Read: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been to India a few times for work, and however much the government and luxury airport hotels try to hide them, the slums by the Mumbai airport are impossible to ignore. I've driven by them in a hired hotel car, and seen others like them in my (limited) travels around India. So, although this wonderful book reads like fiction, I knew it to be true, and devastating. What I found remarkable about Katherine Boo's account and experience is how deeply she got to know these people living in Annawadi, and how layered her research was - gathering all of the government and hospital documents to support her story, for example, could not have been easy.

Another particularly interesting aspect is how open the subjects were about corruption, even their own. A few years ago, I read Maximum City, Suketu Mehta, which struck me similarly - how could the criminal underworld characters allow the author to get so close? What I understand now, and Katherine Boo mentions this in her book, is that corruption and thievery is just a part of daily life; that's just how it is, and because everyone sees everyone else doing it, it is accepted.

I think it deserves the Pulitzer and recommend it, if only to bring awareness to the systematic corruption in modern India. Donating money and trying to intervene will not help, as Boo makes clear in her depiction of how non-profits, mostly for children and education, are exploited by corrupt officials.

A heart-breaking read, but an excellent one.

View all my reviews

Read: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloane

Most weekends, I read The New York Times Sunday Book Review, and anything that sounds interesting I'll put on my Amazon wish list, so I remember them when I'm looking for something new to read.  This novel was reviewed in December, and so it was on my radar when a friend mentioned he had read it and hadn't liked it much.  For whatever reason, that compelled me to want to read this novel he thought was so mediocre.  In the end, I mostly agree with him, but did find a lot to enjoy here.

What I liked about the review of this book in the Times is summarized in this quote: “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan, dexterously tackles the intersection between old technologies and new with a novel that is part love letter to books, part technological meditation, part thrilling adventure, part requiem."  It is a good concept, and the novel does have a good plot, but it fell apart for me at the end.  The answer to one of the story's largest mystery was disappointing, and I thought the whole thing had one too many convenient solutions to problems.  

If there is anything I have learned as a legal professional working in research, it's that it is almost never wise to rely entirely on Google.  Sometimes you have to actually talk to someone, or look up something in a book, or otherwise consult a primary resource.  This novel doesn't forget this; one of the most interesting scenes is when Kat gets heavy-lifting Google technology resources together to crack a code and it doesn't work.  I liked the balance between new technology and dusty old books, and the story is charmingly written.  I would recommend it for those patient with the fantasy genre, who are interested in the place of print media in this age of the Internet.  It's a fun read, if not the most satisfying.

Read: Cell

by Stephen King

Before my vacation over Memorial Day week, I hadn't read a Stephen King novel since...I don't know...high school?  I think I read Needful Things, and I know I read Dolores Claiborne because I remember comparing it to the movie.  Dolores Claiborne was published in 1993, which was, WHOA 20 years ago.  I've been reading for a long time.

Anyway, I like post-apocalyptic novels, and the premise for this one sounded great - everyone using his or her cell phone at a certain moment turns into a ZOMBIE.  Love it, particularly as people get more and more addicted to their phones and it becomes more and more of a public nuisance.

(Related: please see this informative article from a few weeks ago regarding sidewalk etiquette.  If one more person stops short in front of me on the subway stairs to text or use her phone, I'm going to LOSE. IT.)

The problem is, this novel does not follow through.  Not even a little bit.  The beginning is exciting, but then it completely breaks down.  We never find out who sent the pulse to turn everyone into zombies, or the scope of it, and the big climax at the end does nothing to resolve any problems at all without answering those questions.  This book is just not very good.

The thing is, before I read it, I also requested Stephen King's 11/22/63 from the library, and I have it now.  I think I will tackle it when I finish a couple of other books, but it is a tome at 880 pages, so we'll have to see how it goes.  I am managing my expectations.

Charleston-area eats and drinks

My family, including me and my husband, my parents, my two brothers and their wives, and my cute baby niece and nephew, recently spent a week in a beach house on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, which is very near Charleston.  Charleston is one of my very favorite cities; in fact, I love it so much that I have been hassling John to look for finance jobs so we can move down there, but so far nothing has come of that particular fantasy.

We were in the area on vacation a few years ago (see my 2011 post here) and enjoyed some great food, and this time was even better.  I can't wait to go back again.

Here are some notes on restaurants and bars we visited:

The Boathouse at Breach Inlet, Isle of Palms, SC.  This place is a little pricey for dinner, but we loved having Dark & Stormies on the upstairs deck during sunset, and their brunch/lunch is pretty good.  It was within walking distance of our rental house, and was convenient for a meal out.  I had a decent fried oyster po'boy, and for dinner one night I tried the fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and the shrimp and grits, both of which were fine.

Dark & Stormies on the patio at The Boathouse at Breach Inlet.

Acme Lowcountry Kitchen, Isle of Palms, SC.  We popped in here for lunch on Memorial Day only because they had space in their parking lot.  Everywhere else was packed!  But, I liked the food, and our server was really friendly.  She even let me taste a weird local beer I had ordered, because she suspected I might not like it (she was right).  I can wholeheartedly recommend the fried jalepenos and pickles - those are awesome.

The Griffon Pub, Charleston, SC.  We just stopped in this pub for a beer and a snack before a late dinner at Husk, and it was fine.  We tried a few tasty local beers and, in accordance with tradition, left a dollar bill stapled to the wall.  Decent wings.

Another customary vacation picture of John holding a beer.  I have a huge collection of photos JUST like this (see above). 

The Bar at HUSK, Charleston, SC.  I LOVE this bar.  It is a great stop even if you don't have reservations to dine next door.  I had an absinthe drink called "The Copperhead," and it was perfectly lemony and refreshing.  No, I didn't hallucinate, at least not that I know of.

HUSK, Charleston, SC.  This restaurant is fantastic.  They focus on local, seasonal ingredients, and everything was lovely.  We had a party of six, and we had a great time.  We ordered pretty much everything, but I particularly liked the "Kentuckyaki Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps with Pickled Red Cabbage" and the "Southern Fried Chicken Skins with Toasted Honey and HUSK Hot Sauce."  The roasted oysters, pimento cheese, and cornbread were also stand-outs.  My fish entree was just OK, though.

John's enormous steak at Husk.

Poe's Tavern, Sullivan's Island, SC.  I wish I had some pictures of this place, because it is great, exactly my kind of place.  John, K. and I went out to satisfy John's craving for a burger lunch one day, and we found this place just over the bridge on Sullivan's Island.  Evidently Edgar Allen Poe spent some time on Sullivan's Island back in his time, so there are some Poe-themed places around.  We sat outside on a gorgeous afternoon, and the burgers here are the real deal.

High Cotton, Charleston, SC.  Before this vacation, my dad charged me with making dinner plans for ten of us, without the kids.  In addition to my family, we had my childhood friend and her husband with us, who live in the area.  Strangely, most of the places I called in Charleston weren't able to accommodate a party larger than eight - I guess it is due to the small spaces in charming old buildings.  But, thankfully, High Cotton was able to take us!  We had a fantastic time here, and the service and food were both great.  We started with some charcuterie platters (excellent) and fried oystsers, and then I ordered a salad and a soup from the specials menu for dinner, because I wasn't starving and planned to hit the charcuterie platter pretty hard.  I really liked this place and would definitely recommend it for large groups.

Glazed Gourmet Doughnut, Charleston, SC.  Weeks ago, I read an article on Eater about the "23 Hottest Doughnut Shops in America Right Now," and sent a tweet to my sister-in-law telling her we should try this doughnut place, if only for research purposes to compare it against Gourdough's in Austin (still my favorite).  Then, we never really planned it because we honestly weren't in Charleston all that much, and I had half-way forgotten about it.  But!  One day John, K., L., and I took an afternoon to go into Charleston mainly to check out some bars and eat some oysters, and we happened upon the doughnut shop on King Street!  Lucky.  It was in the afternoon, so they were about to close and the selection was limited, but we were able to try the bacon/maple and the plain glazed, both really good.  I love a doughnut.

Closed for Business, Charleston, SC.  After we ate the doughnuts but before The Ordinary opened at 3PM, we walked around King Street and checked out a few bars.  This place has quirky signs and taxidermied animals around, together with local brews, so obviously we loved it.  We also tried their pimento cheese snack, which was one of the best of the week (we ate a LOT of pimento cheese).

At Closed for Business.

Mercury Bar, Charleston, SC.  This place seemed like the kind of place that would get clubby and packed on a weekend night, but during the afternoon on a weekday, it was totally empty.  We sat on the sunny back patio, had a beer, and played one round of Bags (or Cornhole).  Fun!  John is a ringer.  I'm terrible.

The Ordinary, Charleston, SC.  And now we come to the entire reason I decided to write this blog post - an absolute RAVE about The Ordinary oyster bar.  K. wanted oysters all week, so we planned this entire day out just to fulfill that fantasy, and oh, was it incredible!!  We ordered a giant shellfish tower, some extra oysters, and some extra peekytoe crab salad.  Delicious.  Plus, the space is gorgeous and our server was lovely.  Next time I am in Charleston, I will definitely be going back here.

L. and K. meet the tower of shellfish at The Ordinary. 

Home Team BBQ, Sullivan's Island, SC.  Did you think the Charleston-area brew and food tour adventure day was over?  Silly.  On the way back to Isle of Palms from The Ordinary, L. insisted that we make a final stop at this barbecue joint on Sullivan's Island; that guy LOVES his barbecue.  Home Team serves great Carolina-style pulled pork, but the ribs and brisket were just OK.  Still good, because all barbecue is generally pretty good, but the pulled pork was the star.  I also really enjoyed the BBQ chips with queso (with sausage added in).  Yum.

R.B.'s Seafood, Mt. Pleasant, SC.  On Friday after everyone else had begun their travels home, my parents, John and I went out for a little sightseeing.  We took a boat tour to Ft. Sumter, looked around in old Mt. Pleasant for a while, and then had to find a place for dinner without a plan.  This place is on Shem Creek, and we only went here because the place next door had a long wait and we had no idea where else to go.  It was fine, not great.  I think I am still a little mad at it (and our server) for seating the four of us at an awkward rocky table, and then asking us to stick a menu under the table leg (!?) when the wobbling wouldn't stop.  I should have been more insistent that they move us to a better table, because that was annoying.  Good crab dip, though.

Charleston's famous Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.

Fort Sumter 

Our guide at Fort Sumter was VERY CLEAR that we were not allowed to touch anything, including the cannons.  Here I am following the rules.  It was hard.

John loves war stuff.

Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC.  If there's one thing I've learned about food and travel in this life, it is that Anthony Bourdain won't steer you wrong.  A bunch of reviews on TripAdvisor said Hominy Grill was overhyped, but the Yelpers recommended it, so we decided to check it out.  This was the last day of our vacation, and my parents took off for their long drive back home to Illinois, and we had almost all day to linger in Charleston before our evening flight.  We arrived at Hominy Grill at prime brunch time, like 11AM, and saw a large crowd waiting.  We put our name in, facing a half-hour wait (not bad), but the hostess called us immediately, before we could even get a drink!  Hooray!  I had an egg and cornbread dish from the specials menu, and John had the requisite "Big Nasty," which is a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken and gravy.  We shared sides of grits and sausage.  My food was good, and the grits were GREAT.  John's sandwich was also worth the calories.  The sausage wasn't so great, but whatever.  Excellent coffee, and we shared a perfect slice of pecan pie at the end.

Blind Tiger Pub, Charleston, SC.  After Hominy Grill, John and I checked out the Calhoun Mansion and the Nathanial Russell historic house museums, walked around south of Broad contemplating buying one of the huge mansions and restoring it (maybe someday!), and then stopped in at the Blind Tiger for a drink and a snack before going to the airport.   I had a pimento grilled cheese sandwich that was pretty good, but the real star of this plate was the potato salad.  I don't know what they put in that stuff, but it was fabulous.

Pimento grilled cheese sandwich at Blind Tiger Pub.

And so, after all that, John and I headed home to New York.  I was sad to see the week end and for my family to leave to go back to the scattered places we all call home; but we had a great time while it lasted!

Springfield, IL specialty dish: the "Horseshoe"

I haven't done a proper food post in a while, but this experience was just too special not to share!

Last weekend my husband and I flew out to Illinois for a whirlwind weekend celebrating my youngest brother's medical school graduation and recent marriage.  We had a mini-adventure getting to Springfield, Illinois on Friday night, involving a dead sprint through the Chicago O'Hare airport, but we made our connection, our luggage (miraculously) also made it, and all was well.  Upon arrival, my family (minus my mom and C., who came up on Saturday) decided we needed a snack, and that this snack MUST be a "horseshoe," which is a Springfield specialty.  See here for the Wikipedia page, confirming its status as "a local Illinois delicacy."  A horseshoe consists of a piece of Texas toast, covered in meat, covered in fries, smothered in cheese sauce.  It is a Midwesterner's dream.

Now, you can get a horseshoe at any number of Springfield establishments, but we wanted to go to D'Arcy's Pint.  The kitchen was going to close at 11PM, so we raced there from the airport, making it in the nick of time.

I ordered a "pony shoe," which is a half portion, with buffalo chicken and bleu cheese on the side.  It was incredible.  Considering that now both of my brothers have graduated from the S.I.U. School of Medicine, we all probably won't be going back to Springfield, I'm glad we had the chance to eat a horseshoe.

Behold:

The next morning, I ran 6 miles with my dad (necessary after the horseshoe calorie bomb), then we all went to the graduation.  Here is a picture of John and me in our graduation finest:

After that, we drove down to my parents' house in Harrisburg for the big wedding reception, where it was great to see lots of friends and family.  We danced and had a great time, and then Sunday afternoon we flew home to New York.  A quick trip, but absolutely fantastic.  Now I just have to get through a few more work days before we take off for a week-long vacation in South Carolina!  

Read: The Light Between Oceans

by M.L. Stedman

I did NOT LIKE THIS NOVEL.

Quick summary: couple living on a remote lighthouse island cannot have children, live baby with dead father wash up in a boat, lighthouse people keep the baby.  You can see what is going to happen here - the baby's real family show up, and much has to be worked out.

I am not going to say much else right now because I'm holding it in for my book club discussion, but I will say that I thought the two main characters were poorly established; their courtship and marriage did not make sense to me, and it seemed as though they hardly knew each other the entire time.  Also, the slooooooooow build-up at the beginning of the novel was not made worthwhile by any twist or interesting plot point - nothing of note ever happened.  So much about this book bugged me that I was happy when it was over.  Moving on.

Running is frustrating, but I'm still doing it

I have had a bunch of running setbacks since I ran the half-marathon in Newport, RI last fall.  I had plantar fasciitis for a huge part of last year, and it never really went away until last December/January when I took several weeks completely off from running.  I live in fear that it will come back if I start really running again, so I have been going to weekly Bikram yoga classes and see a chiropractor occasionally--my hips get out of whack, and then give me grief when I start to run a lot.  The plantar fasciitis was probably a result of that, not to mention my butt pain way back during the marathon in 2011.

After running occasionally and irregularly in January and February, in March I finally started getting in the mood to train again, and promptly took a nasty fall down the stairs in my parents' house, resulting in an enormous, painful butt bruise.  I had to take a few more weeks off.

I guess I sort of committing to training again around April 1st.  I signed up for NYRR's Mini 10K, which will be in June.  It is a race I have run a bunch of times (2012, 2011, and also 2010 but I must not have written about it) and have always enjoyed.  I thought I would be ready to run a decent race considering I had more than 8 weeks to train.  I thought I had enough base fitness to run three times a week, adding hills and tempo workouts, and that I could get to a place where I would be able to run a 10K in an hour.  My 10K personal record is 57:50, which isn't even that speedy, but I didn't think was attainable when I registered.  Now that I've been running consistently for a few weeks, I REALLY don't think it is.

At this point, even minimal goals seem too lofty.  I don't even know if I will be able to break 1:08, which is 11 minutes per mile.  All of my runs lately have felt difficult; I struggle even on the weekday three-milers.  Last Monday I went out for a 3-mile run after work, felt as though I was working really hard and killing it, and looked at my watch when it was over to see 33:10.  Saturday I went out for a planned six miles, but only made it four...and that was even after walking a lot.  I don't even know what happened.  I just couldn't go anymore, so I called it in.

In addition to the Mini 10K, I thought about registering for NYCRuns' "first foray" into Van Cortlandt Park (my home territory), an 8K in early June.  The cross-country course in Van Cortlandt is notoriously hilly, and every time I run there, including on Saturday, my confidence is destroyed.  So, I am going to see how the next few weeks go and make a game-time decision on that race.  Meanwhile, speaking of the Van Cortland cross-country course, the Van Cortland Track Club does this summer 5K series on Thursday nights, and I may try it.  I figure a weekly hilly speed workout will be good for me, and a good way to try to improve on a tough course.

I am not planning to run the ING NYC Marathon this year.  I have guaranteed entry because I did 9+1 last year, but my current plan is to register, then cancel, so I can roll over my entry into 2014.  I'll have to pay twice, but after last year's Hurricane Sandy debacle and all of the security changes there are sure to be in response to what happened in Boston, I think this year's race may be a big fat mess.  If my summer running goes well, I'll probably do the NYRR Bronx 10-Mile, and in October I may run the inaugural Shawnee Half-Marathon, which is a new race near my hometown!  I don't think a marathon is in the cards for me this year, but I may change my mind.

Starting from scratch has been tough, but all I can do is keep at it.  Tonight I'm going out for a little run: three miles, four if I don't feel like I am going to die, so we'll see how it goes.

Read: Vampires in the Lemon Grove

by Karen Russell

This collection of short stories has been well-reviewed in the Times and pretty much everywhere else, so I put it on my reading list radar despite the fact that I do not enjoy short stories.  I like longer-length works; I like getting immersed in a story over time, and I just never think short stories are very satisfying.

So, while the reviews that the stories in this collection are creepy and inventive and beautifully-crafted are true, I didn't like it.  In fact, I found myself skimming a bit through the ends of some of the stories, just to find out what happened and get the whole experience over with.

Not for me.

Read: I Know This Much Is True

by Wally Lamb

This paperback has been sitting on my bookshelf FOREVER.  I don't remember when I bought it.

I Know This Much Is True was published in 1998, so it is possible I have had it since I lived in Nashville in college.  If we go with the premise that I purchased it before 2000, that means I have packed it up and moved it, unread, seven times: Nashville to my parents' house in Harrisburg (after graduation in 2000); Harrisburg to Chicago (later in 2000); Chicago to 81st Street in NYC (2001); 81st Street to 13th Street (2002); 13th Street to 87th Street (2005); 87th Street to York Avenue (2009); and York Avenue to Riverdale (2012).

I'm not even sure why I never read it.  At over 900 pages, it is a tome, but I don't really mind a long novel as long as it is a good one.  Anyway, the other day I found myself in between reads and though, "ENOUGH! I will read that."

Several of the customer reviews on Amazon mentioned they thought the ending was too pat, but I didn't mind.  I thought it was fine, and rather expected it after all of the emotional roller-coasting I went through reading this story; parts are over-dramatic, for sure.  I mean, it is a story of twin brothers, one of whom is schizophrenic.  Two characters suffer amputations and one takes a life-threatening fall off a ladder.  Two, NO, THREE, characters have HIV scares or AIDS.  Babies die.  Children are molested and exploited.  People are raped.  No one could catch a break the entire time, so I was fine with the ending wrapping up neatly.  After all that, the characters deserved it!

Admittedly, I skimmed the "story within a story" of Dominic's grandfather, because I truly didn't care about it.  But, the main plot is good, and I would recommend it for readers who can stick with long novels.  I thought it was worthwhile.

Books I've Read: The Road

by Cormac McCarthy

I finally got down to figuring out how to check out e-books from the New York Public Library, and I put myself on several hold lists for books I want to read.  This was the first one to come through.  I have been meaning to read Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel for a while, an intention that was recently renewed after reading Fahrenheit 451.

I very much enjoyed it.  Of course, it is a stark, savage read, but I loved the simple poetry of the writing style, and the details of the setting.  Read it.

I probably won't see the movie because I already have the whole thing pictured in my mind, and I think the film might give me nightmares.

Books I've Read: Sweet Tooth

by Ian McEwan

I looked back through my blog archives to see if I had written about it when I read it, but couldn't find anything about how much I absolutely hated Atonement.  I hated that little girl for lying, hated the ending.

So, when this book was chosen for my book club, I was dubious, but in the end I kind of liked it!

Very basic plot:  The main character, Serena Frome (which evidently rhymes with "plume"? Why not "home"? weird), is recruited in the 1970's for England's MI5.  She is assigned the operation "Sweet Tooth," and ends up in love with the target guy, a writer.

For whatever reason--maybe age has mellowed me--I was amused by a little trick at the end, instead of annoyed.  And, all the things I disliked about the protagonist character were sort of twisted in hindsight, in a good way, and I decided I thought that was clever of the author.  If you have read it, or do read it in the future, you will know what I mean, but I'm not giving up anything else.

Knitted: Feather and Fan Baby Blanket for J.

I almost always have one knitting project or another going on, but in the past I haven't written about them all that much.  (There are some old posts here and here.)  I'm trying to be a little more active on Ravelry, so I'm changing that, and plan to post about my completed projects.  Lucky you.  If I every have time I may go back and post about some past projects, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Now, I taught myself to knit in 2009, and right now my skills in this area are still pretty much limited to rectangular things.  Scarves, blankets, etc.  I did knit a baby sweater, only once, and don't you know I wish I had evidence photographs somewhere because I struggled for weeks learning how to knit those tiny tubular arms using double-pointed needles.  So, I can knit round things, I just haven't had much practice.

One of the reasons I haven't had much practice is my friends keep procreating, so I am always working on a baby blanket!  It seems as though I finish one, and another dear friend announces her pregnancy, so I start all over again.  The only reason I even tried the sweater in the first place was because it was for one of my friends' second children, and she already had a blanket for the first one.

I started this one back in January, for some friends and their baby boy, due in May.  They are doing a darling preppy, nautical theme in their nursery, so I thought a blue and cream feather-and-fan pattern would fit right in.  I also considered a chevron pattern, but this seemed lighter and more open. I think he'll be able to use it in the stroller (and on their boat!) all summer.

In progress. 

Finished and folded.

J. opening it at her baby shower last weekend!

I used the "Favourite Feather and Fan Baby Blanket" pattern by Suzanne Smart.  (Here is the Ravelry link.)  I think I changed the width a bit; I can't remember, but I know I sized up on the recommended needle size.  As for the yarn, I can't remember the exact yarn I used, but I'm pretty sure it was something by Madeleine Tosh.  I probably followed the recommendation and used a DK weight, and the colors were a denim-like blue and cream/natural.  It turned out beautifully.

For my next project, I promise I will keep better records about the yarn used and changes to the pattern!  I also plan to go through my [large] stash of yarn and work on making some new things.

Books I've Read: The Interpretation of Murder

by Jed Rubenfeld

A friend of mine lent me her paperback copy of this book, telling me little other than it is a mystery novel involving Sigmund Freud set here in New York around the turn of the century.  She said she enjoyed it, and I was just off my long involvement with Wolf Hall, so I wanted a sure thing.  I read it right away.

I liked pieces of it, most notably the historical descriptions.  The author depicts the time period well, and I particularly enjoyed picturing in my head the modern locations of areas described in the novel: a luxurious apartment building on the Upper West Side based on the Ansonia, Gramercy Park, etc.  This is always my favorite part about reading stories set here.

But, I thought the mystery part was just so-so.  It was muddled by a bunch of very unnecessary story lines that did nothing to advance the plot or character development.  The worst of these was one about an undercover conspiracy to threaten Freud and stop him from lecturing at a university, which was dull, pointless, and (according to something I read later), not even based in fact.

I'm always up for a novel set in New York City, but this one didn't thrill me.

Books I've Read: Little Bee

By Chris Cleave

"He sniffed, and put on a pair of sunglasses, and waved his hand at the street. 'I mean look,' he said. 'There's eight million people here pretending the others aren't getting on their nerves. I believe it's called civilization.'"

Yep, this is how it is in New York, that's for sure.

This paperback was lying around my office for YEARS, and finally I took it home and picked it up not long ago when I didn't have anything immediately in mind to read.  It is a story of a Nigerian refugee who fatefully crosses paths with a British couple.

I thought it was beautifully written and enjoyed how it unfolded, but it is a sad book about sadness.  The ending very much knocked the wind out of me.

Books I've Read: Wolf Hall

by Hilary Mantel

This historical fiction account of the events surrounding Henry VIII's rejection of the church's power, separation from Katherine of Aragon, and subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn is long, but worthwhile.  I liked that this version is told from Thomas Cromwell's businesslike point of view, but I had no idea that this 600-page novel, a novel of incredible scope and breadth, covered so little ground!  I also didn't realize that Mantel's project is meant to be a trilogy - I knew about the sequel, Bringing Up Bodies, but I just read today that it will not end there.

I assumed Wolf Hall would include Anne's eventual fall, as well as Cromwell's, but it does not; when it ends, Anne is still alive and well!

I liked this novel, but I didn't love it.  Patterns in the dialogue, particularly the willy-nilly use of quotation marks, made it difficult to follow who was speaking, which made a tough read seem even longer.

I'll read the sequel, but am taking a break for a while first.  In the meantime, I decided that since John is already in the throes of baseball season (he's been watching the Yankees spring training games on TV at night), I would watch Showtime's version of this same story: its The Tudors series. I got through a few episodes of the first season over the weekend, and my current impression is that it is much pornier than I expected!

Also, it is really bugging me that they wrote out one of Henry VIII's sisters, or else maybe I just haven't met that character yet?  Or else maybe Charles Brandon isn't going to make it and this sister will eventually get married off to Scotland?  Because if she doesn't go to Scotland, doesn't that mean that there will never be a Mary Queen of Scots, or any Stuarts at all?  I have many questions about the historical repercussions of Showtime's interpretation.

Not running, no yoga

Last weekend John and I traveled out to my hometown in southern Illinois to see my family.

It was fantastic to have everyone together, and we got to spend some time with my grandparents and the cute babies in the family.  I went running with my dad and took John for a little walk around Garden of the Gods, one of the best places in the Shawnee National Forest.

Garden of the Gods

Mountaintop bow pose.  I promise I kicked my leg out further and got my upper body parallel to the ground, but John took the picture while I was in motion.

Kissing Camel Rock

Lots of good times, but one major downer (literally).

As I was coming down the hardwood stairs in my parents' house, my feet (in socks) slipped out from under me and I fell down the entire flight.  I bruised up my arm and calf, but the fleshy part of my rear end took most of the fall.  This is good in that I have no broken bones, but it is bad, very, very bad, in that my butt is completely black, blue, and extremely, deeply sore.  The black bruise is swollen and covers my entire left butt cheek, and hurts when touched, when sitting, when walking, etc.  It hurts all the time, and it still swollen five days after the injury.  I would post a picture, but...no, I wouldn't.  I don't want that out on the Internet for all time.

There is absolutely no way I can run.  I tried the tiniest of jogs yesterday morning, and the minimal bouncing almost made my cry, it hurt so badly.  For now, I also don't think I can do yoga, because much of my class is sitting on the floor and even that sounds painful.  There is pain deep down in my glute, so any use of the muscle feels bad.  Just sitting in my chair at work, or lying in my bed at night, is uncomfortable.

It certainly could have been worse, and I'll recover, but I am disappointed.  I was just getting back into the mood to train again, and have been thinking of a spring half-marathon, but now I will wait a while to register.  I have also been enjoying my weekly Bikram yoga class, and was planning to up that to twice a week, but I must put that off for a little while, as well.  Believe me, I wouldn't do any of this if my butt didn't really, REALLY hurt.  I thought after a few days it would be getting better, but it is not, at least not yet.