Twofer: Good reads AND things that rock

In honor of my new job, I’m composing a capsule of books I read while unemployed and a list of things that feel good.

A two-fer!!

Books.

Fortune’s Rocks, by Anita Shreve.

Like to read about turn-of-the century women’s issues? Me neither. So here’s a great book about a 16-year-old girl who gets it on with a married 41-year-old man, and the result of the brief affair. Shreve also wrote The Pilot’s Wife, an interesting yarn about a pilot who dies and his wife, who finds he’s lived a second life for as long as they’ve been together. 

“And this all causes her to wonder at the disparity between the silk dresses and the natural postures of the body, and to think: How far, HOW FAR, we are willing to go to pretend we are not of the body at all.”
― Anita Shreve, Fortune’s Rocks

Black Notice, one of the Kay Scarpetta novels, by Patricia Cornwell.

Written in the 90s and talks about hacking AOL with a dial-up modem Bwahahahahah! Ahem. As a former criminal justice reporter, I’d often heard that I should check out Cornwell. However, it’s only recently that I’ve been able to do so (damn PTSD, seeing all those mangled bodies at accident and crime scenes). Scarpetta is a medical examiner, and I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunit about a serial-killing werewolf (it makes sense in the end). I’ll be searching out another Cornwell gem at the Goodwill soon.

“My light followed shoes and lower legs, and a bloated, bearded face jumped out of the dark. Bulging, milky eyes stared, the tongue so swollen in protruded from the mouth as if the dead man was mocking me. My covered shoes made sticky sounds wherever I stepped.” — Patricia Cornwell, Black Notice 

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein.

Before reading this book, which I’d noted is adapted into a children’s version, I thought it was just about a dog. Like Ol’ Yeller. And I was afraid. Because (plot killer here) Ol’ Yeller buys the farm at the business end of a shotgun. However, Stein is a Seattleite (it talks about Volunteer Park and Mercer Island! Madison Park and Madrona!) and it’s sort of a modern day The Alchemist. It’s written from a dog’s perspective, and is unique and sweet without the saccharine crap. If Oprah still had a book club, it’d probably be on it. But still.

“That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” ― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb. 

Though I can’t recall what they were about, I’ve read his other works, She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True. In THIFB, his character is a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999 during the time of the shootings. The story morphs with impressive grace into a genealogical quest that takes tons of loose ends and ties them up with a bow. Sort of. Much like his other stories, I can’t totally recall. Meh, it was a good time-killer.

“The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.”
― Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed

Onto things that rock! In no particular order:

– Sneezing in the sun

– Chiropractic adjustments (good to the last pop)

– Flossing after eating popcorn

– Animals twitching in their sleep

– Sweating when you’re sunbathing, because it feels like you might be exercising and losing weight (but you’re totally not)

– Mexican food, in particular Mexican restaurants with fabulous salsa and homemade tortilla chips

– On that note, margaritas WITHOUT some corn syrup mixer — just fresh-squeezed fruit and tequila

– Having a ladybug land on or near you or your children

– Creatures under beach rocks

– Your child losing their first tooth

– Long talks with good friends

– Sunsets in the days following a volcanic eruption somewhere in the world

– Perfectly cooked prime rib (medium rare to rare) with horseradish; an amazing steak

– Newborn babies when they poo — that horrendous, hilarious grunting, facial expressions and all

– The smell of seasons changing

– Summer rain, Summer’s Eve, scented tampons (just seeing if you’re still reading … don’t use the latter two, bad for flora)

– Laundry dried on an outside line

– Freshly cut fingernails and toenails

– A well-made mocha

– Meteor showers

– Snow, before it starts to melt and become that depressing gray slush

– Cheap sunglasses that last forever AND that you can’t ever seem to lose (thank you Target)

– Outdoor concerts

– Summer weddings

I could go on. But I won’t.

Share with me your favorite things!

© Wonky Nostrils and Taming Flamingoes, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to blog author and Taming Flamingoes with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.