. And what about my lipstick?? What's the point if I have to wear a mask?? NO more coordinating my lipstick with my outfit either? I might have to start painting my nails instead. THIS IS A LOT FOR ME. I have an image to uphold and this "MASK THING" is really cramping my style. The residents of The Causes Housing Project feel the same way when drug dealers take over their park in James McBride's new book Deacon King Kong. 
One day a drunken church deacon known as Sportcoat has had enough. After a few too many drinks, he heads out to the courtyard and shoots a drug dealer. This is not just any drug dealer, this is a kid who grew up in the projects. A kid that Sportcoat once coached and taught Sunday School. It's September 1969 and drugs, organized crime and theft have taken over the projects. The shooting sets off a chain of events that changes all involved as well as the future of the Causes and the Five Ends Baptist Church. I know this book may sound sad and it is to a point, but  it is also  quite funny--laugh out loud funny.  McBride  brings to life a cast of colorful characters that are unforgettable including Hot Sausage, Bum Bum, The Elephant and Hurly Girly to name a few. This is ultimately a story about a community of people who band together to save their church and make their home safe. I really enjoyed the story, LOVED the characters and learned a lot about a community that I knew nothing about. It's only 380 pages or a 4 mile run worth every minute. 

Thursday, July 23, 2020

July 23, 2020 THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY

Life in the time of COVID--The WHOLE MEGILLAH IS DRIVING ME CRAZY.  We are DEEP in the WEEDS here--living in uncertain times--and SOME people still think it's a HOAX. It's all too much for me. I'm starting to feel betwixt and between and not sure what to do with myself. I want to be productive but when EVERY day is Ground Hog's Day it's NOT easy.  Is it Monday-Friday-Saturday-What difference does it even make? Every day is a Mary Mix-Up day AS one day bleeds into the next.  I'm feeling all SIXES and SEVENS and I'm starting to talk up side streets. UGH. Is this really my new NORMAL? I just want my old life back before I fall over the edge and I'm--four quarters short of a dollar--a few bricks short of a load--five cans short of a six pack. Before they take me away to the--booby hatch--bug house--Funny Farm--where life is wonderful ALL the time. They're coming to take me away.............HA HA--but before I go--I think I can handle one more book review.
If you enjoyed The Clockmaker's Daughter, then you should definitely read The Lake House by Kate Morton. Sadie Sparrow is a detective in London who is forced to take leave after violating rules of conduct during an investigation. She retreats to her grandfather's home in Cornwall where she stumbles across an abandoned estate called Loeanneth or Lake House. Sadie soon learns that the estate has been abandoned for seventy years, since 1933 when young Theo Edevane went missing during a summer party. Sadie becomes obsessed with the house and family and decides to investigate the seventy year old mystery. During her investigation, she meets Theo's now elderly sister Alice, a famous writer of crime novels with her own secrets about what happened that night. Morton weaves a wonderful mystery between the past and the present told through various members of the Edevane family and Sadie Sparrow. This book is essentially a mystery within a mystery as every member of the Edevane family has something to hide. This beautifully written novel is about 500 pages or a 6 mile run that will keep you guessing until the end. Enjoy.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

July 11, 2020 DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE

There's this book I've been wanting to read for 20 years. Seriously--but I kept putting it off because it was a BIG commitment. There are commitments and THEN THERE ARE COMMITMENTS. This book is a MONSTER. 1488 PAGES. That's essentially 4 books if you think about it. That's a lot of time reading ONE BOOK. I wavered back and forth and finally decided to tackle the BEAST. Reading a book this size is a challenge for many reasons. First off--IT'S DAUNTING. I actually had to read a good 500 pages before I felt like I was even making a "dent". It was also quite heavy--carrying it to the beach was a serious workout. Forget falling asleep reading it--I almost suffocated. And my fingers couldn't even stretch around it. It was like trying to hold TWO whoppers from Burger King at the same time. Even though I faced tremendous odds-- I put on my SUPERHERO reader glasses and mottled through. The novel--that took me two weeks to read--was called A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. At 591,552 words, A Suitable Boy is one of the longest novels ever published in the English language. 
It is set in the fictional town of Brahmpur, India, in the 1950s post-partition. It follows the story of four interconnected families over an 18 month period. There are over forty colorful characters in the story, thankfully the book contains a family tree at the beginning to help the reader keep everyone straight. The  main character is Mrs. Rupa Mehra, who is on a  quest to find a suitable boy for her daughter, Lata, to marry. Sadly, Lata is in love with a Muslim whom she is forbidden to marry.  Lata and her overbearing mother travel far and wide so that Lata can meet and marry a man her mother and family approve of.  Seth's story is a social satire on the times as he pokes fun at many of the interesting characters who can be shallow, social climbers who only care about money and connections. Seth also examines the 1950s in terms of  political issues, land reform, caste systems, academics, religion and the importance of family. Although I found the chapters on politics immensely detailed and dry, I really enjoyed the chapters that focused on Lata and her extended family. Again, it was a huge commitment that I'm not sure was worth the time, but I am really glad that I finally BESTED the BEAST. This book is REALLY a marathon--26.2--that is definitely not for everyone but it was made into a BBC series last year that you might enjoy.