Is this the Gatsby residence?

I had one of the most fun, intellectually stimulating evenings last night. Some friends and I committed to starting a book club. I have always loved reading and discussing books so I was on board from day one. We decided to go back to the classics (and high school) and jump out of the gate with the classic American novel The Great Gatsby. Major major props go out to Katie W. and Katie S. for putting on a most sophisticated affair. We enjoyed 20's era music, discussion questions about the book, a trivia quiz and a place setting Martha Stewart would be jealous of compliments of K squared. Everyone brought some type of appetizer item to share and we sat, ate, and drank all while thoughtfully and passionately discussing the complicated world of Sir Jay Gatsby. We also made a plan to go see the new adaptation of the movie when it comes out in May to compare and contrast...and admittedly for some of us to swoon over how handsome Leonardo DiCaprio is in a tux.

When I was assigned to read Gatsby in my sophomore year of high school I did not so I was coming at this completely blind and I cannot believe it took him this long to enjoy this book. It is a simple read but really captures the intricacies of relationships and worldly status. Jay Gatsby is the mysterious millionaire with the huge mansion who throws all the parties that become the talk of the town. You want to be at a Gatsby party, yet many of his guests have never met him and he rarely joins his own parties. He throws them for one reason only, to recapture the attention of the love of his life whom he's been pining for over five years, Daisy Buchannan. As Daisy, her husband, Gatsby, and Nick all collide we see the very human nature of love and longing while also getting a glimpse into the very fragile balance that is keeping up appearances and keeping a life together.

The story is told through out narrator Nick Carraway who is a neighbor of Gatsby that befriends the mild recluse. We see Nick struggle, just as any readers do, to define Gatsby and decide whether he is a good man who should be pitied or a devious man who has only the slightest grip on rational thinking. Gatsby's end is one that will leave you troubled and undecided on many fronts. I find the genius of this simple tale to be the constant thoughts that I attribute to the story long after I had finished it. I think that is why this book has proven the test of time and is still very much required reading even long after its publishing date. Well done Mr. Fitzgerald.


After our discussion and trivia quiz, which not to brag but I won!, everyone put a suggestion for the next book into a hat and we drew a winner. Apparently I was on a lucky streak last night because my suggestion was picked. The book for the month of February is Home by Toni Morrison. I had been wanting to read some of the Nobel Peace Prize winners work for quite some time but never got around to it. I chose Home specifically because it was voted the Best American Fiction Novel of the last 25 years by the New York Times. I know nothing about the plot at all but I figured if the book was deemed the best for such an auspicious category there must be something to it. I am looking very much forward to another hopefully good read and another great time of discussion with some great people!

Make statements with your actions and your voice.

In the modern era I think the term feminist is played out and old school. However, I feel there is still a need for strong independent women who can beat men at their own game; enter Tina Fey.

Tina Fey is one of the most talented funny people of all time, man or woman. She made a true name for herself as a key player and writer on SNL but even before that at Second City Improv and in college she was honing and defining her comedic chops. Most people know her now for her perfect impersonation of Sarah Palin during the '08 election, her frequent movie roles, and most currently writing and staring in one of the best comedies to ever be produced "30 Rock".

The thing I love about Tina Fey is she has not succumbed to the pressures and stereotypes of Hollywood. She has done smart comedy, kept her integrity intact and proven that women can have control and steer the ship. She admittedly states she is not the thinnest, most beautiful actress out there but her work will last for a long time where the other million pretty faces will fade, wrinkle and be forgotten.

This biography is just as witty as you would expect with the typical embarrassing stories of adolescence and love gone wrong but it also has an underlining constant theme of power. Tina exudes confidence in that fact that she has every right to be where she is and knows that she deserves her spot among the big players in the entertainment industry.

Tina Fey, along with making us laugh, proves to girls that they can be the smart ones and succeed while still being feminine. We need more example like her in this world.



If you're still undecided (not sure why but okay) here are just a few excerpts to get you started;

“If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty, which is: who cares?” 

“(My proudest moment as a child was the time I beat my uncle Pierre at Scrabble with the seven-letter word FARTING.)” 

“MAKE STATEMENTS also applies to us women: Speak in statements instead of apologetic questions. No one wants to go to a doctor who says, “I’m going to be your surgeon? I’m here to talk to you about your procedure? I was first in my class at Johns Hopkins, so?” Make statements, with your actions and your voice.” 

Disfunction Junction

At some point in my day at my new job I sit right across from all the new release books. Sounds great doesn't it? Oh it is, but I check them out too fast to keep up with them. Anyway, I heard about this one through the media several times and as usual I ignored it. I didn't warm to the idea of it truthfully until I saw a review for it from an author I hugely respect, Jonathan Franzen ( The Corrections, Freedom). Within a couple of days of reading Franzen's review, I saw it on the shelf and decided to go with it. I'm glad I did.

Where'd you go Bernadette tells a humorous, transparent, swiftly paced tale of Bernadette Fox, a once thriving, promising and talented professional who let her life and passion slip slowly though her fingers.  She is the wife of a genius Microsoft engineer with a genius spark of her own who is raising a genius of a daughter. The readers find her struggling to cope with basic life skills and tasks while at the same time being a enjoyable character. We get to learn about Bernadette through her peers, husbands, daughters and own eyes while never quite knowing whose side you're on or how you feel about her. At some stages you wholly empathize with a woman who could have had it all and was a victim, then there are points where she is a self pitying, misery loves company recluse, and then even later on we see her being a super hero mother who fully and truly understands her daughter and the ways of the world.
But not once along the way did I find myself disliking her. She is all at once charming, funny, brave, selfish, cynical, uneven and lovable.

The humor in the writing carry this story through out. No lulls, no endless chapters, no looking ahead to see how far you have to go. A cast of supporting characters makes for the most fun moments while working to string the main narrative into a nice tight weave.

If it were summer I'd say a great beach read but it's not. Although I do live in Florida so it is beach weather in the middle of January. Grab a copy and this book and you will be entertained and if you want to dig deeper can look into the psychology of this brilliantly erratic woman. Start reading and you will find out just in fact where Bernadette went.

We meet again old friend.

Ah the joys of being utterly consumed and over run with life. Sometimes it becomes such a matter of going through the motions that we actually forget we are living and are the captains of our ships.

I digress. I am dusting off the ole keyboard and committing to the blog that I have sorely missed. I have a new perspective and new stories to tell so if you're still interested in the journey, I am here to tell a tale.

First off, I have gotten a new job. Drum roll please......I am now a librarian! Who would have thought right? Well, it seems my life long passion has turned into a money making ventures of sorts for me and I am employed full time in a public library. That was piece of news number one. Number two is that within 5 weeks of being there I got transferred into the children's department. I will now be coordinating and performing story times and children's activities. I am really excited about this new challenge and venture considering my fire for reading happened at such a young age and I have very fond and vivid memories of the books I grew up with years ago. I love seeing children come in the library and start running to the back corner with excitement. The older librarians frown upon such wild and vivid expressions of joy but I just wink at the kids and tell them to run faster. A good book should never have to wait!

I will never forget the days of reading with my mom when I was little; Amelia Bedelia, Frog and Toad, Dr. Seuss, Arthur. Often I find myself at the desk and coming across books that make me stop in my tracks because it brings back a specific moment of my childhood. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring back some classics and to discover some new ones.

I will be writing about the books I am reading as well. I have finished some really great ones recently so look back soon for those reviews. I also am mentally if not yet physically committed to writing my own original work. I will not go so far as to call it a book because as of yet it is only multiple ideas swirling around in my mind and who knows what it will turn into.

If you're coming back to the blog, thanks for sticking with me and if you are new, welcome aboard to my life as a lover, sniffer, writer, fan, slave and reviewer of books.