The Time Traveler's Wife

I realize I am approximately two years behind the summer beach read train, but I finally got around to this swoon worthy read.

I'm not sure if I'm just more emotional late at night (the only time I get for pleasure reading) or what, but lately I have been crying buckets at nearly everything. My poor roommate must think I am nuts when I bust into his office at 1 am at least twice a month and try to explain riveting plots and beautiful characters between sobs. This week, when I finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, it was no exception. Major sob fest. Major.

When I borrowed this book from a friend, I was expecting an easy and romantic piece of Chick Lit to numb my senses for a few weeks. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a complex and beautiful love story. I was really impressed with the author for her ability to write a story that weaves in and out of time, and I was simultaneously impressed with myself for being able to follow along as the main characters Claire and Henry fell in love one moment at a time. In fact, I became so engrossed in the novel that I felt like I was falling in love right along with them.

One of my favorite things about the book was actually the setting. Niffenegger managed to turn the city of Chicago into a character in this story. The city, changing every second with the hustle and bustle of life, also remains fundamentally the same throughout time. The city might seem constantly in flux with millions of busy people hurrying about, but the architecture, traditions, and even El stops remain unchanged. To me, this city (made extra special to me because it was Chicago, my home during 4 years of college) was a metaphor for Henry and Claire. Though they were together for just series of brief moments, back and forth across decades and decades-- the foundation of their relationship was unchanged and beautiful.

Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, but I utterly loved this book. I suppose I will have to see the movie now, but lord knows it will never live up to my expectations.

First Meeting- The Art of Racing in the Rain

Tonight was the first meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary. I have been anxious all week to find out what my fellow book-clubbers thought of my pick The Art of Racing in the Rain.

As I mentioned in a previous post, The Art of Racing in the Rain (written by Garth Stein) is unique because it is told from the point of view of the family dog who wishes to be human, Enzo. Enzo watches his master Denny pursue a career as a race car driver, fall in love and get married to a woman named Eve, start a family, and then go through tragedy after tragedy which rip his family apart. The story is heart-tugging, though the book definitely lacked depth in many ways. The plot was predictable and sappy at times, and characters were rather superficial but I found myself deeply attached to Enzo and his obsessions with opposable thumbs and race cars. In other words, despite a lack of literary merit, I really enjoyed the book. If you're in the mood for feel-good fluff, I highly recommend it!

Before the meeting, I was worried how I would handle it if other people didn't like the book, but as it turns out (and this is probably obvious to anyone but me) varying opinions about the book were exactly what made the discussion this evening worthwhile. It was actually quite funny because virtually all of us were in complete agreement about the positive and negative aspects of the book, yet varied greatly in our overall feelings towards the book. In fact, the liking/hating ratio was about 50/50. Who knew a funny furry friend like Enzo could be so polarizing?

The only downside of the evening for me was that my asparagus puffs (one of my all time favorite dishes to wow a crowd) fell flat... literally. Perhaps it was something to do with the incredible humidity recently, but my puffs did not puff. Instead they humidified. Blech. Everyone else's tasty treats made up for this, however. My favorite? Cucumber sandwiches and fresh strawberries. Yum!

Cheers to a night well spent, and on to the next book!

First book!

I was in charge of selecting the book for the first meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary. I agonized for days over this decision. Do I pick something I have read already and loved and risk the possibility of everyone else hating it? Do I blindly pick something I haven't read and risk the possibility of it being terrible and nobody returning to book club? Do I choose a novel? Non fiction? A memoir?

Finally, I consulted a glass (or three) of wine and a good friend and I selected The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It is a story told from the point of view of the family dog, Enzo. I read the book in three sittings, and cried at least once each time. Overall, I think my pick was a success, but that might just be the wine talking. The first meeting is next Thursday so I guess I will find out for sure!