Cats, the booklover's companion

I just received two books in the mail today from QPB: The Book Thief and The Book of Lost Things. I am eager to start both, particularly The Book of Lost Things. I couldn't resist flipping through it and simply based the two epigraphs, this is a book after my heart:

▪ Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life. -Friedrich Schiller

▪ Everything you can imagine is real. - Pablo Picasso

Today I have cats on my mind. There seems to be something about booklovers’ personalities that draw them to cats. A generalization, I know, but it does seem to ring true more often than not. I have seen references to cats on several book blogs, most recently at Danielle’s A Work in Progress. In her tribute to the glorious lethargy of cats she remarks: “I think cats have the right idea sometimes--find the sunniest, most comfortable place in the house and just take a nap.” I most heartily agree. I envy my Emmy sometimes, basking in the sun before the glass doors or atop my desk, sprawled out across my papers where she has a view of the hummingbird feeder through the window. Occasionally, for a special treat, I’ll swivel my desk lamp towards her—she enjoys the warmth of her own personal heat lamp. Now, that’s not a bad life in my opinion. I’m thinking of my good friend Megan today, who recently lost her cat Loba to cancer. Hang in there Megan!

I’ve always liked T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939). Of course, the original poems are decidedly more enjoyable than Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical adaptation. This excerpt reminds me of our gray tabby:

The Old Gumbie Cat

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots.
All day she sits upon the stair or on the steps or on the mat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits - and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

But when the day's hustle and bustle is done,
Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
And when all the family's in bed and asleep,
She slips down the stairs to the basement to creep.
She is deeply concerned with the ways of the mice -
Their behaviour's not good and their manners not nice;
So when she has got them lined up on the matting,
She teaches them music, crocheting and tatting.

I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her equal would be hard to find, she likes the warm and sunny spots.
All day she sits beside the hearth or in the sun or on my hat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits - and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!

A Good Book and a Pot of Tea

Today being June 1st, I am beginning my two reading challenges: Southern Reading Challenge & Summer Reading Challenge Round 2. For SRC2, I am challenging myself to read half of the books in the list at left. That will make 10 total for me this summer, including my three for the southern challenge. I can do this!

What better way is there to kick off my summer reading properly than to treat myself to some new books and teas? There are few more delicious combinations.

The FedEx man made my day yesterday when he brought me a small brown package from Adagio Teas. I recently discovered this company and so far, I am impressed. The selection is great; prices aren’t bad and delivery is fast. This time, I ordered the rooibos vanilla and the apricot green tea—I’m drinking a pot of this one right now and it’s quite yummy; the apricot is very delicate. Would be arguably more pleasant paired with a good novel rather than required dissertation research, but will look forward to that treat this weekend as I hope to find the time to finish my current read, Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand. Made a trip to our local bookshop last night and picked up my next two picks: Mansfield Park and The Jane Austen Book Club. These will be immediately followed by one of my southern picks, of course.

A Spot of Bother

My most recent read was A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. I was able to get it as an advanced paperback from QPB. I started it last Thursday evening, was eager for more on Friday, but had to restrain myself as we had guests for dinner and it wasn’t very socially appropriate for me to ditch them in favor of a book. I finished the entire thing in one sitting on Saturday. With my husband away for the day, that left me and our cat to indulge in some much-needed R&R. In my opinion, there are few things better than snuggling up on the couch with my cat, a cup of tea and a good book.

Mark Haddon’s quirky, flawed characters (they remind me of those in Nick Hornby’s novels) have a way of grasping and holding my attention. I can’t wait to find out what problems will happen next and how they will react and respond. A Spot of Bother is about family, relationships and communication, or rather the lack thereof.

Everyone should be able to identify with at least one of the characters and if not, you are way too perfect, which I find highly suspicious. These characters are all so human, imperfect and funny without even meaning to be. They have misconceptions of one another, things are left unsaid or unnoticed and arguments happen as a result of this. The family patriarch, George, prides himself on ignoring unpleasantness:

Talking was, in George’s opinion, overrated. You could not turn the television on these days without seeing someone discussing their adoption or explaining why they had stabbed their husband. Not that he was averse to talking. Talking was one of life’s pleasures. […] But it did not change anything.
The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely. How anyone could work in the same office for ten years on or bring up children without putting certain thoughts permanently to the back of their mind was beyond him. (4)

George’s problems begin once he retires and realizes that this may not be the ideal way of living life. But he’s not the only one in the family with issues; his entire family is struggling to find happiness. His son, Jamie, is in a similar situation:

Jamie could see now, with absolute clarity, what he’d done.
He’d bided his time. He’d got away. He’d built a little world in which he felt safe. And it was orbiting far out, unconnected to anyone. It was cold and it was dark and he had no idea how to make it swing back toward the sun. (230)

This may not sound too uplifting, but Mark Haddon makes family dysfunction fun and mental breakdown both poignant and comical. I highly recommend! Mark Haddon’s first novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is equally enjoyable and original.

Thoughts on blogging

So, I have now been blogging for two days. I am enjoying working on it, but it is turning out so far to be an ideal procrastination tool. However, I justify this time spent by my firm belief (as of right now, at least) that this creative outlet will only help me to be more productive in my dissertation research and writing. I’m trying to finish that daunting project up this summer (let’s call it what it is: drudgery!) before teaching begins again and “free” time disappears forever. The thought process of writing & conceiving anything at all and then typing & expressing those thoughts is half the battle, isn’t it? Who knows, blogging may be the key to overcoming my writer’s block! This cartoon pretty much sums up the recent progress:
People who know about these things such as Robert Boice (Professors as Writers) and Peter Elbow (Writing without Teachers; Writing with Power) suggest daily free-writing in order to keep oneself actively writing.

There also is this book:

Another plus of blogging: writing is a very solitary activity, so blogging could be a great way for me to connect with other people. Without even getting up from my desk in my study. I can envision my husband shaking his head now. You see, the thesis has been looming over us for a while and has become a giant roadblock to the fun things in life—moving/building a house, traveling, etc.

Note to my hubby: Don’t be too hard on me! Everyone needs a little diversion. I will finish it. C’est promis!

Welcome; Southern Reading Challenge

Welcome to my blog! Not too long ago I discovered the world of blogs and began to realize that there are other people like me out there: people who read! Rather than lurking around and silently enjoying your bookish discussions, I figured it’s time for me to partake in the blogosphere and see if I can (at least occasionally) contribute something enjoyable and worthwhile.

I love words. I love language. I love books. That’s probably why I ended up studying and now, teaching French literature—I get to play around with all of these things that I love. As a result of my years of studying French, however, I have neglected my own cultural roots of south Georgia (though everyone from there emphatically calls it Middle Georgia—it is above the “gnat line,” after all). Since my knowledge of southern literature is nearly nonexistent, I’m joining the Southern Reading Challenge this summer. For the challenge, I must read (and hopefully, enjoy) three books by southern writers. I chose the following for rather personal reasons:

1. A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor. This Savannah-born writer spent the majority of her life in my hometown of Milledgeville, GA. She is the small town’s claim to fame and they don’t let you forget that! It’s high time I read her.
2. The Heart of a Woman, Maya Angelou. I recently heard Maya Angelou speak and found it incredibly moving. Her voice is so compelling that she could read a grocery list and I would be on the edge of my seat. I hope to find some inspiration here as she reflects on her writing in this book.
3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain. My mother is a huge Mark Twain fan (to the point of repeatedly watching her dvd of Hal Holbrooke’s one-man show). Since I was determined to choose my books for myself when I was younger, I tended to ignore my mother’s suggestions. It is downright disgraceful that my knowledge of Twain is limited to the brief excerpts we read in high school.

Think I’ll go out tonight and buy one of these three!