The Top 5 (Fiction)

I have this hang up. I feel like a failure if I don't finish a book. But there are so many unlovable books out there, and it's so hard to find the great ones, that I find myself with a huge pile of books by my bed that have never been finished. I have every intention to finish each and every one of them, even if I don't love them, but I never do, and my self loathing grows and grows until I take all fifty eight books I've started and put them back on the shelf. Then the cycle begins again.

The very worst is when someone you regard highly tells you to read a book...and then you don't like it.

A few months ago, my favorite Professor, Dr. Sanborn, gave me a list of must reads. I was in literary heaven, I tell you. I dove into the John Steinbeck, which/whom I have a special affinity for, and then jumped into Cormac McCarthy's The Orchard Keeper, and promptly ran out of steam. I could practically hear my guilt bubbling up inside me. Dr. S has written an entire book on Cormac McCarthy. Why was I not enthralled?

Then last night I had a Brintervention. I shared my dilemma with Brian, asked him if it was OK to not finish the McCarthy. He said, "Of course it's OK. You're just not in a place where you're ready for that book right now." And all my guilt disappeared. Of course! Maybe later, but now now. So this morning, with little ceremony, The Orchard Keeper went back on the shelf next to Outer Dark and All The Pretty Horses. Cormac, I'll return to you someday, just not now, my friend. Not now.

As I put the book back on the shelf, I looked over my other books and saw some old friends there, and thought I would share with you my top 5 favorite novels...so far.

#5

This one is a bit of a stretch, since it's actually non-fiction, but I couldn't leave it out. This book is part of a series, and since you can't pick a whole series in your top five favorites list (I made up that rule, by the way) I chose this one. I first read this book when I was in junior high, and, of course, was absolutely enthralled. If you like England, farms, peculiar country folk or especially animals, you will love this book/series.

Excerpt:

"I rang the doorbell and instantly the afternoon peace was shattered by a distant baying like a wolf pack in full cry. The upper half of the door was of glass and, as I peered through, a river of dogs poured round the corner of a long passage and dashed itself with frenzied yells against the door. If I hadn't been used to animals I would have turned and run for my life." -James Herriot

#4

I also read this Newbery Award Winner as a youngster, and it left a lasting impression. Travel to the Chesapeake Bay, where you will be introduced to Louise, an elder twin, who struggles to find her own niche (as a waterman!) under the heavy shadow of her beautiful younger twin, Caroline. An excellent read for any youth or adult who has felt inconsequential at any time.

Excerpt:

"I was sitting there, basking in the day, thinking how pleased my father would be to come home from crabbing and smell his favorite soup, bathing my sister and grandmother in kindly feelings that neither deserved, when Caroline said, 'I haven't got anything to do but practice this summer, so I've decided to write a book about my life. Once you're known," she explained carefully as though some of us were dim-witted, "once you're famous, information like that is very valuable. If I don't get it down now, I may forget." She said all this in that voice of hers that made me feel slightly nauseated, the one she used when she came home from spending all Saturday going to the mainland for her music lessons, where she'd been told for the billionth time how gifted she was."

#3

I picked up this book on a whim a few years ago and struck gold. This one is about the rise and fall of a Chinese vegetable farmer, Wang Lung. A good picture of village life, it also has a few moral threads running throughout. For instance, don't be a jerk to your wife, and, oh yeah, don't be a greedy little pig, either.

Excerpt:

"When he had eaten all that he wished he went to the door again and she called to him to come in and he went in. The odor of spilt blood still hung hot upon the air, but there was no trace of it except in the wooden tub. But into this she had poured water and had pushed it under the bed so that he could hardly see it. The red candle was lit and she was lying neatly covered upon the bed. Beside her, wrapped in a pair of his old trousers, as the custom was in this part, lay his son."

#2

Here is a book that kept me up for an entire night. I wanted to BE Jane Eyre by the time it was finished, and after it was over, I found myself thinking of the characters over and over again. In short, I am in love with Mr. Rochester. Also? I made vocab cards for myself from all the words I didn't know in this book. Expand your vocabulary, everyone! Read this book!

Excerpt:

"Something of daylight still lingered, and the moon was waxing bright: I could see him plainly. His figure was enveloped in a riding cloak, fur collared, and steel clasped; its details were not apparent, but I traced the general points of middle height, and considerable breadth of chest. He had a dark face, with stern features and a heavy brow; his eyes and gathered eyebrows looked ireful and thwarted just now; he was past youth, but had not reached middle age; perhaps he might be thirty-five. I felt no fear of him, and but little shyness. Had he been a handsome, heroic-looking young gentleman, I should not have dared to stand thus questioning him against his will..."

#1

My favorite book of all time, and I only know two other people who have read it, my mother and grandmother. If my home were on fire, this copy would be one of the things I would grab as I ran screaming from the house. I must confess that I would choose Rhett Butler over Mr. Rochester, if given the chance. The only bad thing about this book? I become totally incapacitated while reading it. One terrible time in particular, I went to Lake Powell with Kim and did nothing but read this book. Kim would have been better off bringing her pet rock for all the fun I was on THAT little vacation.

This is me, back in what, 1996? On the way to? from? Lake Powell. Poor Kim took the picture. She had to sit in the back of the van with me for like, six hours. Again, the pet rock would have been a better choice.

Excerpt:

"He drew a short breath and said lightly but softly: 'My dear, I don't give a damn.'"

Sigh.

Thank you for indulging me and my little show and tell, dear readers. Now, go get yourself a cup of tea (or something) and go get in the bubble bath with a good book. And if it's not a good book, don't waste your time, maybe you're just not ready for it yet.

I would love to know what YOUR top five are. Please share! Lurkers, that includes you!

Overload.

Did I say that I love my garden yet? Because I do. First, I must confess that these pink mums I did not grow, but bought at Costco. Couldn't resist them. These are Jolly Jester Marigolds. Not your average marigold, no sir.

These are Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflowers. The bees love 'em. I love 'em. Everyone is happy. Did you know that the middle of the sunflower flower has billions of little flowers in it? Crazy.

This is one of my Court Jester Chrysanthemums. They bloom with all sorts of crazy colored rings. This one came out red and yellow. It's been snacked on by some garden critters.

These are african violets, and they have been long in coming. Over a year ago, a patient at work told me that if you took the leaf of an african violet and put the stem in just a little bit of water, it would sprout and you could plant it. Eventually, little baby violet plants would start to grow from the parent leaf. When the babies get big enough, you can break them off of the parent leaf and pot them, and they will grow into a full grown african violet! These are my babies!

The parent leaf for this one was stolen from a violet at work.

That same patient who told me about cultivating african violets later brought me a few leaves from her own violets at home. The white ones are from her plants.

If you were stranded in the desert...

So I told you that I would post about the rest of our Labor Day adventures.

After church on Sunday of Labor Day weekend we drove with Brian's parents to Bend, Oregon, which is smack dab in the center of the state. It's in what's known as the 'high desert' and people there are all sorts of outdoorsy. Think Moab meets Great Northwest.

History lesson: Since the volcanoes in Oregon are part of the 'Ring of Fire' much of the state has been shaped and reshaped by eruptions. There are tons of cool lava formations and other neat things to see, but by the time we got to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, it was getting late and all we had time for was the 'Lava Cast Forest.'

Basing my ideas of this place on the online description, I thought we were going to see tubes of lava sticking up into the air. Instead, there was a massive field of lava and every once in a while there would be a huge hole in the ground. These holes were formed when the lava from an eruption 7000 years ago flowed around the trunks of trees. The trees have since rotted away, and all that's left are the molds the lava has made. It was fun, but cold, and not as impressive in real life as it was in my mind.

This is Brian standing in a 7000 year old hole in the ground.

And here is a picture of a minute portion of the lava field. Let me just tell you, the old 'run to higher ground' thing wouldn't have worked for you here. Pretty sure you would have been a goner. A crispy little goner.That night we stayed in a hotel where we played cards and drank whiskey. Ok, ok. But we really did play cards. And dad won. As usual.

***Correction: Brian informs me it was HE who won, and not dad. Silly me.***

The next day, Labor Day, Brian's parents left early for the 14 hour drive back to Utah. Brian and I had planned on renting a car to take us back to the town we live in, 3 hours away. We had called a rental place on Sunday before we left, and they had told us they would be open on Monday aka Labor Day, and we would be able to rent a car. So, being smart, planning people, we stayed in a hotel right across the street from the car rental joint. Monday aka Labor Day morning, while I was still asleep, Brian walked across the street to rent our car. And they were closed. Apparently the person he had spoken with the day before HAD been drinking whiskey, and lots of it. Not only were THEY closed, but so was every other car rental place in Bend.

Brian returned to our room, where I was still sleeping, and ever so quietly and desperately tried to solve the problem before I woke up. He didn't want me to worry, you see, because that's just the kind of guy he is. Later he would say he seriously considered renting a U-Haul truck to drive home in.

When I woke up, Brian calmly informed me that we had no way of getting home. I must have acknowledged him and then in a sleepy stupor, stumbled to the bathroom and got in the shower. It wasn't until after I turned on the water that I realized that we were stranded in this hotel room, and the toilet wouldn't even flush. My heart started to pound, and I began sputtering out ideas. We could take a cab, no, too expensive. A greyhound? Weird. Walk? No, too far. Helicopter? ...

Eventually though, we did find a way to get home (and to the High Desert Museum), and this is how we did it.

Step #1: We took a cab from our hotel to another hotel across town, where a shuttle picks people up. Cab fare: $15.00

Step #2: Took shuttle from pickup location in Bend to the Redmond Airport. Shuttle fare for two: $25.00

Step #3: Rent car from Redmond airport, the only place within one hundred miles where you can rent a car. Feel sorry for yourself and cry a little in the tiny airport foyer while rich people who wear loafers with no socks stare at you. Rental Car fees: $50.00

Step #4: Return to Bend in rental car two hours and ninety dollars later and spend the rest of the day as planned, in the High Desert Museum.

I can definitely say that the High Desert Museum was well worth all the hassle it took to get there. First, they had fish, which are RAD.

Second, they had owls. Real ones. And they were ALIVE.

I heart you, owls. I heart you a whole lot.

After the museum, we returned home in our most superb rental, and thus ended our Labor Day weekend of cheap hotels, cabs, and whiskey.