Madame Bovary

I am finding that most of the famous classics written by men involve a female character tempted with adultery and fornication- Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, Portrait of a Lady, Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Vanity Fair, The Scarlet Letter ect. In these books women are tempted, tried, and then suffer the consequences of their immorality. 18th century authors and beyond definitely have a double standard in the consequences they impose on the women in the adulteress relationships versus the men. But I won't go into a tirade on the double standard of morality. Instead I compliment the authors of most of these books on portraying how the immorality changes and destroys the woman. Madame Bovary in particular was driven mad by living a double life. All unhealthy aspects of a relationship end up ruining the love affairs- jealousy, control, and vanity. Th irony of this book is that she is searching for an ideal image of love created by her youth and fails to see the only real-lasting- forgiving love given to her was by her husband, daughter, and father. Her husband is to blame as well by putting her on a pedestal and spinelessly letting her rule him. His character is weak till the very end where he fully understands of her unfaithfulness and instead of rising above the power of his wife with anger he wishes he could be more like the man of her love affair. The selfishness of his love for her on a pedestal and her love with an ideal image of love end up destroying them both and their families. I always like to find the noble characters in these books and it seems none of the main characters were noble but only "the child" who was innocent but destroyed by her parents.

The Last Lecture

So January and February were very busy months. So a short book like this ended up being shelved for a bit. I enjoyed it accept for some of the "logical viewpoints-tips"t on living- he is a scientist, I am a psychologist, two different personalities to looking at life. I was surprised by the sense of happiness the author had as he looked back at his life nearing the end of it. At the end of the day what would make a satisfied, well fed, happy with the middle type of life? I think his focus on passion, family, and service say it all. It gets you thinking, though. At the end of the day I hope I look back on my life with fulfillment. The main message of the book is fulfilling your childhood dreams. And so I thought back about mine. A growing dream all my life was being able to counsel with children which is my career and passion. Another dream was finding love actually the fairy tale soul mate happily ever after type. Yes I know modern day psychology and church leadership frown upon this idea of love, but anyone who knows me knows I was always in love with love, as "unrealistic" as that may be. The funny thing is that my experience finding my Brad fulfilled these dreams and continues to- he was made just for me and I was made just for him. Another dream was going to Italy which I was able to do last year. Of course I have some unfulfilled dreams I am working towards- being a mom, serving a mission, traveling to Ireland, reading all the great classics, being a foster parent, ect. As I look at my life today I'm quite happy with where I've been, where I am, and where I am going and I guess if at the end of the day I feel this way that will be fulfillment.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Creative, somewhat entertaining, liked the Latino creative writing, not my favorite but made me think. Solitude. What is solitude. Can you be completely alone though you are surrounded by people. Do we all live a life of solitude at some time in our life. Each of the main characters in this book are drawn to inevitable solitude and have to find ways to negotiate with it. Interesting book. I'm not exactly one of those people who likes solitude though I know it is necessary at times. I always dreaded weekends in high-school when, and they happen to us all, I didn't have plans. The same dread occurred in college when all my roomates had plans but me. I even made a list once of things I could do by myself and be happy. I'm simply a social person, but even social people need to find ways to negotiate with solitude. As luck would have it my husband is a PhD student spending immense amounts of time with his work- though he spends time with me each week and is a sweetheart- so I'm not complaining too loud as I've been a graduate student and spent all of my time with my studies too. But the point is I have come to negotiate with solitude- though I have ample friends and family-you can't be with people all the time or if you are, like many evenings with my husband while he works, you still feel alone. In order to negotiate with solitude like the characters in the book I create projects, goals, clubs, blogs and I simply have to organize my week to have a social agenda.

Some Favorites

The problem with not having a record of what you have read is that you forget. Yet there are still some favorites that stand out from the past years of reading enjoyment.

A Tale of Two Cities
A Separate Peace
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Les Miserables
The Huncheback of Notre Dame
Anna Karenina
Gone With the Wind
David Copperfield
Vanity Fair
Portrait of a Lady
Roots
East of Eden
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Tess of the D'Ubervilles
The Hiding Place
The Book Thief
The Kite Runner

The art of reading

I am a lover of a good book and like most lovers I am quite particular about what makes a good book. I'm not very good with book clubs or timetables but I do always seem to have a book to read and when I am done I like to share my thoughts about it. I am not an English major and more often than not favor a psychological scrutinization of literature. A good book makes me think, makes me evaluate life and people, and often makes me look at life and people differently after reading it. A good book can also be fun and entertaining but still steps beyond the superficial feeling of a weeknight sitcom and has depth and structure that makes you think wow and admire the artist who created it. And so I start this record of the books I read and my thoughts about them.