Seize the Day

Last weekend I took a road trip to spend some time with my oldest brother and sister. My brother is relocating to be closer to his children and I won’t be able to see him as often as I can now. That being said, it has been a while since we all had time together. We talk on the phone frequently but face-to face doesn’t happen as often. The family is literally spread out from coast to coast.

We spent a lot of time reminiscing and laughing and it occurred to me how much I have missed them. We overall had a very fortunate childhood. Our family was unusually close and has for the most part remained so.

This year has reminded me how important these moments are. Recently, I have lost a lot of friends and acquaintances quite unexpectedly. Many were very young and in my mind, not finished. My friends and I have discussed the fact that the longer we live, the more frequently this will happen. I have had the belief that barring an accident (and maybe even then), when we are finished with what we need to do here, we leave. Maybe that’s a little too metaphysical for many but it makes perfect sense to me.

So seize the day. Now. Be with those you love as often as is possible. You absolutely never, never, never know. 

FAVORITE BOOK OF 2017

I made my first choice for favorite Book of the Year in August two years ago. So for consistency, my year will continue to run from August to July. My book selections this year:

August 2016:  The Invention of Wings- Sue Monk Kidd

September 2016:  Prep- Curtis Sittenfeld and Goldberg Variations- Susan Isaacs

October 2016:  The Light of Paris- Eleanor Brown

November 2016:  Remnant Chronicles- Mary E. Pearson and Little Beach Street Bakery- Jenny Colgan

December 2016: The Chemist- Stephanie Meyer

January 2017:  The Art of Racing in the Rain- Garth Stein

February 2017:  Falling Together- Marisa de los Santos

March 2017:  The Goldfinch- Donna Tartt

April 2017: A God in Ruins- Kate Atkinson

May 2017: The Bear and the Nightingale- Katherine Arden

June 2017:  Death of A Liar- M.C. Beaton

July 2017: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats- Jan-Philipp Sendker

This has been another good year for reading. As usual, more books were read or listened to on tape than I reviewed, but the ones above made the cut. I decided a while ago that I was not going to disparage another author’s work. If I don’t like it, I won’t review it. 

That being said, my favorite book this year was, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Running a disturbingly close second was A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. Both of these novels have stayed with me and both authors are masters of their craft.

JUNE BUG VERSUS HURRICANE- SEPTEMBER 2017 BOOK SELECTION

This memoir is a hurricane in and of itself. It literally blew me away. Not for the faint of heart, it is written with such raw and uncompromising honesty, it will make you uncomfortable. 

On the surface, it seems to be a cautionary tale of the double edged side of privilege and power. But more than that, it is the tragic story of two children caught up in the “hurricane” of a multi-generationally, dysfunctional family. There is no question that these children were loved, adored even, but were given the reins of a life they couldn’t possibly navigate successfully at an impossibly young age.

The story jumps from one time frame to another but serves to parallel the brother and sister’s hectic back-and-forth lifestyle. Always looking for more. Always looking for the next big thing. Their uncompromising, unconditional love for one another and their family was their one touchstone. To watch one child spiral out of control and the other to barely hang on by their fingernails is heartbreaking to say the very least.

June Bug Versus Hurricane is a tour de force by an author Erin Chandler.

Absolutely recommend but gird your loins.