And so it begins...

Well, anyone who knows me knows that it is usually my blunt and forthright manner (I prefer to call it honesty) that gets me into trouble. This time I was in trouble with someone who has never even met me. One of the volunteers that has been helping in the library for the past few years is appalled at the changes I have made. She doesn't want to be in charge but it seems she didn't have anything nice to say about me or the library. That's another thing, she didn't have the balls to say anything to my face but she apparently went on a tirade to one of the other volunteers (who likes what I have done with the library) about how she doesn't like anything I have done. The volunteer who told me wanted to let me know that I had already made a enemy.

While I was working at the library today, the previous Leader told me that she had purposely never done a great job because she didn't want the school to get too comfortable and never hire a permanent librarian. Again, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a half-ass kind of person. If I am going to do something then I am going to work hard and do the job right.

So, call the wahhh-bulance 'cause I got my feelings hurt and now I am crying. I'll get over it and go back to my "if you don't like it, then shove it!" ways. I have just worked so hard on this and really I never expected that someone would think it was a change for the worse!

Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl

This is Reichl's follow up book to Tender at the Bone. Where Tender was filled with innocence and kind of a wide-eyed wonder, Comfort covers her life experiences and how that translates to her view of food. I thought it was funny that while she promotes organic growing methods and sustainable farming, recycling, etc., she has no trouble eating foie gras and practically just born lamb. If you don't know about foie gras, it is created by force feeding/over feeding (with a tube shoved down their throat) geese until their liver is oversized and fatty. Fatty goose liver - which is fine I guess but incredibly inhumane and totally at odds with her other worlds views. I am told she addresses this dichotomy in her next book Garlic and Sapphires. These books by Ruth Reichl are not gripping, can't-put-'em-down novels but they are just fun easy books to read and exactly what I needed during this transition back to school. Also, I love that they are filled with recipes. When I get a breather I plan to try a few. I'll bring them to Book Club to share.

Now This is a Beach Read...

Joe College isn't the greatest book ever written, but it is a good palate cleanser. Not totally mindless, the characters discuss George Eliot and social realism, and parts made me laugh out loud. The main character, Danny, is a Yale student who instead of going to party at Daytona Beach, works on his father's lunch truck during vacations. There he finds a hometown honey, Cindy, and a group of thugs, the Lunch Monsters, who feel that Danny has encroached on their territory. While at Yale, he is in a totally different world, with people who don't know what it's like to work during vacations, let alone on a small cramped lunch truck. The characters at Yale are quirky and one part in particular reminded me of Rickets (bethany) because Danny wants to expand his food horizons.

Like I said, a fun, semi-mindless read. I'll bring it up for grabs at our next meeting. The author, Tom Perrotta, also wrote Little Children, which is not a fun mindless read, very heavy and adult, this is the total opposite.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Wow! If this book was a work of art it would capture the visual meaning of hopelessness on a single canvas. The writing in this book is amazing. It is not only poetic but the style captures the utter bleakness of the story. This book has no chapters and minimal punctuation which adds to the bereft feeling of the book; where even the smallest normalcies like punctuation have been lost.

This book was so disturbing that I had to mull it over for a full week before I could put into words what I thought of it. The story is about a father and son who are travelling south on an American road after an unnamed apocalyptic disaster. The vegetation and animal life are all dead, as are most of the humans. The landscape is a burnt wasteland of blowing ash. The boy is young, I figure somewhere between 4 and 10 or so because at one point the father asks him if he wants to ride in the shopping cart he is pushing down the road. The only food available is the canned goods left after the disaster. And, of course, they have to contend with the lawless bands that stalk the road to gather fresh human meat.

The book has been touted as a testament to the tenacity of the human race but in this scenario all hope is lost, what happens when the last can of food has been eaten? Tenacity? I would call it blind denial, maybe even stupidity. I could not imagine fighting to stay alive in this situation. Thankfully, my world view does not allow for this hopelessness. I do not live in a godless world.

You know how some images can never be erased from your mind no matter how much you might wish it to be so? There are scenes in this book that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. If the author's intention was to paint a word picture of the worst hopelessness imaginable, then he did a fabulous job. I can only recommend this book with serious reservations.

Tender at the Bone...revisited

This is the book that Bethany described as "a sumptuous experience". I can't say that I wanted to light up a cigarette after this book but it was good. I enjoyed the author's experiences with food and I especially liked all of the recipes. Even though Bethany and I have both read it, I still think it would be a great November Book Pick simply because of all the recipes. Think it over and we can talk at the next Book Club meeting. We usually do a food-y book in November so this one might be fun!

Books are my life!

So, I have taken on the role of Library Chairwoman at the kids school. It is essentially the school librarian. Before I tell you all anything more about this, let me say 1) I wanted this job!, 2) I am not getting paid and 3) I don't think anyone will argue that I am just a little crazy.

That being said, over the summer the school's new administration decided to split the upper and lower school libraries. This is a good thing, but they left us with quite a mess. So, the former Ruler of the Library (who so generously bestowed her title upon me, actually she begged me to take over!) and I have been working to get things put back together. I didn't think this was a big deal until I realized that over the years we have had several people entering books into our library system. Therefore, our library is not a normal library. We had things stashed willy-nilly everywhere. I have in the last 2 weeks touched and moved every single book in the library. I had piles of trash books, new donated books, books to move to the upper library, etc., etc., etc. Being the controlling, completely anal retentive person that I am, I have been obsessed with this project. At night I move and organize books in my sleep. I even felt the need to go through all of my books at home and sort more piles to add to my piles at the library!

I am not complaining, I'm really not. Anyone who knows me knows that I love this kind of challenge! I am proud to say that I have one last section to put right and the library will be absolutely beautiful! I kind of wish I could show it to all of you.

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

B&N.com says... "When Arlene Fleet headed off to college in Chicago, she made three promises to God: She would never again lie, never fornicate outside of marriage, and never, ever go back to her tiny hometown of Possett, Alabama (the "fourth rack of Hell"). All God had to do in exchange was to make sure the body of high school quarterback Jim Beverly was never found. Ten years later, Arlene has kept her promises, but an old schoolmate has recently turned up asking questions. And now Arlene’s African American beau has given her a tough ultimatum: introduce him to her family, or he’s gone. As she prepares to confront guilt, discrimination, and a decade of deception, Arlene is about to discover just how far she will go to find redemption--and love."

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book - I picked it up on a whim from the "Bargain Priced" stacks at B&N ... but I was pleasantly surprised to find it a well-written, original story. Sometimes when I am reading, something will make me think, "Huh. That was amusing." But this book actually had me laughing out loud several times. The main character is acerbic, sharp and witty. The relationships are believable and, at times, heartbreaking. Wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read, but worth the time. I'll offer it up next time I see y'all!