On Rotation: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon

When my dad passed away this past September, I became the keeper of his record collection. Im not sure how large his collection is but Id guess its a few hundred albums. Dad amassed the very eclectic collection from the early 60s until the mid 80s. He's got everything from Frank Sinatra to The Everly Brothers to The Doors to the Eagles to Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Having his records to play in my home has given me a lot of confort since Dad's passing. Music was so essential to him and his records were a huge part of his musical being. Even in the last weeks of his life, Dad chose to live his life with music playing in his ears and heart. Music was the priceless gift he gave his daughters.

Matt bought me a record player for my birthday this year and since then, we will pull out Dad's records and listen to them while we do our weekend chores. In the interest of my sisters (both of whom greatly enjoyed his record collection) I thought it would be neat to share our selections as we play them.

Todays first selection (chosen by Matt) was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. As I listen to the songs roll off, its undeniable what an iconic album it is.

Side one:
Speak to Me
Breathe
On the Run
Time
The Great Gig in the Sky

Side Two:
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

Matt just shared that he would take this album to a deserted album. He loves it that much. When I asked him what his favorite song on the record was he didnt hesitate in blurting out "Time" followed by various lines from the song. That made me laugh. I am so oblivious to the lyrics of most songs. I always hook into the music. My favorite song is probably "Us and Them." I love that sax playing off the melody. The overall musical rhythm of the song is so hazy and ethereal and dreamlike. Its relaxing to me. Magical.

Sunday = Downton Abbey

Just a little prelude for tonight.
I love Sundays.

The Book Thief and The Thirteenth Tale

Although The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak took me a while to get through, I enjoyed it very much. I first noticed the book on Seamus' required reading list for school. Sometimes I will read books from that list in order to have some knowledge about what books to recommend to my son. The Book Thief sat on our shelves for quite a while before I finally picked it up to read. I knew the topic involved the holocaust and often my heart cant handle the brutality of that theme. I waited... and waited... and waited until I was ready to take on the topic. In early December I finally picked up the book and slowly began reading. The narrator of this story is Death and that sucked me in pretty quickly. The descriptions of him going through his routine of plucking life from humans is done very beautifully and with thoughtful description. I enjoyed that writing a lot. I was also pleased that this book focused on regular Germans in Nazi Germany and how their lives were affected by the war and Hitler's regime. While the Nazi treatment of Jews was definitely a theme, it wasnt the only one. The Book Thief was not a quick read, in my opinion, but I would absolutely recommend it to my son or anyone else for that matter.

After reading The Book Thief I was hungry for another well written book. I went on amazon.com and after researching top rated books, settled on reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I really wanted to love this book and I did for the first three quarters of the story. The plot centered around the mysterious past of Vida Winter, a popular and prolific author. Ms. Setterfield wove an evocative story that had me hanging on her every word. However compelling the story began, I realized 3/4 though that the ending was approaching too fast. Setterfield was either going to magically pull the story through to fruition or she was going to fall short. In my opinion, she fell short. There is no doubt the author is a talented writer and a gifted storyteller. It had been a while since I had been so quickly absorbed in a book. I literally didnt want to put it down. However, in my opinion Setterfield gave up at the end. The Thirteenth Tale's close felt rushed and finished disappointingly flat.

Me Gusta: Downton Abbey on PBS

Downton Abbey night! Twenty minutes and counting.
If you havent watched this mini-series on PBS, do! It has become the highlight of my week - my guilty pleasure. Season 2 started up in early January, but you can get caught up with season 1 online or on Netflix.

Happy Sunday.

Coming Soon: Reading Lists

I would not consider myself a "reader." I enjoy reading a good book as much as the next guy, but Ive known way too many true readers in my life to include myself among them.

True reader: my best friend, Linnea. When we were kids and had sleep overs, I would always (and I do mean ALWAYS) wake up to her reading a book. It didnt matter when I arose - she would be there, still in her pajamas, nose in a book. Her father was another true reader so Linnea grew up surrounded by books and reading all sorts of stuff. Madame Bovary. Flowers in the Attic. The World According to Garp. There seemed to be no genre she wouldnt read. Heck, Linnea even read our required literature books in school! I never read them, but she did. Thank God she did too, because I wouldnt have passed my AP/IB Honors English classes without her telling me what all those books were about. The funny thing about Linnea and her habit for waking up and reading is that I dont recall her ever bringing a book to sleepovers. She just picked up whatever was around and began reading it. Now THAT is a reader. There have been several times as adults where Linnea and I have slept in the same room and I still expect to see her reading when I wake up. That image of her is engrained in my memory.

True reader: Shar Jorgensen, the mother of another best friend, Kira. Matt and I lived in the small apartment under the Jorgensen's house and during that year Mrs. Jorgensen suggested to me many great books to read. She had superb taste and I always enjoyed the books she recommended. The rotation of books going in and out of her house was rapid. Mrs. Jorgensen was a terribly fast reader and very generous in loaning out her books. I recall her holding a book to read one day - brand new - and the next day she was done with it. That blew my mind because it takes me days/weeks to get through a book. Mrs. Jorgensen also had the uncanny gift of being able to read 3 or 4 different leisure books at one time. I literally can not fathom how she accomplished that, but she did... routinely.

Personally, Im addicted to good books. There are few things in life as satisfying to me as the "high" I feel upon reading a really, great book. The process of reading a well written book is gratifying too, but I want the ending to be good. I want to feel fulfilled upon finishing. I want to feel like the time I spent reading, ignoring everything and everyone around me, was worth my selfishness. The expectation I have for most books I read are quite high and that proposes an obvious problem. Every book can not satisfy. Even a good book doesnt always find merit with me. In short, I am a high maintenance reader or what my sister calls a "books snob." I dont read just to read; I read to feel alive.

I want to start posting about the books I read on this blog. I have a couple reasons for it. One, I dont always remember the books I read. I often know if I liked or disliked the book, but the details of the story become lost. Isnt that weird? It can be frustrating for me. I will often have a strong reaction to a book that a friend is reading, but when Im asked what I liked or disliked about it I cant actually remember. It would be helpful for me to write some notes for recall purposes. Im thinking that by writing about a book, something of it will stick in my head. Secondly, Im guessing that by writing about the books I read, I can narrow down the type of book I most enjoy and therefore chose reading books more effectively. Im guessing this could be super helpful.

Ive Always Loved me some Ghandi ji

My mantra for today.
Happy Wednesday.