I cried at the pre-school today...twice

Two things came to an end today, a beautiful school year filled with many wonderful memories (like when a very special child asked me if my hair was a wig) and the incredible Jeanette Winterson novel Written on the Body.

Read. This. Book. Just do it. It's beautiful, heartfelt, human and I honestly couldn't put it down... except for a few moments when Cait was watching the movie Rent and I had to see my homegirl Idina Menzel KILL IT in the song, "take me or leave me."

I MEAN COME ON:


Alas, it's time to start another book... and a new school year is just around the corner.

Still, I'll be sad to leave both of these wonderful experiences behind.

...shit just got real

I finished the book Little Bee.

It was medium.

Turns out the secret plot twists were akin to, "Ryan Chazenski farted in your notebook and he told me not to tell anyone."

While the writing style was super interesting and the subject matter upsetting and informative, the hype on the back cover of Chris Cleve's novel DID NOT do his work justice...

However, I'm STILL NOT TELLING YOU WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!!!!

I've since moved on to MUCH GREENER pastures: Jeanette Winterson's sexy and philosophical novel Written on the Body.

Here is the cover copy (with a few comments from me):

"With the same stylistic daring an emotional energy that have made her one of England's most celebrated young writers, Jeanette Winterson has written her most beguiling seductive novel to date.
The narrator of Written on the Body has neither name nor gender (HELLZZZ YES!! AMBIGUOUS GENDER!! I love queer lit!); the beloved is a married woman. (OH NOOOOOO!!!!) And Winterson chronicles their consuming affair, she compels us to see love stripped of cliches and categories, as a phenomenon as visceral as blood and organs, bone and tissue- and as strange as an undiscovered continent."

Winterson's writing is poetic yet effortless for the reader, with quotes like,
"'You can't see what I can see.' She stroked my face. 'You are a pool of clear water where the light plays.'"

I am right there with our Genderless Narrator. I am in love. I am heartbroken. Shit just got real.

Snickers, The Situation and Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Caitlin and I were lucky enough to spend the first weekend of summer at her family's beach house on the Jersey Shore. We went tubing, kayaking, biking, sailing and consumed many a Corona. While we had no sightings of anyone from MTV's reality show The Jersey Shore, we had a great time and I did try to fit in some fist pumping action.

Yesterday, on the plane ride home I started my summer book reading challenge with the novel Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

I've been dying to read this book for a while even though I had no idea what it was about. Let me explain....

Here is what it says on the back cover:

"We don't want to tell you WHAT HAPPENS in this book. It is truly a SPECIAL STORY and we don't want to spoil it. NEVERTHELESS, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again- the story starts there...

Once you read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds."


WOAH!!!!

The back of this book makes me feel like I did when I was in the sixth grade and my best friend said to me,"I have a secret about you...and I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT IT IS!!!"

I'm interested, intrigued and a little bit angry! WHAT GREAT MARKETING!!


...I'm enjoying it very much so far.


That is all I will say about it.

You'll just have to read Little Bee for yourself.

Nanny Nanny BOO BOO.