New Years Resolution, maybe

I have been on a foodie kick lately. I'm not sure if it's because of the holidays, or maybe the cold weather, but I have been reading a lot of food blogs and cookbook reviews. I've always been attracted to the idea of cooking--I like to flip through cookbooks and clip new recipes. My problem is that I lack the follow-through to actually cook.

The marathon I am running in is right around the corner, and maybe it's time to direct my attention to a new hobby. Poor Z is forced to eat whatever I throw together after work, and I can't remember the last time I tried something new. I think the key to this project is not only cooking more regularly, but trying a whole new variety of food. Now, I could eat casseroles every day of my life and be happy as a clam, but it may be time to venture out of my comfort zone and try making ethnic food, or meals that don't call for a can of cream of mushroom soup.

In the meantime, I'll be following all the new cooking blogs I discovered. Imagining my way into cooking has to be the first step, right?

Let's have a cheer for Christmas Break!

I posted my second, and final, research paper of the semester last night. I am not convinced that either of my final projects were my best work, but by the end of a long semester, I'm just thankful to turn something in.

Now that I'm footloose and fancy-free (in terms of school), I am psyched for all the holiday reading I have planned. This morning, I requested more books than I can possibly read over the break--I just couldn't help myself! I will be kicking off my reading bonanza with Lonesome Dove, which Z and I are reading together for what we're affectionately referring to as, "Lover Book Club." We watched the movie the other weekend and decided that reading the book together would be fun. If all goes well, we may tackle a David McCullough biography next.

Hindsight is 20/20

A few summers ago, I had to complete a school project for my degree. At the time, I referred to it as "my stupid reading list." Basically, I had to read a set of books for each of three different categories--author, time period, and genre. The reason for this trip down memory lane is that for the past two weeks, I've been working on term papers (think of "working" in the loosest of terms, it's really more like staring blankly at my computer and hoping that words magically appear.) The more I work on these term papers, the more I miss the reading list. Honestly, what was so bad about reading novels for a summer?

Today, I was browsing the Kindle store to load up my Kindle with some new stuff for working out, and I came across some of the authors I read for my reading list. Even better, because the books are early 20th century, they're free! Nothing makes a nerdy cheapskate like me happier than free books. Tonight, I will have to choose between Robert Graves, D. H. Lawrence, or E. M. Forster for my evening run. Then, it will be back to term papers. Boo!

Reading for the Chilly Weather

I just finished a book on my Kindle, Countess of Canada by Bessie Marchant, and I'm feeling a little bereft. Sometimes when I am finished with books I really enjoy, I feel like I've lost some close friends. This book saw me through many a hard workout on the treadmill, and it felt appropriate that the main character, Katherine, lives in chilly northern Canada. I felt like I could relate weather-wise.

Katherine and her family live in Canada where her father manages a general store. Katherine has recently returned home from college in Canada in order to teach, but there are not any young children in Roaring Portage for a school. Katherine spends most of her time helping her father deliver goods, but when he falls ill, the bulk of the work falls to her. Katherine spends her time delivering goods and managing the store along with her younger brothers and older sister. Along the way, she manages to rescue several people in the wilds of Canada, including Jervis Ferrars, an agent for a tradesman investing in a fishing operation.

Honestly, I am horrible at summaries and this one is not doing justice to the book AT ALL!

Bessie Marchant (1862-1841) was an English writer who focused on adventure novels featuring young women. This book reminded me a lot of Anne of Green Gables--both have spunky heroines and lots of what I would call episodes throughout. The novel feels like a variety of adventure stories strung together by the main character. Marchant is able to create characters that may not have a lot of depth, but feel genuine all the same. Katherine is brave, hard-working, generous, and intelligent, but Marchant balances all of that to make Katherine a believable character, and an inspirational one too. I never would have made it through some of those runs without reading about Katherine trudging ten miles cross country in snow shoes!

Ashamed, but Entertained

The end of the semester is getting closer, and I'm starting to feel the pressure to buckle down with schoolwork. Procrastinator that I am, this means I stress myself out for several more weeks and then work hard to break out some final projects at the last minute. Between the end-of-semester rush and hitting the midway point on a marathon training schedule, I have not had much time to read anything worthwhile.

That being said, I have squeezed in some non-worthwhile reading. I have been downloading free e-books to my Kindle, cranking up the font size, and running for what feels like hours some days. Mostly I read romances, and for the record, the romance novels you can get for free are not necessarily top of the line.

My other recent "reader fail" is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I checked this book out in the summer, and would make significant progress in small chunks of time. I couldn't face circulation again to renew, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will have some time to pick it back up over the holidays. For those of you unfamiliar with Infinite Jest, take it from me, this book is a monster. It's crazy long and Wallace uses endnotes throughout--I got a great forearm workout flipping back and forth!

Inferno

Being from the West, I feel like I have an appropriate respect for forest fires. Granted, places like California tend to have more devastating fires than we do in Wyoming. Recently, I read an article in the October 26th edition of The New Yorker about the 2009 wildfires in Australia. In "The Inferno," Christine Kenneally writes about how Australians approach fires differently from how we do in the United States. In the U.S., people are evacuated from their homes and communities early if there is the possibility of fire. In Australia, people are given the option to leave early, or stay and fight the fire. This completely blows my mind, and as Kenneally describes what is involved for those who stay, I do not think I could do it.

Australians have individualized fire plans that address removing flammable items from the house and storing water. Houses act as a heat shield, and if people take proper precautions, they can save their homes. When I started reading the article, I thought I would definitely be on board for something like that. Isn't that akin to the Western lifestyle: protect what is yours?

On the other hand, staying to fight the fire is indeed a fight. Constant vigilance is required in order to staunch any burning embers that may land on the house. All that stands between a person and a fire with temperatures than can reach twenty-two hundred (!) degrees is the house. Try and picture looking out your window and only seeing flames. Would you stay or go?

Suspense!

Last night, I finished A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd. I've never really been much of a mystery reader, but I do love historical fiction. I read this book as part of my book club, and after finishing, I'm appreciative that the book club is introducing me to some genres I would otherwise shy away from.



I should start by saying this book was an absolute lifesaver for me. I'm training to run a marathon in January, and we have had some winter weather the past few weeks that doesn't allow for much running outside. I read this book on my Kindle, and since I can make the font size HUGE, it's perfect for days when I'm stuck on the treadmill.



The story takes place in WWI. Bess Crawford is a nurse serving the Britannic, a hospital ship. Early in the novel, the ship hits a mine and sinks. Bess survives, but has a significant break in her arm. The catastrophe forces Bess to deliver a message she's been putting off. She tended a soldier who left her a message to deliver to his family before dying in her care, and though she's had opportunities to make good on her promise, she's put it off.



While home on leave, Bess visits the Graham family to deliver the message, and quickly suspects that the message has less to do with a sweetheart Arthur Graham left behind--what she had initially suspected--and more to do with family secrets. Bess is compelled to care for Peregrine Graham, the eldest son in the family, when he becomes ill with pnemonia. Peregrine is the black sheep of the family who has lived in an asylum for most of his life after his stepmother blamed him for murder; however, Bess suspects there is more to the story and feels her promise to Arthur is incomplete until she knows what really happened.



I do not want to add in spoilers, because the author(s) (Charles Todd is a mother-son writing team) do a wonderful job of creating and maintaining suspense throughout the novel. Todd creates a believable historical atmosphere without trying too hard. The characters are well-developed and complicated. Everyone seems to have some kind of backstory that the authors use to create depth. The conclusion is neither too far-fetched or too obvious and readers will appreciate the challenge of solving the mystery along with Bess Crawford.

I will be interested to see how my book club approaches the book. One of the women reads a lot of murder-mysteries, and I am curious to hear what she thinks of the book. I don't have much to compare it to, but appreciated that it was well-written and full of suspense. These kinds of books always make me want to research. Todd brings up shell-shock in the novel and the way the characters approach the concept is drastically different from how we talk about post traumatic stress disorder today. WWI is a point of major societal change because of the scale of the war and it will be interesting to see how Todd addresses these kinds of changes in the series (this book is the first in an upcoming series of Bess Crawford mysteries).

onlineliterature.com, I love you

On slow days at work, onlineliterature.com is a total lifesaver. I discovered the site when I was working on my reading list for my MA degree in English. When it was slow at my student job (anyone sensing the theme here?) I would go online and try and get some chapters read of the early 21st century novels I had to read. This summer, I read the entire Anne of Green Gables series in snippets. In hindsight, these books weren't the best at-work reads since I always cry when Matthew dies (never good to mist at work when you're trying to look busy!). I don't want to give the impression I don't work or that I don't like my job, because I do; however, sometimes a chapter of a good book makes the 30 minute lull between busy times feel more productive then say, facebook, a trap I'm all too easily drawn into.

My latest onlineliterature.com find was Crome Yellow (1921) by Aldous Huxley. I had a professor suggest this book to me a while ago, but never had time to read it. Now that I have, I've added some of Huxley's other novels to my ongoing reading list. Huxley seems like an author who would be fun to hang out with. He has a dry sense of humor and he really captures the awkardness in everyday life, especially the weird moments when characters are trying to be the most serious. Like a lot of other English novels from the 1920s, Crome Yellow is about the upperclass leisure lifestyle and Huxley presents a group of people vacationing together. I always leave these kind of books wishing I could vacation for months at a time, wear party clothes, and eat fabulous dinners. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the lottery, and bide my time until then.