The Myth of You and Me

by Leah Stewart

Ever since a cataclysmic falling out with her best friend, Sonia, after college, Cameron's closest companion has been Oliver, the 92-year-old historian she lives with and cares for in Oxford, Miss. Oliver's death leaves Cameron alone and adrift, until she discovers that he has given her one last task: she must track down her estranged best friend (whose letter announcing her engagement Cameron had so recently ignored) and deliver a mysterious present to her. Cameron's journey leads her back to the people, places and memories of their shared past, when they called themselves "Cameronia" and swore to be friends forever. It was a relationship more powerful than romantic love—yet romantic love (or sex, anyway) could still wreck it. Stewart lures the reader forward with two unanswered questions: What was the disaster that ended their friendship, and what will be revealed when Cameron and Sonia are together again and Oliver's package is finally opened? The book is heartfelt and its characters believable jigsaw puzzles of insecurities, talents and secrets, and if Cameron's carefully guarded anger makes her occasionally disagreeable, readers will nevertheless welcome her happy ending. (review from Amazon)

Not bad, kinda slow. I felt like i never really cared for the fates of the characters. Too much leaping from past to present - when done well, it is a great plot enhancer, but here it left me confused. This novel is highly recommended by major sites, give it a try yourself?

The Last Chinese Chef

by Nicole Mones

Great also. Good look at a culture through its food, which is a perspective I always enjoy. A nice plot of remembrance, new found love, and twists to keep it interesting. Also, great historical snippets of former chefs, written in their old style but fascinating to read. Food carries with it the stamp of the culture for sure.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

A great book. Disturbing, the abuse these women endured. Also hard for me to read of a mother who would control her child with so much guilt and fear. A necessary glimpse into the hard life of Afghanistan. It is rather long, but I read it in a few days, iwas eager to learn the fate of the characters. I have not read the kite runner, but plan to soon.

Stuff

School starting has been very busy. All the kiddos finally have instruments uin hand, and most have begun, or at least I know who they are and they will start next week. They look like a great bunch, and I am excited about this year. I have lots of beginning flutes, and I need to focus on my flute skills this year again. I'm amazed at how many different things I do as a music teacher. Every moment it seems i am picking up a new instrument. It all can be tiring, but also very fun!

Newburyport Screening Room

My first time to this theater, I loved it! Reminded me of the NoHo theater of college days. Isn't life a little brighter when you have a good local art house theater nearby? With school starting, I have little time to watch my usual DVDs, but getting out once a week seems doable, and a nice retreat. They change films weekly, and have a whole month's posted for future planning. Check them out!

http://www.newburyportmovies.com/

My Best Friend

My Best Friend

"My Best Friend" is Leconte's spriest, least frustrating movie in years. He casts Daniel Auteuil as Francois, an antiques dealer who learns at one of those alluring Parisian dinner parties that the people at the table don't consider him a friend -- a colleague perhaps, an acquaintance sure, even an occasional lover, but certainly not a friend. We're told Francois is self-centered and treats people as things, and because it appears to be an occupational trait, we believe it.
Francois, on the other hand, is appalled. He turns petulant and defensive; he does too have a best friend, he insists. When his dinner mates want to know who, and why they've never met him before, he has no response. So his business partner, Catherine (Julie Gayet), gives him 10 days to produce the friend or she'll help herself to the ancient Greek vase he just bought for a quarter of a million dollars. (from Boston Globe)

And so the hillarity begins... actually, this was very cute. A cab driver appears, and teaches Francois to be a friend. In French, with easily readable subtitles. Playing at the Screening Room. Good flick!

Without a Map

Without a map : a memoir / Meredith Hall.
by Hall, Meredith

Disturbing. A young woman is "perfect", until she becomes pregnant, and is kicked out of her house, her community, her safe existence. Repeating patterns of abuse, searching, longing, all you would expect. Well written and captivating, and takes place in Hampton NH, just north of here.

Her Mother's Daughter

Her mother's daughter : a memoir of the mother I never knew and of my daughter, Courtney Love.
by Carroll, Linda.

Riveting look at a life messed up, and hopefully saved. A little of Courtney Love's early life too, but mostly about Linda, and her struggles with insufficient parents, and trying to be sufficient herself. I fine it hard to read of abusive parents, now that i am a parent myself. I may lay off the bios of those abused children for awhile. But a good read.

Triangle

Triangle - Katherine Webber

A "historical fiction" account of the past history of the last survior of the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire. Upsetting imagery of the poor girls jumping to their deaths, but a great plot with hidden twists. Told through the eyes of a grandaughter of the fire survivor, with a few musical images thrown in too. Good read.

Dogtown - Gloucester, ma

Dogtown

In the early 1700's, a small community of farmers set up homes in the middle of Cape Ann. They learned, however, that the land was full of granite rock and not a place to farm. They began to move on to more likely areas. Fishermen moved into these homes and then they, too, moved to settlements closer to the sea. A few people lingered on, however, many of them women. They obtained dogs to protect them. Thus, the name "Dogtown". Dogtown has now gone back to nature. Beach roses, blueberries, holly, bayberry and many other types of plants and trees have taken over. Still to be found, however, are cellar holes along the paths. Much of Dogtown was donated to the City of Gloucester by Roger Babson. Mr. Babson was a local philanthropist, having achieved a large fortune on Wall Street. In Dogtown there are many boulders, on which he had stonecutters inscribe such words as "Courage" and "Industry". Many people use Dogtown for walks, blueberrying, biking and cross country skiing. It is easy to get lost so please do not go into this area without a map. They can be obtained from local visitor centers. Dogtown is located off of Cherry Street.

Have not visited yet, but this is on my list. Babson carved dozens of these sayings into boulders which are still scattered all over. Freaky.

ZOO!

The Stone Zoo - Stoneham, MA

We used the library pass for this. A small zoo, kinda tired and faded, but we petted a sheep and some goats, and saw some rockin' reindeer. I would imagine zoos are very hard to keep up, and I wonder if it is worth it - the animals looked okay, but kinda sad in the smaller cages. I enjoyed the domestic animals most - we are going to find more local "petting farms" next, I think!

Plenty

Plenty : one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally / Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.
by Smith, Alisa

GREAT READ. This made me think about local produce - more expensive? Worth it for the environment? What does it mean to be "local"? Smith and her husband vow to follow the "Hundred mile diet" - eating only things produced within 100 miles of them, for a year. Surprisingly difficult. Even in our stores, in season, we do not purchase "local" produce. Lots to think about. We are off the local farmer's markets this weekend. Viva la vegetables!

Ex Libris:Confessions of a Common Reader

Ex Libris:Confessions of a Common Reader - Anne Fadiman

If you like reading, you will laugh at this book. Fadiman's tales of her family's word competitions, how one treats a book, when one is really" married (the combining of libraries). All good, entertaining essays, and easy "read".

Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits

Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939 - Katie Roiphe

What is it that makes intimate portraits of failed relationships so fascinating? Katie Roiphe doesn't romanticize or make excuses for her complex subjects and their entanglements but treats them with wit, warmth, and respect. Despite a few historical inaccuracies and questionable assumptions, critics considered Roiphe's perceptive exploration of unconventional marriages in the early 20th century a success. It can be difficult to empathize with the selfish and arrogant people who populate this book, but these revealing accounts are nevertheless captivating, the narrative intelligent and absorbing. Roiphe has done her research and produced an elegant, provocative, and entertaining description of an era and some of its more eccentric denizens.

Great read. nice chapter on Vanessa Bell - I am inspired to read more about the Bloomsbury circle of friends.

Living Artfully

Living Artfully (DVD) - Sandra Magsamen

UGH. this is the woman whose claim to fame is a series of little plaques with quotes that you see everywhere. And they are cute. but i think if this is living artfully than i am already doing it. lots of sage advice on enriching your life through thinking about what you do. which i do. maybe good for some, but for me this was to slow and not helpful. i guess i hoped for more specific "arty" tips - but it was not that kind of DVD.

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (DVD)

A tale of the PBA tour. Good for bowlers and non bowlers alike. My husband most appreciated the old footage of the ABC coverage of major tournaments. Well filmed.

Leap!

Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives? - Sara Davidson

Thirty years ago, Sara Davidson wrote the phenomenal bestseller Loose Change, the definitive book about the boomer generation’s coming-of-age. Now this witty social observer has again turned her discerning eye to her contemporaries, with Leap!, a no-holds-barred, illuminating, and hopeful look at the choices and challenges we face and the roads open to us.

For many years Davidson earned a living as a successful journalist and screenwriter, but in her fifties she saw her life come apart: She could no longer find work, she endured a break-up with her partner, and her children left for college. For the first time ever, she had nothing to do. She felt adrift, but she found that she was not alone. In Leap!, Davidson sets out on a passionate quest to learn how to do the coming years well.

Davidson interviews people from across the country and from all walks of life, including such icons as Carly Simon, Tom Hayden, Tracy Kidder, Jane Fonda, Ram Dass, and Iman, as well as teachers, writers, psychologists, businesspeople, and spiritual leaders. The candid portraits are both inspiring and cautionary.

True to character, boomers will approach these years differently from previous generations, and there will be no single path. Some will feel free for the first time to take risks; others will embark upon a spiritual search; some will want to give back, to make the world a better place; others will want to play or make creativity a priority. But they will not fade quietly into the sunset. With Leap!, Sara Davidson holds up a mirror for readers, allowing them to see not only themselves and those around them but their potential future. With Davidson as a guide, the possibilities are boundless. (from amazon)

I really liked this book, despite my being younger than the subjects interviewed, because it is always interesting to me to see how others channel their creative processes in the face of adversity. In this case, age was the factor, but illness or divorce or trauma happen to all of us at some time. I was most inspired by the stories of those who chose to reinvent themselves, chose to look at things in a new way, and enriched their lives for the better.

Life's a Beach

Life's a Beach - Claire Cook

Fun read. cute, not too overwheleming, read it in an afternoon. Cook is from Scituate, so i felt ashamed not to have read her already... i have reserved the rest of her books.

To read

American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland
by Kristen LaineSomething for all those band geeks out there, this is the story of a year in the life of a high school band in the Midwest.

Grub: A Novel by Elise Blackwell

Harry Potter

Awesome. well, kinda long in the middle - but a satisfying ending. i am going to reread them all this year. i felt the pressure to finish it before i read an account of the ending, or others "beat" me to it!