Book Review - Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

from the cover blurb -
Let me tell you about our brother. The fourth Dunbar boy named Clay. Everything happened to him. We were all of us changed through him. 

This is a story told inside out and back to front.

The Dunbar boys were wild - all five lived in the moment, fought among themselves, fought anyone who challenged them, and lived by their own rules. Their sainted mother had passed and their father walked out on them. They survived.

And now - Clay. He's quiet, has secrets, is the smartest, fastest, and yearns for more.

He builds a bridge - to and for family, for the past, for greatness, for  sins. He builds literally and figuratively. The father is back. Does anyone forgive?

This was a challenging book to read. I had to get into the rhythm of the back to past, and the hints of the future. I really liked Clay and he kept me connected and interested.

Book Review - Normal People by Sally Rooney

Lots of buzz on this book and writer. Young, wise, and in tune with the times. Indeed, Sally Rooney's writing is quite good and I can see where she does have a grasp of the younger generation. However, for me, that did not make these people interesting. Yet, maybe, that's what does make them "normal."

Whiny, self-absorbed, and often annoying, Connell and Marianne have a secret relationship that isn't that big a secret. He's popular,a football star, and smart. She's lonely, smart, and strange. He's poor and is mother works at Marianne's house. Marianne's rich but doesn't flaunt it, yet there is that class distinction - stuff she takes for granted.

They strike up an intense relationship in high school and he seems to be her rock.

A year later, at Trinity College in Dublin, Marianne is in her element - a niche with friends and a cool aura. Connell's back being a small fish in a big pond. The two clash, connect, and veer into deeper corners.

Normal People was easy to put down. I never rooted for these two, whether apart or together, and their friends were a drag too. I'm in the minority in regards to reviewing this book. Every other review I read gushed about Ms.Rooney's perception and the brilliance of her character relationships.
Yawn.

Monday Moments - Saturday Sunset in San Saba

Home from our weekend at Aunt Pat's in San Saba.  A delightful weekend - we lucked out.

Well, Ray had to white knuckle drive through some crazy rain on Friday. Traffic was horrible getting out of the DFW area.The 3 hour drive took 4. Ugh for him.  But once there,  we settled in for a good time.

It rained an inch overnight and we awoke to a foggy, cool day. The fog lifted and Ray and Kevin headed to town for errands,  came back, and worked on their deer hunt preps for November.  Meanwhile, Pat and I enjoyed a walk - 5000 steps, baby!  Chat and laughs on the patio. 

Saturday evening was gorgeous. Happy hour, meal, and patio sit for the sunset. Temps and breeze were an aberration for this time of year - 70s?  What? Here are the pics - fabulous.

Grand visit, projects completed, plenty of relaxation, and darn  good food. Pat can whip up tasty meals - we were grateful.  We said farewell by 11 am and the drive was sunshine and 3 hours for Ray.  Now I'm doing laundry and getting ready for another workweek.

Happy Monday - Last week of August. Let's finish summer with a bang!

Lazy Friday and Weekend Post

Lazy hazy crazy days of summer.  Ray and I are off to San Saba Texas this weekend to see his aunt. I'm packed. Just have to get through work on Friday.  It will be too hot to really do anything, so my
bag of reading material is bigger than my clothes bag.

Just for fun - here are pics from the Kimbell the other weekend - they had water lilies in honor of their Monet exhibit.

Two more pics are from San Saba from a previous trip.

And the final pic is one of me at the Fort Worth Water Gardens. That's to cool off you folks!

Have a fun,safe,  and relaxing weekend. No heat stroke allowed. Laughter in the shade.

Chatterbox Stories

Ray and I survived the weekend with a 4 year old (Skylar) and an 11 year old (Makyla.)
They were good girls and I think they had fun.  Skylar said, "You're taking good care of us."  Her timing was perfect because I was probably about to say, "Stop playing with your food."

We are not accustomed to non-stop noise and busy busy bees. Skylar was stream-of-consciousness talking. Whatever hit the brain came out of the mouth. Until she fell asleep, there was a babble of bluster.

Ray and I tag teamed. I'm good in the pool. So I told him, "Go have a break. Watch some golf. Have a nap."  He said, "Oh, that's okay."  And I said, "Go. I shall want a break later. Trust me. I might take two hours."  He hustled inside.

We swam a bunch. Now,why did Skylar decide to take bites out of the styrofoam noodles?

We fed ducks at the park and did playground, took them to visit Ray's folks - that was a hit, and Makyla and I did go to Half Price Books - very fun. She's an excellent reader.

We did Play-doh stuff - creative.  Lots of Spirograph with Makyla - she's awesome in design and concentration.

We thought their parents were picking up at 2ish on Sunday. We were ready.  Ooops - text - just left at 12:30 pm for a 4 hour drive.  Then a text - oops - lunch ran long.  Arggghhhhhhhhh.
I confess - I was truly done.  It had been fine and we had plenty of bonding, but I was maxed out. Ray was too.

So when Kevin and Maria pulled up at 5:30 pm - we hauled bags quickly to the SUV. "No, girls you don't need shoes.  Here have candy and a Coca-cola to go...."

Whew! We did keep them alive - mission accomplished.

Monday Moment

I'm stealing this photo my brother sent me from the new Philly observation tower. Good view of the town.

Busy weekend here, plus our internet's been up and down a bunch. So, sorry for not visiting blogs.
Ray and I babysat an 11 and 4 year old. Yowza - kept us busy. Not accustomed to non-stop chatter and mild chaos. The girls were good, but active.

Now, I'm off to work. Hope it's a good Monday for everyone. Take a moment to take in your view.

Movie Review Madness: The Farewell

The heat index Wednesday was close to 110. Crazy. After work, I decided to cool off at the movies and watch an artsy flick. I needed something quiet, something to think about. The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang, served my goals. It was quiet, introspective, and poignant. Well acted and directed, it's a family story, a cultural contrast story.

Billi (the excellent Awkafina in a dramatic role) lives in NYC but talks to her grandmother in China all the time. Visiting her folks in the city, she finds out they are leaving for China for a wedding. Who's wedding? What? Why?  Turns out, the wedding is an excuse to see the grandmother who's dying of lung cancer. But no one will tell her. It's a secret.

Billi's financially struggling, doesn't get the grant she's hoped for, but hops on a plane and surprises everyone in China. The grandmother is delighted.  The parents, et al make Billi swear she won't break the news. She has to act happy - go with the flow. This is against the Americanized part of her - it's lying, just not right. But in China, it's part of many family's culture - no need to dwell on the bad. Enjoy any final time with family and be happy.

The movie explores the family dynamics as they go through the wedding. The grandmother is so happy and you watch tender moments and struggling moments among the various family members and Billi.  The Farewell is quite good and makes you think. 

P.S.. it does have subtitles.  Warning if that annoys you. Hence, Ray did not join me in my artsy movie mood.