THE SECRET BOOK OF FRIDA KAHLO

The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo A Novel by F. G. Haghenbeck Translated by Achy Obejas - Frida Kahlo was passionate and magical and colorful and mysterious. This book explores her life as a relationship with death, food and art.  Each chapter is quite self-contained, and at the end of each chapter are recipes from Frida's Hierba Santa Book.  This is a nice way to learn about Frida. Since Frida was so much about what you see, it might enhance your experience of reading the book to google-image Frida's self portraits as well as her day of the dead offerings.  The more I read, the more I liked. 

WALKING IN CIRCLES BEFORE LYING DOWN

Walking In Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe - I needed a fun book after those last two, and this filled the bill.  It's an LA story about a woman trying to get her act together.  One of the main characters is her dog, Chuck. He's a fun guy who helps the woman, Dawn, figure things out. Now that I've read all the books by Merrill Markoe, I hope she'll write some new ones.  Each one has been my favorite while reading it, so you can't go wrong if you want to know what's been going on in your dog's head, and if you want some light reading to make you laugh. 

BLUE JASMINE

Blue Jasmine - Blue Jasmine was so good that I don't know what to write about it.  I saw it with my friend Helmut, and he loved it too, and thought that Cate Blanchette would be nominated for an Oscar for her performance as the quintessential pampered New York socialite visiting her sister in San Francisco. However, I can just hear people saying they thought the character was too into herself (aren't we all?  and aren't the shows we watch the same?), and blah blah blah.  For me, though, it's a perfect movie, from the beginning when you have no idea what is to come, to the middle, where you think you know what is going on, to the end. Woody Allen will often give you the place as a minor character who makes a difference, and San Francisco plays its part well.  If you watch it, I hope you will enjoy it. 

25 BEFORE 25 * GREEN CANE AND JUICY FLOTSAM

25 Before 25 by Whitney Thompson - I don't usually read self help books, but this one is just a little slip of a thing, and besides, it's geared to under 25 year olds!  However, it's packed with common sense concepts that might resonate with women of any age.  Whitney has a great voice, she's not bossy or preachy, and doesn't presume to know more than anyone else as she talks about the difficult experiences that led her to write the book. This isn't a list of things to do before you turn 25;  it's a look at life lessons. The cover is delightful, and between the pages is practical inspiration for navigating the tough times and realizing that you're not the only one. 



Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam Short Stories by Caribbean Women Edited by Carmen C. Esteves and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert - Another intriguing title for a book of stories about life in the different islands.  The reading isn't easy, in part due to the physical style of the book.  The font is nice and dark, but the letters and lines are close spaced, and it's as if there are few or no paragraph breaks.  So with the eyes, it was hard reading, and that took away from some of the amazing stories.  The title and cover are about the place... the heat, the vegetation, the water. The stories are personal and engaging. I'm glad I read it.