Well, it's been a lovely b'day! Not only did our recalcitrant May weather come through with a quite lovely day, but Nate set out to spoil me, making me the delicious cake shown above (Cold Fudge Sundae Cake from the Rosie's Cookbook) and delicious crabmeat rolls for dinner. Camilla is off for a long weekend at the Cyrs' camp way up in Maine, but she had a package and a lovely card waiting in my bedroom when I woke up at 9:15 (!!) and the rest of the day we just did some errands, went to the Library, got food stuff, prepped, and generally hung out. Nice day. Dinner was delicious. All is well.
And: I realized I need to catch up on a few books, so I will enter them on Goodreads and go from there! Tomorrow I will skip church and since the pool is closed, I think I'll go for a long bike ride, and then there's the parade and the Memorial Day Mile race on Monday--good stuff!
Me Before You by Jojo MoyesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this book: the voice is wonderful, and the story is moving and thought-provoking. It's about an active man who is wheelchair-bound after an accident and his new "carer," Lou. She begins to try to convince him that life can still be valuable, and their relationship becomes complicated and important, but Moyes never lets it get trite or predictable. The questions the book raised were almost as interesting as the story itself.
It brought me to tears, but I loved it. Highly recommended. It's a good story about what makes a life worth living, on many levels. Wow.
True to Form by Elizabeth BergMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I stumbled upon a reference to this book "The third in the series," and I immediately put it on reserve at the Library. I loved the first two about Katie (Durable Goods and Joy School), finding Berg's depiction of a young girl's maturation delicate and thoughtful, and loving the fact that she created a world where an old priest could be a strong, kind friend, and where a girl's crush on a 20 something mechanic could turn into a warm, loving lesson.
True to Form is another winner, and I loved it. Katie's struggles continue, but she's growing stronger, still finding support from her stepmother, her priest, and her collection of friends and employers. I highly recommend these books to young women and those who love them. Their picture of the world around us is honest--bad things do happen: people die, we make mistakes and hurt others--but Berg's stories of how to cope with those facts are reassuring and hopeful.
Some quotes:
"One thing I know: Anything we have, we are only borrowing. Anything. Any time." 72
"Outside, the rain sometimes comes down so hard, we have to talk louder, and it feels like a miracle that the roof holds. It makes for a coziness, and for a gratefulness, too, that you have the choice to not be out in it. You can sit at the table and look out the window and not have to feel what you see. It seems so pure and timeless, the need for shelter, and the connection we have to cave people looking out at the weather from the entrance to their caves. Here we are, still doing it. Wearing way different things but probably feeling just the same." 133
Loved this novel!
View all my reviews
Off to year 51. Onwards!
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