at home

I have been whipping though lots of great books... Let's get going.

Today I devoured Bill Bryson's "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" and found it fantastically entertaining and informative and wondrous. He takes his own house, a Victorian building used by the church's pastor as a point of reference and then takes off into the history of architecture (Palladio), construction materials (brick, stone, wood), city planning and the cholera epidemic, life of servants and slaves, hygiene, etc. It's great for people who love to learn because he covers so many different areas in such a humorous and provoking way. I love his writing, I have read nearly all his books, and this was a perfect choice as a new homeowner.

"Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights" by Sophia Dahl is a cookbook by a model. I came across this in Vogue and actually enjoyed the book quite a lot. It's well-designed with lovely pictures and line drawings and arranged by meals and seasons (Winter breakfast, winter lunch, etc). Many of the recipes look tasty - they are healthy, English, and wholesome. Baked eggs, parsnip soup, baked apples...

"Fly Away Home" by Jennifer Weiner is my new favorite book of hers. It's about a senator's wife who deals with the aftermath of a scandalous affair and her two daughters - a rigid doctor who is having an affair herself and a recovering addict with low self-esteem. They all go through various upheavals and then retreat to a family cottage by the sea. Is that the perfect set up or what? Female bonding by the crashing waves - the blankets pulled up to the neck as secrets are revealed on the porch by the salty sea air - it's the quintessential Lifetime movie.

Weiner relies on certain tropes - the loudmouth best friend, the unplanned pregnancy which ends up being the best thing ever, the use of conditional tense to describe time passing ex: "She'd get out of bed... She'd throw on a long-sleeved shirt..." She also uses indulging in food as a symbol of personal pride. I was waiting for sad-sack Gary to be redeemed - but no, he really was a one-dimensional loser character. Anyway, these are minor issues as on the whole I enjoyed all three main characters and felt the ending was believable.

I read "A Life's Work" by Rachel Cusk - a memoir about her initial response to mothering an infant. I had two reactions - moments of gratitude for describing something perfectly - and annoyance that she was just complaining needlessly. There are many difficult, painful, lonely and depressing parts of having a baby. I know this is true and I know it's important to let other mothers know they are not alone in feeling less than elated 24/7.

But at the same time ... these are the facts. Babies cry all the time, they are needy beyond anything you imagined, they devour your freedom and sense of identity, they change your body, cause you pain, ruin your sleep for years, and demand more. But this is just the way it is. No one in the sky is going to revamp babies and design next year's model to cry less. So what do we do? We focus on the good things (Cusk said, "What good things?" when a friend gave her this advice) and toughen up. Think of women throughout history who were pregnant nonstop - and didn't have disposable diapers. Think of women who yearn to have a baby and can't. Think of women struggling to find food for her babies. In a few months, the baby will learn to sleep and you'll feel better.

I also read "Tide, Feather, Snow" by Miranda Weiss about her experience moving to Alaska and living in Homer. She writes beautifully about nature and all the unique activities of the state, like dipnetting for salmon in a river and kayaking and cross country skiing.