Thursday, June 26, 2008

I finished "Cold Mountain"

From the first page of this novel, I thought, "Whoa. This is like fine literature and stuff." I re-read the first page a couple times. It wasn't a typical page turner, but each page was loaded with imagery and thought provoking observations. I felt like I was there at times and could feel the weather the author was describing. It also reminded me a bit of 'The Odyssey.' It is the story of people caught in the dark side of the American Civil War. It also included insights about farming, birding and life during that time frame. At times, I thought it would be cool to be working a self-sufficient farm where you traded for what you needed and didn't really use money, to be so intuned with nature and your surrounding environment, so tied to the land. I enjoyed the book a lot and I think it is one I will re-read, but throughout the book, there was this undercurrent that something bad was going to happen in the end of the book. And, it did kind of have a tragic ending. I now kind of want to see the movie. I know it had a few Oscar nominations, which makes me think they may have followed the book well. Oscar loves a saga with a tragic ending.

Anywho, some sad things have beening going on work. I almost cried a couple times and the book didn't help. So, I am taking a little break before starting my next book, 'The Mermaid Chair.' As for work, all day Tuesday I just kept saying, " This isn't happening to me. It is happening to them and my job is to do this . . ." This mantra was followed by a couple of deep breaths.

A trip to the gym is in order and some time enjoying the family . . . and maybe a beer . . . or two. Got to savor life while you got a healthy one.

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