Good friends, good books

a road somewhere

2009-12-11T17:14:00.000+02:00

pretty little flower face

2009-12-09T20:13:00.000+02:00

breinchemie bom

2009-11-16T11:11:00.000+02:00

laatmiddag lou, lui en blou
die halwe maan hang
'n skewe glimlag aan die koepel van die dag

dis die wit punt van Chaos se nael
ingewurm onder die blou rofie,
om dit af te skil in 'n stadige ooplê
wat ons trillende groen senuwee blootlê
en snitterend te lag as ons weerloos snak
op die laaste lou, blou dag

Merton Reflection for November 9, 2009

2009-11-09T18:23:00.002+02:00

[Septuagesima Sunday, 1967] And, after all, am I not arrogant too? Am I not unreasonable, unfair, demanding, suspicious and often quite arbitrary in my dealings with others? The point is not just "who is right" but "judge not" and "forgive one another" and "bear one another's burdens". This by no means implies passive obsequiousness and blind obedience, but a willingness to listen, to be patient. This is our task.

Thomas Merton. The Road to Joy, Robert E. Daggy, editor (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989): 96-97.

book review

2009-11-08T12:26:00.003+02:00

Under a Blood Red Sky by Kate Furnivall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would not have chosen this book from the shelves in a shop, because for one, I don't like the cover. As it happened the book is one of those we are now reading in our book club, so I decided to give it a shot, at least.

I liked it! I will keep an eye open for the author, she writes well and I was drawn into the story, felt sympathy for the characters and the cool crisp atmosphere of Russia.

The story line itself is interesting, with the women in the labour camps and the life in the village of Tivil, the different characters, from the Chairman to the priest with his wild hair, to the gypsy and his strange rites.

What really intrigued me was the day to day life of normal Russians shortly after the revolution. I see the author's mother spent part of her childhood in Russia during that time, and although I wouldn't know if all the details are correct, they certainly feel right

.Always delightful to discover a new author.

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Just learn to wait, and do what you can and help other people.

2009-11-05T19:26:00.002+02:00

[Christmas Letter, 1966] Most of you, even with all that you have to suffer, are much better off than you realize. Yet the heart of man can be full of so much pain, even when things are exteriorly "all right". I

t becomes all the more difficult because today we are used to thinking that there are explanations for everything. But there is no explanation for most of what goes on in our own hearts, and we cannot account for it all. No use resorting to mental tranquilizers that even religious explanations sometimes offer.

Faith must be deeper than that, rooted in the unknown and in the abyss of darkness that is the ground of our being. No use teasing the darkness to try to make answers grow out of it. But if we learn how to have a deep inner patience, things solve themselves, or God solves them if you prefer, but do not expect to see how. Just learn to wait, and do what you can and help other people.

Thomas Merton. The Road to Joy, Robert E. Daggy, editor (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989): 94.

“Sentimental Moment or Why Did the Baguette Cross the Road?”

2009-08-04T18:09:00.000+02:00

“Sentimental Moment or Why Did the Baguette Cross the Road?”
Robert Hershon

Don’t fill up on bread
I say absent-mindedly
The servings here are huge

My son, whose hair may be
receding a bit, says
Did you really just
say that to me?

What he doesn’t know
is that when we’re walking
together, when we get
to the curb
I sometimes start to reach
for his hand

Polyvore playing

2009-06-17T12:54:00.000+02:00

Hot shoes by ladlem featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

2009-06-08T19:51:00.000+02:00

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is only the second John Grisham book I've ever read. (I read The Runaway Jury years ago). It's not that I dislike the writing or the author. I'm just not that much into lawyerly stuff.

I enjoyed the story. It's not a page turner, but it gripped me enough that I wanted to finish it. As often happens I actually enjoyed the secondary characters more than the main characters.

I would like to read another John Grisham soon.

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The Secret Life of Bees

2009-05-03T23:01:00.000+02:00

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fabulous book. Sad in parts, but overall it is such a feel-good, life affirming story. Everybody should have someone like August Boatwright in their lives. ;)

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Book review

2009-02-20T19:44:00.002+02:00

When Will There be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Kate Atkinson I've read and boy, did I enjoy her writing. The plot itself was good, but it was the characterization that impressed me. And it is quite a cast, right down to the dog Sadie.

I will be seeking out more of her work.

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a sporting memory

2009-02-19T13:09:00.003+02:00

Grade 1, week 1. The first athletics competition of the year, and the first of my 6 year old life.

Timid child that I was, I was already nervous of the teachers, the other children (I had already been teased because of my wild hair), the starter's gun going off and the chaos of milling children and teachers. My parents were watching, and I sensed the unspoken hope of my dad that his eldest child will be good at sports. Poor Dad, hahaha!

The teachers got the straggling line of grade ones in line, and Bang! went the starter's gun.

I ran. I was doing well, not first, but in the first five or so. But, as always in life (though that was my first lesson of it) it is one's insecurities that trip you up.

I looked back, and stepped in a small depression in the ground. I stumbled, fell, ploughed several feet, heard the "Ahhhhh!" from the crowd, got up and looked towards my parents. They were making signs that said, "Run on! Go on!" So I did.

I ran to the end, but ended last. Last. After my good beginning I ended last. I was mortified.

And although I did participate in athletics until I was about 15, I never gained back the confidence of that first few minutes of running at the front.

10 things I've always wanted to do that I haven't done (yet)

2009-02-17T17:55:00.000+02:00

1. Write and publish good mystery novels, ones that would satisfy me.

2. White-water rafting, climbing Kilimanjaro to the very top, scuba diving, hiking the Otter trail....with Calie and the kids.

3. Read The Brothers Karamazov.

4. Host a really super party, complete with sex and drugs and rock & roll.

5. Meditate long and deeply enough to break through the barrier.

6. Bungee jump of the Stormwater's Bridge. The kids aren't allowed to do this while I live.

7. Travel to Japan in time for the cherry blossoms.

8. Speak publicly without fear.

9. Become a hermit.

10. Inherit a vast and interesting library.

2009-02-12T17:30:00.001+02:00

Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing by Monica Wood

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book to break writer's block, prompt ideas and just to page though. It has photographs, bits of text, and the occasional longer piece of writing about writing. Great to dip into at random. I always have it on my bedside table.

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2009-02-12T17:24:00.000+02:00

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second Kathy Reichs I've read, and I enjoyed it.

I liked the main character, Tempe Brennan. The mystery was well done, not spectacular, but enough to keep me reading, and of course I'm a sucker for forensic type mysteries.

It's great for a relaxing read after a hard day. I'd like to read her other books.

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2009-02-12T09:04:00.001+02:00

The Shack by William P. Young

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of the blurbs on the cover of this book says something along the lines of "this book may be The Pilgrim's Progress for our generation".

I think not.

Usually I'm not interested in reading books the Christian world is in uproar about, they are bound to be a disappointment. I plowed through the book because a friend asked my opinion.

So, my opinion is that it was an okay read, but I wouldn't shove it into someone's hands with a "you must read this!" enthusiasm.

The conversations between Mack and God are basically little bits of sermons; similar to many earnest sermons I've heard over the years. Maybe it was a good thing to be reminded of some things I have forgotten to think about.

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"Point" by Pablo Neruda

2009-02-05T08:28:00.000+02:00

"Point"
Pablo Neruda

No hay espacio más ancho que el dolor
No hay universo como aquel que sangra

translated from the Spanish

There is no space wider than that of grief
There is no universe like that which bleeds

assassin, weakness

2009-02-02T19:52:00.000+02:00

"Oh, look, there's Charlie."

"Who?"

"Charlie, that fat guy on the pavement opposite."

"Hmm, I wouldn't call that fat, would you? More like chubby."

"Fat, chubby...whatever. There's more of him as should be. He has a weakness for jam doughnuts."

"He's coming this way."

"Damn. I hope he doesn't see us, he gives me the creeps. Give me that menu. Quick!"

"He's gone."

"Thank god.

"I think he noticed you were hiding, though."

"Oh damn, I hope not!"

"Why do you dislike him?"

"It's not dislike, really. He makes me uncomfortable. Do you know that he rolls in money, but he doesn't have a job?"

"So? Maybe he inherited?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't know him well personally, we've met at parties, you know, but nothing more. But Sarah knows him quite well."

"And Sarah is your cousin, right?"

"No, Farrah is my cousin, Sarah is the daughter of my mum's oldest friend.

"Oh, right. So, Sarah knows Charlie well..."

"Yes, and she told me one night, but she was drunk, and denied it when I asked her about it later; well, she said that Charlie is an assassin."

"What? You're pulling my leg, right?"

"No, I swear it. That's what she said, but later she said I was talking through my nose and that she's never said anything like that about Charlie."

"But who would hire a fat assassin? I mean, he can't leap tall buildings and creep stealthily in the dark."

"Who knows? But anyway, I don't think he would go about it that way."

"How then? Waiter! Check please."

"I think he would waddle up, all amiable smiles and sugar on his chin, and stick a knife in your back."

"Or maybe strychnine in your drink."

"Here, let me pay half of that..."

"No, no, it's my treat. No really! I insist."

"Well, thanks. Next time I'll pay."

"Sure. Ready? Let's go. Don't forget your coat."

"Oh, thanks. Hey, let's toddle off to Zoot, I believe that we may run into DeeDee there."

"Who's DeeDee?"

"Well, you see...."

art, web

2009-01-29T20:34:00.001+02:00

The internal structure of the prison craft was a web of steel. Imagine a silent silicone spider, sliding with oiled legs over girders the thickness of your body, laying its eggs in neat rows. Only there was no spider, and the pods contained the bodies of those that society cast out. Robotic hovercrafts carried the pods into that vast, echoing space, attached each to the grid, activated the local computer, and left.

Sunny Bingle stood at one of the viewing ports and watched a drone as it stacked Deebo. She wanted that monkey, alive and breathing. Sunny was one of the six humans on board, a tiny tribe of secretive people who seldom saw each other and squabbled when they did. They had each perfected the art of solitude.

arrest, weeks

2009-01-28T10:53:00.001+02:00

The arrest of the monkey who ate the last stash of bananas in the known universe came three weeks after the curator discovered the empty hold. It took that long to go through all the humans and animals on board the space ship and check their ordure.

It led to problems, of course. "I put it to you, Sir," said the lawyer appointed to the monkey, known as Deebo, "that my client cannot be held responsible for his actions."
"Nevertheless," argued the prosecution, "extinction of red listed species is punishable by permanent suspension."

And so Deebo was frozen slowly to liquid helium temperature and slotted into a bay on the silent prison craft that circled the planet.

2009-01-05T18:52:00.000+02:00

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the one hand, it is just a love story, Clare meets Henry and they have a happy marriage.

On the other hand, Henry has a rare genetic disease that causes him to travel in time. They meet when Henry is 36 and Clare is 6, and get married when Clare is 22 and Henry is 30.

Such a relationship has it challenges. ;)

I loved the book. The characters are wonderful, both Clare and Henry became very real to me. Time traveling stories tend to bend my brain a bit, but this one didn't confuse me (much). There is much joy in the story. The stage is set with slow strokes, and the characters drawn with love and gentle humor.

The book becomes sadder towards the end; as the inevitability of life and death and time traveling works itself out.

Really excellent, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

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2008-12-26T12:27:00.001+02:00

What Poets Need by Finuala Dowling

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

John, the poet, is caught in an unfulfilling, mostly by e-mail, love affair with Theresa. He longs for, yearns for her. But life with his sister and niece keeps his feet on the ground. Plus he has to edit a volume of poetry. Plus he has to write a menu in rhyming couplets.

Such an enjoyable book. Very vivid sense of place, the action all takes place in and around Kalk Bay. A wonderful cast of characters, from Tiny the bergie (hobo) to 9 year old Sal who keeps John pretty much on his toes.

A gentle book, filled with wit and humour. This is one of those books I will read again, and press into other people's hands saying, "Read this! You'll love it!"

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2008-12-23T19:53:00.000+02:00

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a book. A story in a story in a story. I admired the skill of the author, how she made these stories flow into one another. It is an amazing book; strong, well written. I will definitely look for more books by Margaret Atwood.

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Eat, Pray, Love

2008-12-17T17:09:00.000+02:00

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I found this a frustrating book. I alternated between appreciating the sometimes valuable insights and humor in the book, and being irritated by the author.

On the one hand her description of depression is the most accurate I've ever read. She is literate, smart, funny, self aware...all things I appreciate in people.

And yet, yet. Every few pages I felt, I don't know...suspicious? Unbelieving? Envious? Everything just works out so perfectly; the sojourn in Italy, the spiritual experiences in India, the handsome older man who adores her in Bali.

I don't know. I finished the book because two friends, who really enjoyed the book, wanted me to finish it, no doubt for long discussion over wine and sushi. If not for them, I would have left off after the Italy part.

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2008-12-10T19:56:00.000+02:00

Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Vampire You are a social pragmatist, as likely to kiss as to bite. Your sensuality and social pragmatism is the counter-balance to your existential angst and your tendency toward depression.
Cthulu Spawn
Sorceror
Ghost
Incubus/Succubus
Demon
Werewolf
Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz