Read About Carrie and her Companions

No one would call me a fashionista. When deciding what to put on my feet, I'm going to go with the slip on flat sandals or a comfy pair of sneakers. Looking at at Manolo Blahnik shoes, my eyes say "pretty", but my feet say "ouch".

Reading about the world of fashion is much more fun. Before Sex and the City was a popular TV series, it was a book by Candace Bushnell based on her columns from the New York Observer. Some of the stories are told by Bushnell, some by her "friend" Carrie, but they all feature trendy New York lifestyles, with observations about dating and relationships. For instance, one friend attempts to impress a guy with her rollerblading skills, but ends up with a broken ankle! You'll recognize characters from Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, to the marriage-phobic Mr. Big, Barkley the "modelizer", and many others. For fans of the HBO series, or if you enjoy books and movies like Bridget Jones's Diary or The Devil Wears Prada.

The Art of Happiness

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
~The Dalai Lama

I recently started reading How to See Yourself as You Really Are by the Dalai Lama. My interest was piqued by chapter titles such as "Discovering the Source of Problems", "Focusing Your Mind" and "Reflecting on Impermanence".

Winner of the Nobel Peace Price, the Dalai Lama also wrote The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, which was published in 1998. Psychiatrist Howard Cutler presents meaningful questions about life, living and the pursuit of happiness, receiving answers that are philosophical and poignant, filled with compassion and kindness. Cutler includes his psychological aspects from his own training and practice, but the Dalai Lama is truly able to convey his thoughts and beliefs in an uncomplicated and universal way. You don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate that inner peace is in our nature. Sometimes you just have to find it.

Nice and Cozy

When I see a mystery book cover with an adorable pink bunny sitting at a table, I am compelled to look at it. And when the title of the book is Aunt Dimity's Death, I certainly must read it. This can be a hit or miss way to find entertaining books, but in this case taking the chance paid off.

Aunt Dimity's Death is the first book in a series of fourteen (so far!) by Nancy Atherton. Lori Shepherd is down on her luck when she finds out an aunt she didn't even know existed has died. Aunt Dimity was a friend of her mother, and was working on a collection of stories. In her will she requests that Lori write an introduction and finish preparing the book. Dimity had a lovely cottage in the English countryside where Lori can work, accompanied by Bill Willis- one of the lawyers, who happens to be pretty cute! In England, Lori finds forty years of correspondence between Dimity and her mother, and a mysterious spirit that haunts the cottage.

These books are charming and "lightweight" mysteries. Suggested for readers who like Donna Andrews, Dorothy Cannell, Joanne Pence, and other whimsical writers.

Augusta, Gone

What makes a person a happy, well-adjusted person? Shouldn't a child raised in a loving home become a bright, positive teenager? Yes, there will be some teen angst and pushing of boundaries. But why would troublesome turn to anger and destruction?

Augusta, Gone: A True Story is Martha Tod Dudman's examination of this very issue. Martha is a single parent who believes she has tried her best to give her two children opportunities and encouragement. But her daughter Augusta changes from a lovely young girl to a hostile and sometimes violent and self-destructive teenager. "It's like sticking my hand into the garbage disposal," is how she describes the pain of facing what her daughter has become. Confused, hurt and feeling helpless, Martha wonders to herself over and over how much of it is her fault? What else could she have done? How could she have been a better mother? Although it is a difficult journey, she believes "You don't get to give up on your kids". And that is the hope of the book.

If you like Augusta, Gone, you may be interested in Martha's follow up Expecting to Fly: A Sixties Reckoning which focuses on her own journey from hippie, free-spirited youth to motherhood.

"Inconceivable!" Cried the Sicilian

So many books, so little time. This is a phrase that many of us are familiar with. At any given time, there are a dozen or so library books in various places in my house just waiting to be read; I own an abundance of books I haven't read yet so I can "browse" my own collection; and I can't wait for the next used book sale at the library (August 15-22 at Erlanger). Yes, I am a bookaholic.

But one book I have read and reread numerous times is The Princess Bride. Enchanting in it's film version, the book includes delightful details only describable by the printed word. The full title is The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, the "Good Parts" Version Abridged by William Goldman. Goldman's father read him the tale as a young boy but left out all the boring historical and political details. The story as he knows is about Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, and her true love Westley, the farm boy who will go to any lengths to be with her. They meet a cast of extraordinary and funny characters, including the evil Prince Humperdinck, swashbuckling Inigo, the mighty Fezzik, and Vizzini the Sicilian (see title above). This is definitely fantasy fiction at its best!

By the way, there's a secret about S. Morgenstern that Goldman plays beautifully throughout the book. Hmmmmm, what can it be?