Turn The Page Tuesday

Disclaimer: You all know I can't spell and my grammer is horrible. It's even worse when my internet access is on the frits and I am typing like mad waaaay past my bedtime trying to get this post done panicing because it won't save and then spell check won't work.  Just ignore the glaring errors - pretty please :-)

PS - I've felt three more after shocks from our earthquake - one of which was tonight at dinner and two of which have woken Rocky and I from our slumber. ~freaky~ Please continue to keep those that have truely been affected by the earthquake in your prayers. Certainly those that were hit by the hurricane Irene deserve to be in the news (and our prayers) but sadly Mineral, Va and the areas surrounding had severe property damage and seem to have been forgotten. Thanks! Now on to the main feature ...

This was one of those books that sat on my shelf for I don't know how many years. I have no idea when I aquired it and why I was turned off by it for so long ... it was worth the wait. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons is one of those books that you will want to share with your girlfriends, and your mom, and your aquaintances and ... you get the pictures. It's not a moving piece of literature that is going to be listed with the classics of the 21st century or even a book that has you 'thinking deep' and desiring to refocus your life; it is a book that spans fourty years of friendship that will have you laughing, crying, and rolling your eyes (sometimes on the same page). I loved how this book was arranged - by books. Let me explain: it all begins when Faith moves into the neighborhood and longs for companionship (her husband is a pilot) and watches the other ladies on the block through her widow ... that is until a snow storm does her in and she heads out into the wild open and meets her neighbors in a most unusual way - a snowball fight. From there they ladies begin to form a loose group and discover their mutual love of reading.The book club Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons is formed. Each chapter has a header - their book selection, who chose it, and why. Most of those lead ins will have you in stitches as you get to know each woman and her personality. I found I spent just as much time looking up books and adding them to my already too long to read list just from the books that they read in the book! Does that make sense? It was soo cool to see how their tastes developed (or degenerated) depedning on the season in their lives and the decade they were in (think Sophie's Choice and The Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test). I really enjoyed this book. And yes, I shared it with my mother, mother in law, and all my girlfriends who would accept it. It's that good - in one of those mindless but meaningful girly-womanly way.

So raise your hand if you've read Three Cups of Tea.

Me too.

And I loved it.

I was so inspired. I felt hopeful. Sadly it turned out too good to be true. Some of you may be familiar with Jon Krakauer and is investigative reporting/books. He is a credible author. When Three Cups of Deceit came accross as a Kindle deal I snatched it up. I knew that Krakauer wasn't in the business of bad mouthing; if he has something to say he makes sure he has done his homework. Boy did he have something to say. For fear of putting words into his mouth I will quote directly from Amazon:

"Greg Mortenson is the bestselling author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, a tireless advocate for improved education in impoverished areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the founder of the Central Asia Institute (CAI), a non-profit that builds schools in these areas. He's also, according to Jon Krakauer, not all that he appears to be. Krakauer is himself a bestselling author (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air), with a well-deserved reputation for penetrating nonfiction. Motivated by his own humanitarian concerns, and having donated considerable sums to CAI, Krakauer now applies his investigative skills to the unmasking of what he calls the "image of Mortenson that has been created for public consumption… an artifact born of fantasy, audacity, and an apparently insatiable hunger for esteem." Did Mortenson discover the village that inspired his crusade while wandering lost down K2? Was he abducted and held for eight days by the Taliban? Has he built all the schools that he has claimed? Tempered by Krakauer's fairly giving CAI credit where it's due, Three Cups of Deceit mounts an extensive, passionate exploration into these questions." --Jason Kirk

Boy oh boy. Sure makes you think (and worry) about where your good intentions not to mention money end up.

READ THE HELP.

Really.

Talk about a moving book. Full of heartache, love, and hate. I promise you you won't be the same; and I'd argue for the better.

Now I'm going to stick my neck out there and assume that all you wonderful ladies out there reading this little ol' blog here are familiar with the storyline.

Once you read the book. Go see the movie. And take your hankie. You are going to need it. If you didn't fall in love (and despise) the characters in the book then seeing them 'come to life' will certainly seal the deal.

If this world had more Minnys, Aibileens and Skeeters it would undoubtedly be a much more pleaseant place to live.

Just sayin'.

Read it. For reals.

Now tell me what you have been reading: