SONGS OF WILLOW FROST * IS IT JUST ME? OR IS IT NUTS OUT THERE?

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford - Seattle in the 1920s and 30s.  An orphan, Chinatown, performers, a love story, and the easiest of narratives....one where the characters sometimes frustrate in their inability to just say what they're thinking and what needs to be said in order to save themselves.  And yet, it's real. Often, we can't or don't say what needs to be said in the crucial moment.  And often, that's where the story happens.  Especially in this wonderfully engrossing tale of William Eng and Willow Frost.  This is the one to read next.  I loved this book, couldn't put it down and enthusiastically recommend it to readers of all ages.  It's either for your generation, or it's a look back into your parents' or grandparents' generation, or it's a book about being young and the choices that are always coming your way, no matter the year or the times.   Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There? by Whoopi Goldberg - This is basically Whoopi's live and let live etiquette book for the masses. The more people who read it and practice it, the better and nicer the world would be.  Whoopi can be funny, but more than that, she's thoughtful in a down to earth no nonsense way. Thanks, Whoopi! (I wonder how she would feel about my exclamation point?) 

THE REASON I JUMP

The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida - Naoki was a 13 year old boy with autism when he answered the questions that make up the bulk of this book.  It's not so much narrative as it is a guide to what is going on inside the head of someone who has great difficulty communicating with people.  What we learn is that just because someone doesn't communicate easily, doesn't mean that they are not richly intelligent, thoughtful and deeply emotional human beings.  Naoki describes his thought process clearly, and when something in his life is good and positive, he explains why he acts as he does.  At the same time he describes the difficult times and what is happening in his brain when to the outside world he appears miserable.  The biggest lesson for me is one which I learned long ago - the less one tries to control others, the better for all concerned.  There is something simple and beautiful about this book which becomes a powerful look at how one person experiences life. 

4000 MILES * ST. LUCY'S HOME FOR GIRLS RAISED BY WOLVES

Dealing with my desk last week, I came upon the flyer for this play written by Amy Herzog at the Northlight Theatre, and it was only going to be playing for one more week.  A quick call to the box office revealed that there was a good selection of rush seating available that very night.  So I picked up my ticket on the way to dinner with Steve's family, and went to the play on the way home. So glad I did.  

4000 Miles - The impatience of the young versus the wisdom of the old.  The play is about a 20 something guy who biked across the country with some heavy emotional baggage, and landed at his grandmother's New York City apartment.  She takes him in, and as the days go by (he was only going to be there for one night), they get used to each other.  Their relationship is strengthened, and the story develops these characters to the last minute of the play.  What I loved was how the characters were typical for their ages, and how easy it was to relate to both people. To say more would be to give away the beauty of the story, words and performances.  If you get the chance, see this one.  

St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves by Karen Russell - This compilation of short stories requires a stretch of the imagination.  My favorite story was the title story, and I've continued to think about it days later.  It's got a crazy dark charm that makes you wonder.....are there girls raised by wolves?  And will someone please bring this one to life in a movie that makes it seem as believable as the author writes it? 

APE HOUSE

Ape House by Sara Gruen -  This is an interesting modern day story about Bonobo Apes and the people who research them.  Which sounds very boring, but which in fact is so good that one flies through the book.  The apes have been taught sign language, and communicate with each other and humans by signing.  They are smart and the story is smart with characters who care, and a background about these incredibility intelligent animals.

AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED * ENOUGH SAID

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini - I got wonderfully lost in Khaled Hosseini's third novel. The story is gripping, the characters come to life, and the words flow.  This novel has no perfect center - each chapter comes together around a character, and often the same event is described by a different character with a different view or motivation.  The title is majestic, but the characters are regular people living their lives in different circumstances for different reasons.  There are secrets and mysteries and years go by before they are unveiled.  If you enjoyed The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, you will likely enjoy And The Mountains Echoed.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom visited us for the first time in five years, and she couldn't believe what she encountered in terms of the messy and less than spotless house in which we reside.  Somehow she got me started with the purging that needs to happen in order to get back my rooms, and I've been inspired since.  This past weekend, I participated in three garage sales (at other peoples' homes) and unloaded a ton of schtuff.  It felt so good to have it gone that I treated myself to a movie yesterday!:

Enough Said - I'm halfway sold when the movie takes place in southern California as this one did.  Then add these great actors and make it a small love story revolving around the crazy dilemma in which the main character finds herself, and you've got the perfect treat movie.  Light and somehow happy even when it's sad.  Enough Said.