Young Adult Books

Though I am certainly not a young girl anymore, I still love young adult books!!! I read a fabulous one yesterday, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It deals with suicide, teen issues and the way we treat each other in a really interesting way. I don't want to give too much away because I really recommend this book for people to read. Go get it!

It made me think about young adult books in general. I think they are wonderful because many of them deal with really weighty issues in really profound ways while not being to heavy of a book. I read this recent one in one day. But I know it will stick with me. Last year I read another one that dealt with abortion, parental responsibility, identity and societal responsibility. It was called Unwind by Neal Shusterman. That book as well will stay with me forever. Both these books made me cry and feel things in ways I don't think many adult books do.

If I ever could write a book, I think it would be young adult. This genre is often overlooked as a \serious literary area, but it is! Teenage years is a time where you learn so much about yourself and the world, it would be fun to capture it in a novel. Something to think about.

I'm sure both books were really controversial in some schools of readers and critics. In one of my master's classes we talked about ethics and if it was okay for parents to choose what their child read. I have a tendency to think it's okay but I feel a little sad when I see parents stifle their child. I understand not wanting their child to lose their innocence, but I also think these books are great ways to reach out to children and introduce adult themes that make them think. As a parent you have to walk a fine line of what's appropriate and when to expose certain things. It's hard man. I do know that I could have handled this stuff when I was a teenager and I did read some of those controversial books and am better for it today!

Okay, I'm done with rambling. What do you think?

Twindom

I have a twin sister. We are not identical or fraternal, but half-identical. Not going into too much biology, but instead of having one egg, fertilized by one sperm and then a split like in identical twins, and unlike two separate eggs and separate sperm like in fraternal, our situation occurred that one egg split and then was fertilized by two separate sperm. Basically, we share the share DNA from our mother but different from our father, as opposed to both or neither as in the other cases.

I have never really thought about the schematics until recently when I read this book Identical Strangers written by twins that were separated and adopted by different families unknowingly and were reunited later in life in their thirties.

I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without Aileen, or what it would be like meeting her for the first time at age 35. We are so different yet so similar. She is quite honestly the only person in this world that I feel I can be completely blunt with. I don't know why this is, but it is. I don't understand some of her choices and sometimes I wonder if we would ever be friends if we weren't sisters, but at the same time I have these urges to be with her sometimes and I have this overwhelming sense of missing her. I can't explain it.

It was interesting to read about these women noticing their similiarities and differences and grappling with the huge idea of identity and nature vs. nuture while trying to find their birth mother. It makes me feel lucky to have spent my whole life with Aileen.

Many people have asked me what it's like to be a twin. I usually tell them I don't know what life would be like not being one. But if I am in the mood to talk about it more, I usually tell them it's both a blessing and a curse. I don't enjoy always being compared to her both physically and emotionally and I didn't like having to share things sometimes, especially as a young child (i.e. birthday presents, milestones in our lives). But I have cherished the fact that I always had someone to talk to at night before going to sleep, someone to eat lunch with on the first day of school in a new city, and someone to play with when my friends couldn't come over.

But what struck me as the biggest blessing after reading about how these twins missed out on their childhood together, is that Aileen was there with me through all of it. She is the person's whose life is closest to my experiences. She is the only one who can commiserate with me the time I had a 105 temperature and didn't tell my parents because I wanted to swim, the time we petted what was most likely a rabid racoon at my grandfather's house in Florida, how it felt to be on my own for the first time in North Carolina and many other events. On my wedding day, my sister wept behind me as my maid of honor as I said my vows. I asked her later what made her cry.  She said it was because she realized all the emotions I went throught to get there and how much I wanted this to happen in my life ever since I was a little girl. It made me cry at how grateful I was to have her beside me.

And though we are so different in so many ways in that I can't explain away through simply just genetics or environment, I believe it is because we grew up together and share some of the same genes that we will always share something in common...we will always love each other intensely forever.

Mary B., Queen of Bama

I'm reading this book right now, Interred With Their Bones, by Jennifer Lee Carrell. It's like a Shakespearan Da Vinci Code. I like these books where they use history and literature to solve puzzles and go on an adventure. In this book they are trying to find an original copy of the play The History of Cardenio which was attributed to Shakespeare and a man named John Fletcher in 1613. It is considered a lost play. I had no idea this play even existed before. I'm halfway through so we'll see what happens.

Reading this book just makes think about this period in the world. I think if I had a time machine I would definitely visit Elizabethan England. Queen Elizabeth I was a sassy lady. First of all her dad, Henry VIII, wanted a son to rule but he got his daughter, who ruled until 1603. She didn't need a husband, she was an original sista doing it for herself. There are some who even believe she  wrote Shakespeare's plays. Plus she has auburn hair, pale skin and dark eyes. Hello, that describes me! :)

I don't know if I could have ruled an entire country, but it would be interesting to see her in person. I bet she was a bad ass. Just a hunch. :)

The Story Of The Five Balls And Other Habits Of A Housewife

I have been thinking about routine and how I have finally settled into one here in my new life in rural Alabama as a housewife. It's not that I planned it this way. I have been trying to find a job for a while. It's just that we live so far away from everything it's hard.

But I have discovered that I am now a stereotypical housewife. I do the dishes everyday. I do laundry everyday. I even make my husband breakfast and send him off with a kiss everyday. And I have been reading a bodice-ripper romance! It's usually not my sort of thing but I remembered this author as popular when I worked at the library in North Carolina and asked my mom to order me her first book to try it out through her paperback swap and I had no idea her first book was so Harlequin-esque. But I felt obligated to read it since she ordered it and had it shipped to me. I'm kind of embarrassed by the low brow selection but I shouldn't judge, it's actually not that bad and it's something to read.

Anyways, I was talking to my mom this morning and she was talking about how now that she is retired it would be very difficult for her to go back to work because of how she has created her own routine. It got me thinking...if I got a job who would do the dishes? Who would do the laundry? Would I have time to read anymore? I got panicky. How did I do all those things when I was fully employed for so long?

I guess I did all those things but not as routinely as I do now. Life is constantly a juggling act. I recently read James Patterson's book Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. In it the narrator tells a tale called The Story of the Five Balls. Basically we are all juggling balls representing work, family, health, friends and integrity. You try so hard to keep them all in the air until you realize one day that work is a rubber ball and the other balls are made of glass. If you drop the work ball it will bounce back. The others will be changed forever if you drop them, even shattered. It is only when you truly understand the lesson of the five balls that you will have the balance in your life.

It was comforting for me to know that my routine allows me to juggle those all important 4 balls. And even though I've dropped my work ball right now, I can(and will!) bounce back.

Cold Weather And A Cold Case Mystery

bI don't understand it. I spent a good portion of my youth in upstate New York. I shoveled feet and feet of snow and sat in my parents car for 30 minutes to warm it up and carried my shoes in a plastic bag to school so I could walk to school in my boots. I should be used to the cold!

But I moved to south, south Alabama as a teenager and now I can't stand cold weather. Most of my friends live north of me and are experiencing it worse than us, but it is still darn cold here. So cold that I refuse to do things I normally do to avoid it. I will do my running this afternoon because I refuse to be outside in that weather. Yesterday Alli was resistent to her walk and I thought, "I don't want to be out here either" so we went back inside. This is precisely the reason I despise winter. You get sick, your nose runs, your feet are frozen...yuck.

One good thing about winter though is that it is the perfect reason to stay inside with a book. One of the things I want to use this blog for is to record the books I read during the year. I just finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I have been reccommended this book by lots of people, most notably my mom and my friends Penny and Alice. Everyone was reading it at the library when I worked there. I wanted to see what the fuss was about...

It was actually a pretty good book. It is definitely not my favorite but it did keep me guessing and reading. What was interesting to me was that the big reveal was about 100 pages from the end. It caught me by surprise which was cool because usually you know that when you get close to the end you'll get the answers. But this way you are kind shocked like the characters. But also after that I just wanted to the book to over with. So it's good and bad. Yesterday, they revealed some pics of Lisbeth Salander from the American version of the film that comes out in December. Rooney Mara is playing her, and I must say she does look the part:

I have put the Swedish version on my Netflix and will probably see the film when it comes out and will probably read the sequels someday. It is definitely something I would suggest, especially if you like mysteries and thrillers. Stay warm everyone!

Muffins and Magical Realism

I made some delicious strawberry cheesecake muffins last night. Yes they were from a mix, but gosh they were really good. I've discovered that I really enjoy baking, especially since Michael likes to cook. It's convenient--he makes the meals and I make desserts. I've started a file on my computer for recipes for things. The maintenance man at Michael's work's wife gave him a whole bag full of recipes when we got married. She's been saving them for years. I've been going through it, setting aside the ones I think look good. I haven't put them in yet and I haven't tried any but I'm sure I will blog about them when I do try them. I have a feeling Peanut Butter Pie will be in my future....

I also finished a book last night by Sarah Addison Allen. She is a North Carolina author who lives in Asheville and writes magicl realism books. I read her first book, Garden Spells, for my old book club. I thought it was fantastic and immediately read her second book, The Sugar Queen. The Girl Who Chased The Moon, is her third and the one I just finished.  I like certain authors but I can usually pick out my favorite of their books. With her books, it's hard for me. I think that says something. She has a new book, The Peach Keeper, coming out March 22. I definitely can't wait!

Her books are light and fun and beautiful. Yes, beautiful. I can't describe it properly but her words to me just paints a picture that is so pretty. She always uses female characters, and there is always at least one character who bakes and cooks (this inspires me to bake as well). I also really enjoy the magical touches like giants, apple trees that allow you to glimpse your future, wallpaper that changes on its own, a girl who attracts books and finds them everywhere and many others. Plus it is set in North Carolina and reminds me of where I used to live. It just makes me happy!! I recommend them to anyone!! www.sarahaddisonallen.com