D.E.A.R. day

Soooo, thanks to a major car issue in our family, we are currently a one vehicle household. What this means for moi is that I get some nice qt with my husband in the mornings and evenings....and an extra 20 minutes on my commute. Anywho, today the extra minutes allowed me more time with Kevin and Taylor on the FISH where I learned that today is Drop Everything and Read Day!! Oh my gosh. This is better than Christmas for me. Had I known, I would have seriously contemplated a vacation day. It also happens to be Beverly Cleary's birthday, author of the Ramona the Pest series. Did you not llooove Ramona as a child in the 80's. I have lots of fond, hot Savannah summer day memories of me, a big box fan, Ramona and Beezus. So happy birthday to Ms. Cleary. Also, happy 50th birthday to my ma, whose love of reading overflowed onto each of her rugrats. Now, on to today's most important holiday.

Tonight, despite my husband's desire for me to help him finish painting shutters or to dust something, I will obey the declaration set out today. I will drop everything and read. And if I happen to go missing for any length of time today, I'll be in the supply closet with the IV pumps and my book :) And just because it makes me happy, some lists.

These are books I plan to drop everything for and read before life gets reeally crazy come summer.

Medjugorie. This is a book by a protestant journalist who investigates Marian apparations in a small village in Yugoslavia. My husband found this on our book shelves and suggested that I read it. It has brought him a lot of pleasure watching me read it, and me a lot of pleasure learning this story. I am not very far in but I plan to finish.

To Kill a Mockingbird. This is kind of a challenge to myself as I feel like the most uneducated woman who has ever been given (donated?) a master's degree. I refuse to birth a child until I have read this book.

How Do You Tuck in a Superhero? This is written by a friend of a friend who I would love to have as a friend ;) She is also the gal mentioned previously who, in the same month as she publishes an apparently hilarious collection of stories about raising her five boys, has given birth to a girl ! For you Savannahians, the author lives in Augusta and writes for the Southern Cross. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book and plan to order it as a gift for a few mamas of superhero boys that I know. If you know any moms of boys, all reviews are fantastic.

I would love to add more to my spring reading list. I have a friend with a slight case of OCD whose name rhymes with Jamie and allegedly has an excel spreadsheet with books on it. I may be taking a roadtrip to Mississippi soon to get my paws on it... just sayin'.
These are books I have recently dropped everything to read and immensely enjoyed...

The Help: go here for a review. I am still obsessing over this one.

Five Loaves and Two Fish: a short, really amazing story about how God provides when we are most in need

My Own Country and Cutting for Stone. Both are by Dr. Abraham Verghese, an Infectious Disease physician. The first tells of his work as an Ethiopian doctor treating AIDS in the early 80's in the poor areas of Tennessee. It's phenomenal. The second is his fiction work, set in India and Ethopia, about twin brothers whose lives are irreparably changed. Lots of it takes place in a hospital so the medical backdrop is awesome. There is also a nun as one of the main characters who is such a vibrant character.

 

The Red Tent. Amazon's review does it justice. Remains one of my all time favorites.
   The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery.

Water for Elephants. For you animal lovers, maybe steer clear of this one. It's a hard read but a really captivating story about the circus and the intertwined lives of the people who live and work on it. I believe set in the 20's. I couldn't put it down but definitely had some moments where I had to close my eyes.

The Last Song. Okay only because I am loyal to Nicholas Sparks, and because it was filmed in Savannah (my most favorite city) and set on Wrightsville beach (my most favorite beach), I have to include it. Once you get past feeling like you are stuck in teenage mayhem, it ends up being a really good story and I was glad I finished it. I will say that I will not be in line at the theaters and will happily wait for DVD.


So, those are my most recent books suggestions. I can also say that I really liked  The Friday Night Knitting Club and it's sequel, Knit Two. Nothing crazy profound, just good, easy, beach reads about women friendships. Kind of like the Bravo TV of books :)


So, if you are still reading, drop what you are doing and pick up a book. Read one to your child. Pass along a love of warp zoning into another world and the joy that brings!