What looks like home

Painted Landscapes has artwork that covers the range of scenery throughout the United States.  The variety is wide, and I found some artists and pieces that resonated with me.  That said, not a whole lot of them looked like my home - my childhood home in rural Ohio.

Still I loved Olancha by Michael Gregory:

Admission

I just hate-read an entire series. I generally don't waste my time with books I don't like. Buuuut I read all three Divergent books in two months. They were so crazy bad. The dystopia was super simplistic; the two leads so pure. Most crazy making was the tone - varying from sending folks to their doom to giggly teenagerness in a single scene. WTF? It was just so batshit and I had to see where it was gonna wind up. It did not redeem itself.

Broken

The United States has a prison system that is very very broken. http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/09/30/15761/prison-bankers-cash-captive-customers

My people

My People - Langston Hughes
Dream-singers,Story-tellers,Dancers,Loud laughters in the hands of Fate--
Elevator-boys,
Ladies' maids,
Crap-shooters,
Cooks,
Waiters,
Jazzers,
Nurses of babies,
Loaders of ships,
Rounders,
Number writers,
Comedians in vaudeville
And band-men in circuses--
Dream-singers all, --
My People.
Story-tellers all,--
My people.
Dancers--
God! What dancers!
Singers--
God! What singers!
Singers and Dancers
Dancers and laughters
Laughters?
Yes, laughters...laughters...laughters--
Loud-mouthed laughters in the hands
Of fate.

On bimulous nights

I recently purchased a book I'm not gonna let my kiddo touch for years.  I'm a bad mom.

However, this book is out of print and magic.  It includes bits like:

Because on bimulous nights when the sky is like lace, the trees eucalyptus back and forth, forth and back, swishing and swaying, swaying and swishing - in the fern-deep grove at the midnight end of the garden.

Maybe I got this book for me, but I shall definitely share it with the babe one of these days.

The truth

I had not even heard of this one when a coworker mentioned it and lent me her copy.  The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains is a creepy quick illustrated tale.  Fairy tale-ish.  I liked it a great deal - the protaganist is so interesting.  In the interest of being a non-spolier, I won't say what my gripe is, but the tale turns on it and it just seems so unlikely.  Which is a shame because the rest is sooooo creepy and thoughtful.  

Rainbow Bright's house

I recently read a book that described the main character's house as the kind of place Rainbow Bright would live.  That is my house exactly.  Colors make me happy.  So I was enamored of the book Bright Bazaar.  And even happier to find that the author had a blog.

So many pretty ideas!

Sweetness and hurt

Been a long time since a book made me read looooong past bedtime, but I really wanted to stay with Georgie from Landline.  I went into this book cold - I knew that Rainbow Rowell could write a good tale but I didn't know what the story would be here.  You should too!

Some parts of this story sucker punched me.  It considers the beginnings of a relationship and contrasts it with a couple who has been together forever.  She knows.  And that can be hard to read for someone still looking hard at a failed relationship.  All that fucking time and effort and failure and pain that came out of so much excitement and love and plans and hardwork.  Sigh.

I really really liked this book despite the gut punches it landed.

Sometimes you need to wait a few years

I am a sucker for a memoir about someone going for their dreams - especially if it involves food, farming, or travel.  This book involved all three - and I really didn't like it.  <fizzle>

Barnheart is about a woman who moved to Vermont and starts a farm of her own.  I wanted to root for her, but I just ended up frustrated.  It could have used WAY more perspective and editing.

The primary aggravation was her judginess of her neighbors.  She gets so bent out of shape about folks who don't live there all the time or farm their lands.  But when neighbors start questioning some of her choices, it's so breathlessly indignant.

I could really relate to the longing she talked about - to already be living the life she wanted, to find a partner, to be doing things she so wanted to do.  But she lost me too many times with the smugness.

Seriously, I think she should have waited a few years before putting this one out there.  It might have given her a better point of view.

Paletas

This book is goooooorgeous!  And it guided me in making some delicious sour cream & cherry tequila paletas.  So many more I plan on trying.

Extra arms

I read A Guide to Being Born several weeks ago, but it's effect is lingering. The author takes you down odd roads.

One of my favorite stories tells of a version of reality where you grow an extra arm when you fall in love and considers the difficulties of having such an obvious sign of your emotions. It's fantastic.

Another story "Poppyseed" about parents making decisions for their severely developmentally delayed daughter gutted me.

This is gonna float in my head for a good long while.