i heart books

An Outside Eye

2010-05-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

so, i was meandering around the internet the other night... oh. i guess that was last night. so much has happened since then... anyhoo... i was meandering around the internet last night, and stumbled onto the coolest. blog. ever.

i read one post.

and loved it.

so, even though i closed my computer and went to a friend's house because i was afraid the bathroom ceiling might fall on me whilst i peed (and that sounds far more irrational than it really was... trust me, it could have happened), i left the tab open to this particular blog.

and i read more of the blog tonight.

and holy hilarity, batman! it's wonderful!!

the writer is a buddhist and a writer and is, it would seem, rather prone to panic attacks and histrionics. her words. so i know that i said this blog here was about books, i seriously need to direct you to this blog... especially this post, called "Read a F***ing Book" (the title is explained in the post).

seriously, if you heart reading, or you just want to laugh, read this blog. i heart it.

WALK ON WATER: The Miracle of Saving Children's Lives, by Michael Ruhlman

2010-03-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

it's a book about a paediatric heart surgeon, Dr Roger Mee, in Cleveland, OH. yes, he's a real person.

ok, so admittedly, i'm not done the book yet. but i'm devouring it. strange timing, i know, given that my youngest son is currently in the hospital, having had his fourth major heart surgery on tuesday, to deal with (but not repair) his very wonky heart (HLHS, for those who don't know me. basically, the part of the heart that pumps the blood out to the body, and the vessel that carries the blood from the heart to the body... yeah, he doesn't have those). i'm thinking wonky heart/congenital heart surgery thoughts lately, so this book is especially interesting to me.

but even if you don't have a kid with a wonky heart, you will likely find this book intriguing. it goes into great detail about the surgeon: his life, his work, his personality, his philosophy. if you've ever wondered what makes someone want to do a near-impossible job for a living, read this book.

there are a lot of details about surgeries, so if you have a weak stomach, you may want to choose some other reading material. but it also allows a peek into the lives of heart families. if you like tear-jerkers, read this book. it's great, though, granted, probably not for everyone.

a friend of mine has also read this book, and she is a heart mom, too. we agree. great book. absolutely fascinating. and honestly, i have a whole new appreciation for asher's surgeon. and i thought he was amazing before reading this. now i'm blown away by his humanity and humility.

UPDATE: i finished the book. not bad, though one part in particular left a bad taste in my mouth. the author didn't actually talk to any heart parents who left the hospital with their baby (he followed up with one family who lost their son, but none who's child survived), and i was stunned to read where he said that the families leave the hospital and that is the end of their stress but that the surgeon lives with this stress every day. um, excuse me? now, i don't want to dimish the surgeon's stress. i can't imagine how he lives with that stress every day. but my son's heart is as wonky as they come (HLHS is the most severe CHD there is, and asher has a severe form of it), and let me tell you, IT'S STRESSFUL!!!!!

funny story: i was chatting with our surgeon the other day, and i mentioned the book to him, and told him who it was about. not surprisingly, our doc knows the guy. and dr c's comment made me laugh: "yeah, he certainly is sure of himself." when one heart surgeon is calling another one arrogant, that's really saying something! but like i said earlier, this book left me with a greater appreciation for dr c, not just for his skill and talent as a surgeon, but also for his heart. this is a man who actually cares about his patients and their families. when i walked into his office last week (popped in to give him something), he smiled and commented, "i don't have any pictures of asher. you need to send me one!" and he pointed to a bulletin board on the wall above his desk with pictures of some of his patients. isn't that wonderful? asher isn't just another wonky heart. this man actually sees my son as the person he is, he sees me as the person i am... he understands that these kids come from families, have lives, and a lot of them are going to grow up to change the world, and that thrills him. i met a surgical fellow this morning, too, who said that reason she wants to get into congenital heart surgery - especially paeds - is because we're families who are so happy to see our babies thrive and grow up and reach milestones. i am blown away by these people. by the doc in the book, however, not so much. i read the whole book, and at the end of it, i can honestly say that i don't believe he "gets it." he says that it's all about the patients, but his actions, as portrayed by the clearly biased author, would indicate that he doesn't fully believe that.

and now i'm ranting about the person himself instead of about the book, and i'm sorry. but like i said, i am deeply connected to this subject. but it's a good book, and i still recommend it, especially to heart families. though probably not to severe heart families. you'd get angry, i think. the chapter about the norwood is interesting, and i realized that, yes, in fact, i was right, and asher would not have survived that surgery. his ascending aorta was too small. you'll understand what i mean if you read the book. the one norwood baby who passed away had an aorta like asher's. far smaller than is safe for the norwood. yeah. but again, good book, though probably not for everyone.

THE YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP, by Neta Jackson

2010-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

a group of women are thrown together in a prayer group at a women's confernce in chicago, and decide to keep the group going after the confernce is over. they support each other through crises in their lives.

i'm still reading this, about two-thirds of the way through, but i'm liking it, so i'm blogging about it.

so far, so good. i'd seen it at a bookstore several months back, and was tempted to get it... because of the hot pink cover with daisies and funky socks. yes, i'm a marketer's dream. but, alas, i was broke, so i left it there and forgot about it. then, the other day, i was on the phone at the library, wandering around, and stumbled upon the christian section, tucked way back in the corner with the science fiction and fantasy reads. (i'm choosing the ignore the implied - or perhaps more accurately, inferred politics of that... for now, anyway.) well! i recognized the book on the shelf and decided to borrow it. i figured, at best, it's a nice, light, fluffy, mindless read. at worst, a poorly-written, light, fluffy, mindless read.

to my surprise, i'm actually liking it! i'm really enjoying the characters, who all have such real problems in their lives. one is an ex-con who is raising her younger brothers. one is a recovering drug addict. another is a messianic jew on her third marriage. one woman owns her own salon and cares for her aging mother. the list goes on. it's a motley crew, that's for sure, but they're all such real people. a rare find in christian fiction, i'm sad to say, but it's just so refreshing!

i'll admit, this book has me thinking about my own spiritual journey, what i have been through, what i'm dealing with now, where i've been with God, where i'm at with God now, and where i'm heading with God. it's pretty cool that way, and i never in a million years would have thought this book would impact me this way, truth be told. but it's good.

i'll post more when i'm done the book, but i had to let you know about it now while i have the time. i highly recommend it so far, if you're into christian fiction. and i'm not, usually, so this is pretty high praise from me.

THE SHACK, by William P. Young

2010-02-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Mack's daughter was murdered, and since then, well, he's had some issues with God. then a note arrives in his mailbox, inviting him to the very shack where his daughter died. the note is from God. he spends the weekend with the Divine and learning about Love.

a.

ma.

zing.

seriously, EVERYONE needs to read this book. i devoured it! inhaled it and couldn't put it down!! you can ask my friends, i dog-eared every page where it blew my mind, and yeah, it's about half the book. by the time i was finished, i felt like it had ripped my heart into a thousand tiny pieces and put it back together as something new, something whole, something full of Love and grace and peace. absolutely the BEST book i have read in years. and given how much i read (you can't tell from this blog, admittedly, but i read a lot), this is really saying something.

i have to say, i've been on quite a journey with God over the years. not all of it fun, either. and i think that, at least a lot of that would be my own fault. i had lost sight of God's love for me. but over the last six months especially, i've been learning more and more about God's love, and that really, all God really wants is me. ME!! that's it. just a relationship. God doesn't actually want us to do anything. just relationship. and yes, we'll be asked to do things in our journey, but those are to come more out of Love than obligations. there are no expectations in this relationship. just expectancy. just love and joy and intimacy. incredible. and that's what this book is about. it's about getting to know God, who truly has your best interests at heart, who is especially fond of you, who makes the sun rise every morning just for a chance to be with you.

yeah, this book blew my mind. it's amazing.

now, i'm aware that, especially among more, um, shall we say "conservative" christians, there is a lot of controversy surrounding this book. i think a lot of it has to do with their discomfort over God manifest as a larger-than-life black woman. and Jesus' comment that he's not a christian. and the manifestation of the holy spirit. to these people i say, boooo!! get over your hang-ups!! God is not some big old man with a long white flowing beard. God is Love. pure and simple. and if you open your heart to this book, and read with discernment (which really isn't even necessary, b/c i'm a theology nut and i didn't encounter anything wrong in there) you will understand. and be changed.

that being said...

don't read this book if you don't want to be changed. because it will change you. i've said it before, and i'll say it again,

a. ma. zing.

84, CHARING CROSS ROAD, by Helene Hanff

2009-12-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

basically, it's 20 years of correspondence between an american woman and a british bookseller.

here's what i wrote on a friend's FB wall:
you were right!!! why, oh WHY didn't i listen to you???
"do you have this book?" "yup, here you go." 20 YEARS OF THIS!!!!! and why did that woman go to south africa and australia?? and what happened to the woman whose hub was in the RAF?? someone thought this was worth publishing?!?! and it's a "CLASSIC"?!?! well, no accounting for some people's tastes, i guess.

sigh. i liked guernsey better. although i did notice helene's tendency to write in lower case, with the occasional word in caps... that pleased me, for some reason. ;)

and the fact that it was a true story was actually disappointing to me. if i want to read non-fiction, i have a house full that i could read!! honestly, i thought i would like this more. i was all set to enjoy a nice little book of letters. but really, there's no story. i liked helene, the woman. she writes in lower case, rarely capitalizing anything. i appreciate that. and her sense of humour and writing style is quite similar to mine. so i really, truly, well nigh DESPERATELY wanted to enjoy this book. but i didn't. 'nuff said.

SIX WEEKS TO TOXIC by Louisa McCormack

2009-11-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

two women in their mid-thirties (Maxi and Bess) have been best friends for 16 years. but between New Year's Day and Valentine's Day, 2000, the friendship slowly disintegrates as Maxi's luck in love and work takes a downturn, and Bess ends up with a wonderful man and her star begins to rise at work.

so that's the story. as for my opinion of the book...

worst. book. ever.

ok, not quite ever. but it was definitely the worst book i've read in quite some time. the friendship was supposed to be falling apart, and really, the only way you could really tell was when bess would say things like, "i wondered how many more 'girls' nights in' we would have." only at the very end - like in the last few days of the story - was it really evident that they weren't as tight as they once were. you would expect that a story like this would be full of tension between the two of them, but really, there wasn't much. to be honest, the only reason i kept reading the book to the end was because i was just waiting for something - anything! - to happen.

ok, during the last week, there was one incident involving Rocks, Bess' boyfriend's dog, but other than that, nothing. zilch. nada.

it seemed the author wrote with the same existential ennui that bess felt at the beginning. too bad the author couldn't shake it like Bess did. if i could sum up the book in one word, it would be meh. the coolest thing about this book was the outfits on the front cover. i should have stopped there.

SEEING ME NAKED, by Liza Palmer

2009-11-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

it's about a young woman who feels overshadowed and intimidated by her socialite mother, and famous writer father and brother, and how she tries to break free from that pressure.

i'll admit, it took me a while to get into this book. for the longest time, i just didn't care about her character. although i did laugh early on at her brother's book reading, when someone in the audience asked his father who his literary influences were, and he replied, "lady, i named my Raskolnikov. you do the math." LOL

after a while, though, once she met Daniel Sullivan, that the writing seemed to pick up, and it was easier to get the feel of the book. until that point, she seemed stuck in some existential malaise, and so was the writer. but once she met him, everything seemed to pick up, and you can sense the tension in her as she is torn between the life she really wants and the life her family expects her to have.

all in all, not a bad book, though my life would have been just as rich having not read it.

HANA'S SUITCASE by Karen Levine

2009-11-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

earlier this week, at bedtime, my kids and i were reading The Sneetches by Dr Seuss. we love that story. i like to use his stories to talk with the kids about lessons we can learn. based on The Sneetches, we discussed (at the levels of a 4.5-year old and 7-year-old) intolerance, discrimation, and then redemption and restoration.

the next day, i was listening to the radio, and they were discussing this book, and i was so captivated by the story that i ran out and bought it. i decided to read it to my children.

but first, i had to read it myself. (i needed to make sure it was suitable for young kids.) and i'm telling you, i bawled.

Hana was a young Czech girl who was sent to Terezin, and then Auschwitz, during the Holocaust. sadly, she did not survive.

but in March 2000, her suitcase arrived at a children's Holocaust education centre in Tokyo. on the outside of the suitcase, in white paint, was written, Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Waisenkind (german for orphan).

this book tells the remarkable story of Hana and her experiences during the Holocaust in Nazi concentration camps, and of a young woman in Japan who was determined to learn everything she could about Hana, so that people could learn about the children's experiences during the Holocaust.

this book is heartbreaking, but also full of hope. i bawled, but not necessarily sad tears. it's said that those who don't know the past are doomed to repeat it, and i want my children to understand that this horrible part of human history CANNOT be repeated.

i highly recommend, but probably not for bedtime reading. stick to dr seuss for that. ;)

to order:
http://www.amazon.ca/Hanas-Suitcase-Karen-Levine/dp/189676455X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257566194&sr=1-2

mmm... books...

2009-11-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

so, i read. i love reading. in the words of hamlet, "words, words, words." love them, need them, can't get enough of them. mmm... books...

and since i've recently read a bunch of books, i want somewhere to document my literary adventures and travels through someone else's imaginings. i'd thought of getting myself one of those book journals, where you keep track of what you've read and what you thought of it and what not.

but alas, i am cheap. and broke. so buying a journal in which to write about what i've read is just not happening right now.

but blogging! i can do that for free!! so here we go. my little online booklover's journal. :)