No... that's not the name of a book I read. It's what I just took. I love reading, but the last couple weeks I've taken a break from it. I went home for my sister's wedding--and some much needed family time--so rather than spending all week holed up in my room I reading, I decided to shut the books and go spend time with my family. It was amazing!! The one thing I miss living 1,038 miles from home (yes that is an accurate distance) is getting to see my younger siblings grow up, so I love going home and watching the "little girls" (who are in reality 11 and 14 and taller than me almost) make up dances and perform them for us. That's just one of the things I love, but it's one of the small things that I took for granted when I lived at home.
Since coming home I've been spending every spare minute with my wonderful boyfriend. He is such an amazing guy! He's been spending all summer as a counselor for EFY (a church camp for youth 14-18) and doing such a good job. Since we only met and started dating this summer it's been interesting to get to know him through this job of his. I've seen him at his low points and at his high points and tried to talk him through a lot of his frustrations. This last week was his first week off all summer, so I stole him away from his parents and enjoyed getting to see him for 7 whole hours every day. We went and watched movies and met each other's friends and family. We stayed up ridiculously late talking and getting to know each other better (and not in the Biblical sense). I got a taste of what life after this summer is going to be like (well except for the whole part where we spend all our time together studying) and it made me very excited. My boyfriend is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I'm honestly shocked that he wants to date me... and the best part is... we both feel that way.
So what's the point in all this? Besides giving an excuse/reason for why there have been no posts, it's to say that sometimes, you need to get away from something you love like reading and really enjoy life. Sure reading is enjoyable, but it doesn't give you the same joy that playing with your sisters or your first kiss with someone special gives you. So sure, read a lot, but then go out and make experiences for your book of life.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Memoirs of a Geisha
So I was just looking at my list of posts and I realized that I never finished writing and publishing this one. Which is a tragedy because it is an amazing book and definitely one that I want to recommend to you all to read.
I've mean wanting to read this book since I saw the first of half of the movie. Both the movie and the book are such an amazing slice of a culture completely different from mine. I was constantly amazed by the poetry of the language used by the narrator. She spoke with such majesty and grace about her life. I could not believe that a man from Western culture was the one writing this.
My biggest question throughout the whole novel was, "Where on earth are these men's wives?" Why are they out with these geisha's every night instead of being at home? As much as I felt for the geisha's and the hard work they must put in to move up the ladder of their profession, I felt even more for the silent characters in the book... the wives of these men. They were barely mentioned, but I had to wonder how they dealt with the situation. I guess they just turned a blind eye to their husband's activities since they couldn't do much else. But did they feel betrayed that their husband was off with these other women? I know I would.
The whole book got me thinking about women's rights. Should it be an inherent right that every person can demand fidelity from their significant other? If one party is expected by societal norms to be faithful, shouldn't both parties be held to the same standard? Especially where children are involved. Shouldn't a married woman with children be able to expect her children to grow up knowing that their father loves their mother and respects her? Maybe that's just my 21st century, Western thinking, but it seems reasonable to me.
I've mean wanting to read this book since I saw the first of half of the movie. Both the movie and the book are such an amazing slice of a culture completely different from mine. I was constantly amazed by the poetry of the language used by the narrator. She spoke with such majesty and grace about her life. I could not believe that a man from Western culture was the one writing this.
My biggest question throughout the whole novel was, "Where on earth are these men's wives?" Why are they out with these geisha's every night instead of being at home? As much as I felt for the geisha's and the hard work they must put in to move up the ladder of their profession, I felt even more for the silent characters in the book... the wives of these men. They were barely mentioned, but I had to wonder how they dealt with the situation. I guess they just turned a blind eye to their husband's activities since they couldn't do much else. But did they feel betrayed that their husband was off with these other women? I know I would.
The whole book got me thinking about women's rights. Should it be an inherent right that every person can demand fidelity from their significant other? If one party is expected by societal norms to be faithful, shouldn't both parties be held to the same standard? Especially where children are involved. Shouldn't a married woman with children be able to expect her children to grow up knowing that their father loves their mother and respects her? Maybe that's just my 21st century, Western thinking, but it seems reasonable to me.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Time Traveler's Wife
This book fascinated me! The author did such an amazing job of turning what could've been a cheesy science-fiction book into beautiful, heart-breaking romance. I felt torn between loyalty to Clare and loyalty to Henry. Luckily they never got in a fight, so I didn't have to pick sides.
The story was told from Clare's chronological perspective, which is nice, since she is the one who remains in one time. I loved how even though it was from her chronological perspective we were able to see points of the story from his perspective. Like any true story, there isn't only one side, and one person can't remember all the significant events.
The story was told from Clare's chronological perspective, which is nice, since she is the one who remains in one time. I loved how even though it was from her chronological perspective we were able to see points of the story from his perspective. Like any true story, there isn't only one side, and one person can't remember all the significant events.
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