after you

"After You" by Julie Buxbaum is about a woman caring for her best friend's child after her friend is murdered. The novel is elevated by some surprise plot twists and solid writing, but it didn't touch me very deeply. If all these things really happened to you within months - murder of best friend, separation from husband, miscarriage, unexpected pregnancy - you would be FREAKING OUT! Not just reading "The Secret Garden" and playing with British words like "brolly."

"If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" by Heather Lende was a book that made me weep and embrace life in its glory and pain. It's a collection of essays by a woman who lives in a tiny town of Haines, Alaska and writes the obituaries for the local paper. I was worried it would be really corny and full of "zany" small town busybodies. Instead, I loved reading about her lifestyle - the Native people, smoking salmon, goat hunting, building a cabin, adopting a Bulgarian girl, the tragic sinking of a fishing boat. Because she writes about death in a dangerous place, she has a heightened awareness for the beauty and brevity of life. After every funeral, she wishes she had one more chance to smile, say "thank you" and strike up a chat with the deceased. Great reminder.

I read big parts of this book to my husband as we drove back from Christmas. He enjoyed it as well. The last chapter made me weep as I read about putting down her dog. She wrote that she had become accustomed to death as the normal cycle of life after going to so many funerals. But then she has to watch her beloved dog die and she can't stand it. This is not natural, not normal, it goes against all our love and desire.

Anyway, it was wonderfully affecting and gives me open eyes to the beauty of this day - which will never come again.

And speaking of books that move you - I read "A Christmas Carol" and promptly donated $100 to the food bank.

Rented "The Jane Austen Book Club" movie - it was really fun. Can't argue with insights about Austen books mixed with Hugh Dancy's good looks.

Last night I watched "Julie and Julia" which was a bit long. Also, I wanted to see the part where Julia Child becomes a TV star. And I was unclear as to why she was so influential? But Meryl Streep is fabulous, just blossoming with joie de vivre. The Julie part was the sour counterpoint to the sweet - she seems shallow and mercenary. I read her book a while ago and threw it out of my house immediately - the food was fatty and revolting, and the writer was obsessed with herself. I know her sequel is about her cheating on her spouse - just tacky all around.