August 15, 2005

What do you do when you have a COLD in AUGUST?

You read. A lot. Why? Because August is ironically a frozen tundra in the realm of quality or new television programming. Save for HBO and FX, there is nothing but crap TV on right now. Anyway, I was so sick this weekend, that I didn’t even get to make my Leavenworth Grandma’s 80th birthday party. I called my aunt (who was hosting), canceled out, had a good cry because I was so disappointed, then promptly fell asleep for 4 hours. So, yet again, I have nothing of interest in the way of blogging. But man - I did burn through some books this weekend. Of the four books I read last week, two were worthy of note.

Rancid Reads: Three Junes by Julia Glass was a fascinating page turner, but not in the “thriller” sense. The architecture of this book was quite interesting and is certainly a testament to the author’s writing skills. The book had three parts - each part was somewhat related to the other, but each part could easily stand on its own. What stood out particularly was that the 1st and 3rd parts were quite short and the book was comprised primarily of the 2nd part. The book covers the life and times of the McLeods - a Scottish family scattered through many countries. The central figure throughout all the parts is the oldest son, Fenno. The author had a knack for hinting at or introducing events that lesser author would have allowed to turn the story into yet another dramatic, maudlin tale. Conversely, this story smacks of “real life” and provides a thought-provoking sensitive portrayal instead. (5/5 Sheep)

The other book worth reviewing, French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano was a great read as well! I was interested in reading this book after hearing such divergent opinions regarding it. People either hated it or loved it. Well, I borrowed this copy from a friend and let me tell you, I will be BUYING my own copy. In addition to the yummy recipes, I want to be able to refer to the book again. This book was sensible, encouraging, and chock-full of common sense. American women are fatter because we eat more, exercise less, consume more processed foods and often have unhealthy relationships with food. In short, it’s the calories, stupid. There is no magic formula. I admit, I was probably prejudiced towards this book when I realized its central message. I have been a huge fan of Dr. Andrew Weil for years and he preaches a similar message of eating healthy and in moderation. Also, I think it says a lot about the sensible nature of the book that I can follow many of the principles even though I am pregnant. All this said, I do have to criticize the book for all the stupid, fucking French phrases and condescending attitude. I suspect the author lost a large readership because of this and THAT is a travesty because this is a wonderful book. The core message is so positive and downright reasonable for most people. It’s a shame so many will ignore this book because of the haughty French airs permeating it. (4.5/5 Sheep) Bonus Review: I should mention the author is also the CEO of Clicquot Champagne - one of my very favorite Champagnes. It is very affordable and very good. If you like Champagne in the least, you MUST try it! (5/5 Sheep)

In other news: The Freeloader is having fun with anatomy! His latest discovery? MY RIBS. It’s a bit FREAKY to go up a bra size simply because your rib cage has expanded to accommodate your kid’s newest hangout. Thank god he can’t invite friends over. However, I can’t be too hard on the little guy. I discovered something pretty interesting last week while at a friend’s house. My friend asked if her son could feel the kid kick around. When I exposed my stomach, my friend exclaimed in shock “You don’t have any stretch marks??!!”. I didn’t think much of it at the time but when I related the story to my sister and she also exclaimed “You don’t have any stretch marks??!!”, I realized maybe I am on to something. I just assumed it was too early to get them and that they would rear their angry red faces eventually. Who knows? Maybe they still will, but it’s nice to know that I’ve dodged the Stretch Mark Bullet for now, at least. Of course, I had rather hoped I would dodge something more useful, like the Colicky Baby Bullet or the Post Partum Depression Bullet, but well, you know what they say about beggers.

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