Eat, Pray, Blog? Well...maybe

So this week I am rereading the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I will say first of that I didn't not like the book all that much the first time  I read it. This time I am really loving it. I've read about 3 hours today and am through all of eat (Italy) and am on to the middle(ish) of pray (India). I've had absolutely no time to browse the interesting glossy racks of magazines this week. Well maybe I did skim a bit of Glamour in the grocery store line. But I have no pertinent information to impart. Back to Gilbert's book and me not really liking it I suppose/ So what I have realized about reading is that your state of mind is so important. First of all I saw the movie before picking up the book (I know big mistake, huge!), but never the less I did it. I really like the movie. But the first time I saw it was with my boyfriend, and we got in to a huge argument about spaghetti (don't ask) and stopped the film midway. I didn't see it again until I rented it (alone) and I will say I really like it. But when I picked up the book around Christmas time last year, I was tainted. The awful movie experience had affected my feeling about the story. So...here I am about a year later and I am really enjoying the book. Gilbert has a real ease in her writing. She gets personal fast. She is emotional, she shares (maybe even over shares), she goes elbow deep into the dirty dish water. I feel like I know her after about three pages, I really like her after about six. She doesn't pretend to be anyone but who she is. When talking about her divorce and all the pain and fear that encompassed her she is so open it brought me to tears. The best part of the book so far has to be her bittersweet explanation of depression and loneliness of t he streets of Italy. She describes them as two men who search her for all her joy and rob her of happiness. Who come to her apartment and fill her place with smokey sadness and despair. Loneliness gets in her bed fully clothed and she knows he is going to force her to sleep with him  again. It is so silly and so true how she describes the feeling of finding some fleeting joy and it being ripped away by the realization that she cannot be happy. I am deep into the book now, and I am missing it. So I think I shall read some more and maybe have something to share later! Happy Reading.

And the Blog Goes On!

This was a crazy, crazy week. Lots to report in life, not nearly as much as reading. I read a solid hour today and thumbed through Glamour magazine several times today. Earlier in the week I read before bad for more than one hour. Because I am reading a divinely silly book called Got Your Number by Stephanie Bond. This book can be found by your grocery check stands everywhere, well actually it isn't because it was written several years ago, but I am illustrating the point that it isn't complex in any way. 


As far as Glamour goes, I haven't gathered much from the magazine yet. What I do know is that even Scarlett Johanssen looks bad with a mullet. Also healthy foods to snack on are the following pop chips, laughing cow wedges, quaker oatmeal, fiber one bran cereal, almond breeze almond milk, green giant broccoli and cheese sauce, boca original vegan meatless burger, la tortilla factory smart and delicious low-carb tortillas, arnold sandwich tings, and vitalicious vitatops. These are all on the hungry girls tips for skinny shopping. 


As far as Got Your Number goes, this is a seriously prescribed book. We find Roxann a women who is strong, beautiful, and tough, but who needs a little saving. Both from herself and from a criminal on a mission. She has been helping women get away from their abusive husbands for 10 years. Ever since graduating Notre Dame (thats right Notre Dame) she has worked for the crisis center. When on the run from this maniac who knows she helped his ex escape, she goes back to her hometown and then back to Notre Dame for homecoming. She is resuced by a cop over and over when the maniac tries to get and kill her and those close to her. Over all the book is super predictable and also very trite at times. But it is easy reading and fun. 

And...The Reading Goes On

I am currently reading a plethora of books. I read last night for about two hours, not wanting to put one of my favorite books (which I would highly recommend) The Crimson Petal and The White  (I will refer to this as Petal cause it seems waaay easier) by Michael Faber. I have been reading it intermittently whenever possible this past week. Other than that I have most recently been catching up on all the entertainment news in OK! magazine this afternoon.

So quickly since it is oh so important (as I'm sure you will agree) I have found out from OK! magazine many enlightening items to share. Number one even thought Suri has Tom's eyes, she has Katie's mannerisms. Number two Jessica Simpson is more than likely pregnant or gaining more weight than Hollywood deems acceptable. Which one we will never know, or at least not for nine or so more months. And Number three Beyonce' is outraged that people are commenting that her baby bump might be fake. Not that she isn't pregnant mind you, but that maybe she is padding her belly, because she wants to seem more pregnant than she really is. Check out  the pictures from when she was on Ellen, it seems the bump deflates. Actually she is just wearing an oddly poofy dress and I am thinking it is clothes like these that are causing the commotion. But alas she is distressed. Well at least according to the rag mag.

In much more important news, the  Petal is just as good when reading again (I'm thinking this is my 6th read), and I still do not want to put it down. This is pure yummy romantic novel type fair, wrapped up in a legit fiction work. Michael Faber is awesome (I mean we all love  Janet Evanovich, but he has a lot on her when it comes to the real deep meat of a story) I am in love with Sugar the main character in the novel. She is this teenage prostitute stuck in Victorian London. She is not going to be just a run of the mill prostitute, she is beautiful, smart, and most importantly cunning. The beginning of the book doesn't start with her thought. We have to learn about the streets of London in all of their grit. We focus in on Caroline a prostitute with a young son. We learn of how she became a prostitute and why she will go to her death as one. We see the streets for what they are. Dark, dank, muddled with sweaty men looking to find comfort for a night and women who struggle to make amends any other way. In rereading this novel I have found that the best parts have to do with the incredible way that Faber describes everything. Caroline, preparing for the day (or night) is described "To her face and hair Caroline affords a little more attention, scrutinising the particulars in a small hand-mirror tacked to eh wall. She is in fair repair for twenty-nine. A few pale scars on her forehead and chin. One black tooth that doesn't hurt a bit...her splendid nest of hair" (page 18). It goes on and on like this in so many passages. I am easily taken places in books. But here I am laughing, crying, and rooting for the women in this book. An easy read and well worth a second look, if not a fifth.

Blog One: Stuff White People Like

I am currently reading a book titled Stuff White People Like, but Christian Lander. It is satirical and I have to say quite awesome. I have been reading it everyday at this point, pretty much whenever I can fit it in. Generally I love humor in literature. Anytime I can get the melding of fun and laughter while losing myself in a book I call it a win-win kinda moment. I am going to refer to the book as "Stuff" just because I'm lazy and well it is the easiest thing I can think of. 
I've skimmed the entire book at this point. Because it is broken up into sections like #6, which is organic food, and  #52 Sarah Silverman, I have been able to pick and choose what I really think will be funny and read that portion first. Overall though the book in its entirety has me laughing my butt off. Social commentary has to be the funniest thing I can think of. Taking a look at what would be called uppity, so-called high brow individuals in this way has been awesome. Pages 178-179 has Career Guidance, a chart where you answer questions to get the definitive answer to what you should be doing. It turns out that since I like my job I should keep it, but in the event I change my mind I could consider being an organic bakery owner, an organic t-shirt designer, I could open a doggie daycare, or a vegan restaurant too! 
Number 96 of the book is probably one of my favorites. It is titled 'having Children in Their Late Thirtys', and pretty much expresses the idea that 'white people' like the idea of self-discovery and therapy and generally working on themselves. It takes at least until the thirties to be able to think about having a child. Also 'white children' need a lot of crap and to provide the right crap and ample amounts of it a career well into the thirties is required. Have no fear all you 'white' parents who gave birth in your twenties, the book gives you an out. Because being a "hot mom" is also pretty high on the list and you can much more easily do this if you are young! Ha this book cracks me up. I love reading all the cliched things people actually think that we don't make fun of nearly enough! I hope I have made you want to check this book out and if not next blog I will do a better job! Happy reading.