she waits for the dream to come

I'm sitting in my kitchen with a cup of tea and a new book to read. Oh, I love summer Fridays! This week was stressful; I feel like I've earned this bit of R&R today. Not that my whole weekend is going to be quiet. But this little moment in my kitchen, with the morning breeze floating through the window, is all mine to do with as I please. Which, in a few minutes, is going to be writing. But I've got three books to share that I've devoured in the last week, so I thought I'd stop by for a minute to ramble about them. (This makes my total 32 books for the year so far. Crazy!)
Wild Girls by Diana Souhami: This book is about a couple of expat American lesbians, Natalie Barney and Romaine Brooks, whose relationship spans over thirty years in Paris. I enjoyed reading this. I love how it incorporated small bits about other people, not just Natalie and Romaine and their various lovers. And the way their relationship worked was very interesting. But this isn't a keeper for me; I just don't see myself going back to it.
The Blonde by Duane Swierczynski. Reading this book is like watching an action flick. It's a lot of fun, very fast-paced, some very tense moments, some very funny moments. The plot is a little out there (nanobites in your bloodstream that will make your head explode if you don't have someone within ten feet of you at all times), but that's normal for action flicks. I know a lot of people who love this book, and I get it. But I felt like it was lacking in character development. I never really cared what happened to Jack, Kelly, or Kowalski, because I don't feel like I ever got to know them. So, fun, but not a keeper for me. However. If you're looking for a beach read, or a travel read, give this one a shot. It is quite fun!
Live Through This is a collection of essays by women (bigger names include Inga Muscio, bell hooks, and Patricia Smith) about their experiences with self-destruction: how it shaped/s their art, how they deal with it, whether or not they went down a truly self-destructive path or caught themselves at the beginning of it and diverted that energy into creation instead of destruction, etc. I picked this up because a friend of mine at the company I interned for was the editor. It's an uneven collection, as these types of books so often are, but some of the essays are extremely touching and really make you think about things. A lot of topics fall under the category of self-destruction, for the intents of this book: cutting, drug abuse, alcoholism, weight problems, cancer, depression, etc. etc. etc. The pieces that spoke to me the most were by Carol Queen, Patricia Smith, and Anonymous. I definitely recommend this for anyone who is interested in the female creative experience. Or just the female experience.
So, those are all for now. I've really read an interesting variety of books this year, haven't I?
Anyway. I should probably get moving. There's a lot I want to do today that doesn't involve being in front of the computer! Have a good weekend all, I'll catch you next week.

Relaxing Friday

Well, today was perfectly lovely. I had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, with tea. I read for a while, went for a run, worked on my book, did some tidying, worked on a freelance project for a couple hours, and had dinner with my partner-in-crime. And balanced my checkbook. I know that makes it sound busy, but it was really a leisurely, lovely Friday. Oh! And I got my hair cut, too. I haven't done that since October, so it was a real treat. The shampoo boy gave me a divine scalp massage while washing my hair. . . .
Two books to report on:
First, So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson. She read a book a week, for a year, and wrote a book about it. I was really excited to read this one, but was a little let down by the content. I had the impression that she was going to discuss the books she read, but that wasn't the emphasis at all. Instead, she talked about what was happening in her life when she read the books; what led her to choose the books she did; how to deal with it when you don't like your friend's writing; what happens when you don't like a book that someone you're close to recommended; etc. So it was a fun read, but not at all what I expected. Not a keeper for me.
Second: The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner. This is serious historical fiction about a Jewish midwife who is persecuted by a Spanish Inquisitor and saved by a Catholic priest. I really enjoyed it. The characters are strong, the historical background quite interesting, and the writing is good. Well worth reading. This is not for the weak of heart or stomach, however; there are some fairly graphic sex scenes and torture scenes. But the politics, the subterfuge, and the forbidden love are all totally fascinating. This is not a keeper for me, not for any lack in the book, simply because I don't tend to reread works like this. Definitely good!
So that's books twenty-four and twenty-five. Think I can make it to fifty by the end of the year? I don't see why not!
Anyway. It's late; I should get to bed. I'll try to post more in a day or too.