Well, hello there!

Oops, let it go more than a week. I only exercised 2 days last week. That is certainly not going to get me where I want to go, so I promised myself I would start another habit-building streak for this week. I walked with my little sister at a very lovely park Sunday. It was gorgeous. And after we crossed a foot bridge, K stepped in a hole and twisted her ankle.Because that is what my sweet sister does. (love you.) Then, after moving a bit, she was like, "ok, I'm ok" and we went on to walk a mile or so. Yesterday she went to the doctor for a "severe sprain." Apparently, without the balm of my company, she felt the pain of the sprain. Sorry K. But it really was a lovely walk, if a smelly end. Yesterday was the gym, and today was another walk, as the weather is about to take a bit of a turn.

Food-wise - eh. Ok. I'm tracking it all, but goodness it is not fun to eat less than I want. Not exactly news.

Let's talk about something more fun - books.

There are two books I revisit again and again, and I want to talk about them, because I just finished one of them for the 5th time.

We'll start with the one you all know I love. I read The Handmaid's Tale the summer I was 15 when visiting mi prima favorita in Columbus. She was working, I needed something to read, she handed me this, my life changed (only one of many ways she has been a most excellent influence and all around coolest nerd I know.) I then went on to read everything Margaret Atwood has ever written, and she remains my favorite author (no, I haven't read The Testaments yet, do not ruin it for me!) It started with the language. Nobody describes a room more robustly than Ms. Atwood. I feel every situation, every emotion. Then there was the subject matter. High school was a great time for me to read this; I was just becoming my tree-hugging, idealistic, liberal hippie self, and I was angry! And, even then, when I was going to church and still feeling a part of organized religion, I felt the truth - if there was going to be an overthrowing, an oppression of this sort, it was going to be at the hands of angry white men, using God to hold us down. I still do believe that. I am lucky that I keep joining book clubs who are willing to read this, so I have been privileged to introduce many women to Offred and her world, like my cousin introduced me. One of my most interesting conversations was after the first time I made a book club read it - it was a large group, too - and the conversation at the meeting was pretty freaking subdued. One of the women asked, "really, this is your favorite book? Ever?" I was like, "yeah, you better not hate it, it's a freaking brilliant book." She said, "yeah, but, it's really dark! You're so...cheerful." 

I am cheerful. But I know realistic dystopia when it grabs me by the pu***.

Let's move on to something a little lighter.

I just finished this today - another book I've made 4 different book clubs read, because it is freaking beautiful. I bought it for my son when he was 11 - I heard Terry Gross talk about it on "Fresh Air", the premise was fascinating, and I loved Neil Gaiman. I don't think he read it right away, and neither did I, but I picked it up a few years later, and enjoyed it. Then I listened to the audiobook as read by the author, and it became one of my top 5 books of all time. The story - a young boy is raised by the ghosts of a graveyard after his family is murdered - is interesting, absolutely. But the telling is magical. The characters are deep and diverse, and the boy, Nobody Owens, is a protagonist you grow to care about. Neil Gaiman is one of the only authors I will listen to read his books, because he reads them really freaking well. His love for his characters is evident in every voice. Every time I listen to this book, I sob during the last chapter. In my car. As I drive. I'm sure my fellow commuters are fascinated. I cry because Bod's adventure is just beginning, and I am going to have to live tomorrow without these wonderful characters in my life. Because there are so many good books in the world, and I have to move on, too.

But not forever. I will listen to Bod's story again, maybe next year, maybe a few, definitely if I join another book club. And I will pick up The Handmaid's Tale again, probably next year. I've reread her 16 or 17 times, and I've listened to Clare Danes' reading twice. I've read The Graveyard Book once, but I've listened to the audio 4 times. They are worth every minute (and the money I've spent on two new copies of The Handmaid's Tale; in high school I was not a careful reader.)

My Kindle is done charging, so I am going to go back to this week's ghost story.
What about you? Any books you visit again and again? Share - I am always looking for some new characters to spend time with.