The Things They Carried

My friend and I had just gotten home from a long day of shopping and hiking. We were preparing to relax in front of the TV, watching movies and football. I was looking through the DVDs when I noticed a new book sitting on the couch. It was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I was familiar with the title, but couldn't remember what it was about. I assumed that it was for his book club, but he said he picked it up at a book swap. I started to read the first chapter and was immediately transfixed.

The story is technically fiction, depicting a group of friends fighting in the Vietnam war. Some of the chapters, or stories, are told in limited third-person. (That means it is written in third-person, but you only "hear" the thoughts of one character.) Others are told in first-person. When the book begins, it is more of the third-person type, which makes it seem more like entertaining storytelling. As the book progresses, though, the perspective shifts to more of the first-person. The line between fiction and autobiography begins to blur. The main character telling the stories shares the same name as the author. Both of them are writers who had served in Vietnam. And both of them have written the same previous novels.

Meet Jimmy Cross, who believes his unrequited love for Martha has caused the death of one of his friends. Rat Kiley is a medic who slowly loses touch with reality. Henry believes that wearing his girlfriend's stockings around his neck will protect him against anything. Bobby Jorgenson is a green medic who freaks out when he is presented with his first emergencies. Mark Fossie is in love with the beautiful Mary Anne, who comes over from Cleveland Heights, and slowly gets sucked into a nightmare. And there are many more.

Obviously the stories in The Things They Carried are based on the author's real experiences in Asia. They are painfully honest. And as he even states, you just can't make up these situations.

I am a big fan of war novels, especially those that take me deep into the action. It isn't so much that I want to read about the blood and guts aspect. I want to understand the thoughts and emotions being experienced. I have naver been in the service. I never will be in the service. I will never truly understand how or why we go to war and what makes a person want to be on the front lines. The closest I can get is well-written works like this one.

I finished the book in 1 1/2 football games. And the second game was one that I was actively watching. I picked up the book during commercial breaks and time-outs.

That being said, I read awfully fast. It is a compliment to the author if I can zip through a 230-page book in four hours. I may not remember all of the details. I may not be able to dissect certain scenarios in a book discussion. But I became one with the characters. I experienced the book on multiple levels. And to me, that is what reading is all about.

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

I am a sucker for free books and Amazon has plenty of them for the Kindle. One of the first ones I downloaded to my Droid was Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1) by Janice Thompson. It is fabulous chick lit and I was completely drawn into the story.

Bella Rossi comes from an Italian family that now lives in Texas. Bella has decided to become a wedding planner, as she has a knack for tailoring special occasions to meet even the unique needs and desires of couples. She crosses paths with D.J. Neeley, a true blue Texan and the miscommunication begins. She thinks that he is a bona fide DJ, not realizing that it is actually his first name. He takes on the challenge and the two find themselves working together on some upcoming weddings. At the same time, they find themselves immeasurably attracted to each other. Ex-boyfriend Tony DeLuca isn't too happy about that, though.

Bella's family also owns a local pizzeria, Parma John's and has a strong opinion on how food should be prepared. Dean Martin is King. Dwayne (D.J.) knows how to fix a mean barbecue. The two cultures tend to collide at the dinner table, yet they learn to appreciate each other. They also come from two different Christian backgrounds. Bella's family is Catholic and Dwayne's family is more Southern Baptist. They quickly learn that even though they do it differently, they are still praising the same God and living Christian lives.

I am a sucker for a good romance, and this story made me warm and tingly with dreams of my own strapping cowboy hero. I love books with Italian characters, as I love the language, and phrases are sprinkled throughout. While the book is Christian fiction, it isn't quite overpowered by religion as other books I have tried. Christianity is like its own character in the book, serving to enhance, rather than detract from the story. General recipes are sprinkled throughout the book to make your mouth water. Also find some homemade beauty remedies.

Fools Rush In can be a little predictable, yet it is a fast read, perfect for a quick read during a lazy summer day. It is also the first book in a series by Janice Thompson. I am interested in reading more about Bella's adventures. As of right now, there are two more books available on Kindle, but not for free. I may actually purchase some ebooks in the near future! Thank goodness for gift cards from Swagbucks!

Learn more about this book or get your own copy by clicking on the picture below:

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

For years my sister has been telling me to read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. She knew of my love for outdoorsy books (most notably Into the Wild) and knew I would just love this one. Alas I kept putting off procuring my own copy.

About a month or so ago, my friend and I were perusing our favorite used bookstores, despite us both being horribly broke. I came across a copy of the book for $2 and couldn't resist. But then I brought it home and just let it sit for a while.

Upstate New York's weather decided to turn back to summer-like temperatures with full sun. A warm sunny day causes the hiking trails to beckon. Now, I am not a hard-core hiker and haven't been camping since one weekend in college. But I do have dreams of doing something more. I decided that a good time to read the book would be in the car on our way to Letchworth State Park over Columbus Day weekend.

I am a very fast reader, particularly if the book is entertaining. I easily devoured 100 pages in our hour-long drive. E would ask me a question or try to point out something along the road and I would completely miss it. I think he felt a little put out that I wasn't paying much attention to him. But Bill Bryson's account of hiking the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz was much more entralling at that moment.

On Sunday I went down to the southern part of Canandaigua Lake, seeking the waterfalls at Onanda Park. I also explored a bunch of other random paths, totally over two hours of hiking. I was exhausted and drove home. I spent the rest of the evening sipping on chai latte reading more of the book. Today, Columbus Day, I had planned to go hiking in Ithaca, but a horrible sinus headache kept me home. Instead, I finished the book. And now I wish I had more of it to read.

Bill Bryson not only shares his own story about his trek along the Appalachian Trail, but also a wealth of history, science, and hiking tips. I really did not appreciate the scope of the AT nor all of the wildlife along it. I also did not realize that conservation efforts are abysmal at best. I am fully aware that forests are deteriorating and endangered species are disappearing. I know the landscape of the United States is constantly evolving. But Bryson brings all of this to startling attention as he weaves anecdotes and facts into his tale.

As he does this, he is not being preachy. He is sharing pertinent information and fun facts that he has accumulated in his research. He is an info junkie, just like me.

A Walk in the Woods is honest. Bryson shares his triumphs and failures, as well as those big decisions that could go either way. I know that I could never pull of such a feat, but I am truly inspired to keep pushing my hiking abilities. Perhaps one day I will do parts of the trail?

Read your own copy of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson by clicking on the picture below.






Another great book about the Appalachian Trail is A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt.

Bill Bryson has written other books, as well. No, I have not yet read them, but they are definitely on my list. Happy trails!

BFF - A New Blogging Group

Ahhhhh....I love to write and I love inspiration. I just came across a new blogging group tonight called BFF - Blogging for Fun. Stay tuned for more possible posts based on their topics each week, as well. :-D

Lost and Found Book Treasures

My father passed away last week, so we have been busy cleaning out the house. Daddy loved to read and had tons of books. It is a legacy passed down for several generations. My great-grandmother belonged to book clubs and often purchased hardcovers. In the tradition of the day, she removed the covers and would paste the book summary in the front cover. She also signed every book to ensure they would always come back to her.

Dad loved to read his grandmother's books. He found many of them to be intriguing and better written than most contemporary novels. His goal was to read through the shelf full that he had already gotten, and to eventually get more of them from his aunt's house. Alas, he didn't live long enough to do so.

I would love to keep all of her books, to keep the legacy alive. But there just isn't the time nor the space for me to do so. Instead, I have been picking out favorite authors and familiar books, or checking the summaries for something that truly grabs me.

Tonight there was one bookshelf that I had not yet closely perused. I thought it was all my mother's books, as it was in her room. Suddenly my eye was caught by the words "du Maurier." Daphne du Maurier is one of my all-time favorite authors. I first read Rebecca in the 8th grade and have reread it numerous times since. My father and also loved to watch the movie.

I have read some of her other books, mostly through paperbacks that I have picked up at garage sales and used bookstores. Today's find was The Glass-Blowers. When we were at my great-aunt's house the night before my father died, I had found another du Maurier on her bookshelf. As I lovingly held it in my hands to just look at it, she told me to go ahead and take it to keep.

There is something truly magical about being the fourth generation to hold a book in your hands and to love it. I may have lost my family, with both Grandma and Dad dying within nine months, but I have found a new legacy to help hold onto their memories.

Expectations in Reading

I love to read. I learned how to read at a very young age. (Okay, two years old....) Since then my nose has been stuck in a book. And I prefer a physical book in my hands so that I can enjoy the multisensory experience of reading. However, I do love my free ebooks that I can download to the Kindle on my Droid. I am able to whip out my phone, which is always in my pocket, and sneak in a few pages while waiting in line at Target or sitting in a hospital waiting room.

I like to read just about anything. I enjoy light, breezy, cheesy reads as well as the heavier darker stuff. Each type of story can fulfill a different need and a different mood. I just have a few expectations from all of these books.

**Use good spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Am I perfect with these skills? No. And I am okay with a few errors on occasion. But if your story is full of them, I will be too distracted.

**Have a well-developed plot and characters. Shallow stories and characters are no fun to read.

**Engage me. Tell me a good story straight from the heart. Don't give me a bunch of filler or try too hard to be edgy. It will show and I will quit reading. I want to be transported into the characters' world and leave mine behind for a while.

See? I don't ask for much! I don't need a constant Vonnegut!

I will continue to share what I think of certain stories and how they meet my expectations.

GBE 2 Challenge

I don't know how frequently it will fit in, but there is a weekly blogging challenge that I joined. On Sundays, a topic is posted in the Group Blogging Experience group on Facebook. We are supposed to blog on that topic, if we can find a way to make it fit in. I realized that I was able to fit the first topic in all of my blogs, and yes, I am behind by a day. But that is okay. I am still going to do it, anyway. :-)