Would someone please explain to me how I ended up being friends with so many people who are readers? Or perhaps they are the rule and Suzanne and I are the exception...??? I take great comfort in the fact that Suzanne is not a reader either and I am probably seven books ahead of her for the year, unless reading books to her kids counts. She would likely say it does!
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Last night I finished the very poorly written autobiographical book about the owner of The Club, only hours before the end of the month. I remain on track for reading a book a month. If I actually owned this particular book, I would have marked it all up with red pen or highlighter because there were countless spelling and grammatical errors in it. I believe it was a self-published work without benefit of an editor, even though one of my neighbors, also a published writer, had offered to do so when the book was being written. "Freddie", the star of the book, wrote little about her children, one who is the sole survivor of the family and now runs The Club. In fact, I do not remember her name even being mentioned in the book. The story is more about Freddie's work with the Haitians, many whom still work at The Club.
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She was a philanthropist and earth science teacher who tried to help the Haitian people to become self-sufficient after the fall of their government years ago but their lack of education and ability to see the big picture often prevented the success of the projects. Certain peoples were taught about building and maintaining fisheries for breeding and selling Tilapia but after the 'help', such as the U.N. or other aid-givers would leave, the whole enterprise would fall into disrepair or failure. It seems the Haitians did not have a mind for business. They lived more day to day, and had consumed nearly all the plant life there was to eat, and burned all the available wood around the capital city (we heard about this region during the earthquake earlier this year) for cooking and heat, so the land cannot support crops or hold back mudslides. Yikes! Lots of frustration all around, especially when it came to trying to get families reunited in the US. One of the men who works at The Club to this day was actually a 'boat person' whom Freddie helped by getting his wife and son to the US----after years of trying!
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When painting with Kris yesterday, she was telling me about her reading style. Intended as a cost-savings tool years ago, Kris decided to stop buying her books and then donating them to the library. Instead, she would simply use the library's collection for her 'obsession'. She did at first run into problems because it seemed after reading the books and returning them, Kris did not remember which books she had already read, and would check them out again by mistake! This was not a good plan and since she normally reads about a book a day.....WHAT???? A book a day????
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Kris explained that she envies me having a life, but instead, she reads. Her plan to prevent rereading the same books is to read them in alphabetical order! Right now, Kris is nearly up to the 'Ha' authors (I think it's authors' names, and not book titles...) in the Mystery section of the OP Library. Never in all my life did I meet such a book fiend as she! Kris said that since she does nothing else outside of her job, teaching art to children, which I took to also mean doing little at home, she reads! No computer, no socializing, no organizations other than the Art Guild. She does however, have a cozy relationship with the librarians! Kris told me that after 6-8 months of reading, she will be done for awhile, and then paint a dozen pictures...She got me with that one, too!
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Lori, my sister who also loves to read, but not a book a day, wrote on Facebook last night that I should read a book with Sweet Potatoes in the title. She said she laughs so hard when reading it late at night that she is afraid of waking David, and ends up shaking the whole bed when trying to subdue her laughter. Now, that sounds like a fun read. My plan was to finish the book started in Manitowoc, "Not Unto Us" about Kurt Eggert and his music next, and then move onto the book given to me by one of my new BFFs at the pool, Mary Lew. She loaned me the book written by Frica (Freddie) and last week brought me one written by Nora Ephron, titled something like, "The Things I Hate About My Neck", about women aging. It is a humorous take on the effects of gravity and other natural sciences at work on our bodies. Since she loaned me those two books, Freddie's and Nora's, I should return them as soon as possible. I have yet to watch the videos she brought me, but I did pop the "Tea with Mussolini" into the player yesterday, loaned to me by another new BFF, Carol.
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Before leaving for my Fun with Art Saturday morning, I picked up the newest edition of Forward in Christ and read through the Letters to the Editor section. There were two that mentioned an article in the June edition of FIC concerning the death of a child. How did I miss that one??? It was the same edition that came out when I was in WI. The back page featured the framed Last Supper puzzle which was completed by family members and some friends of a deceased man, on display at his home church in Newtonburg, WI. I had seen the completed mural-sized piece when at this church for Arno's funeral, and then again for Rochelle's funeral. Somehow, I had not read the entire magazine that month, missing the story titled, "I Will Rejoice and Be Glad" and did so yesterday. The story is of a young mom whose newborn died unexpectedly the day after birth and describes the emotions one experiences. I am compelled to write to her but we shall see...
