November 5

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos is an interesting book about life after college and growing up into the "real world." I can't quite recall how it ended up on my to read list, but I'm glad it did. The novel was enjoyable to read and reminded me of some of my own lost friendships throughout college. The thing about friendships, especially women's friendships, is that the idea of "best friends forever" is really just not a reality for most women. I am so fortunate to have the friends I do and to continue through the years with them. But there have been plenty lost along the way. Grown apart from, full out "break-ups", or active decisions to disengage. In any of the cases parting ways with friends is never easy. The novel appealed to me in that the main character spends most of the book trying to piece together why her two best college friends and her split ways at the end of college. They are all brought back together again unexpectedly and the book often flashes back to the college years and important events while also moving forward in the present day. It wasn't a predictable journey but also some of the unpredictability meant reading some parts that just didn't seem plausible. Overall though a very enjoyable read. Some quotes from the book that stuck with me...

"Since you left there's been a you-shaped space beside me all the time. It never goes away"

"You are like me. You like your pockets of solitude, but you're not made for being alone for long...there were people... who needed the falling together, the daily work of giving and taking and talk and touch."

"She has moved on... we are only part of who she used to be, not of who she is now."

Second read for November was a light read, Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. It took a bit to get into this book and I almost gave up on it a few times. I'm glad I didn't though as it had such appeal to me. The book is supposed to be about a group of women who are falling into that age category when their friends start to get engaged, married, and pop out babies. Some of the girls though are not falling into any of those groups and give a Sex and the City take on life without fiances, wedding planning, and baby talk. The book although given to the reader in chapters was almost to me more a book of short stories that all interconnected. Some of the girls get their own happily ever afters by the end and some get happily ever afters that don't involve men at all, imagine that! A good read, especially for anyone who is in their mid 20s and surrounded by friends who are taking steps they aren't quite ready to take yet.

Books 3 and 4 for November were mentioned in a talk show, I can't quite remember which, and I'm glad I picked them up. The Book of Awesome and The Book of (Even More) Awesome both by Neil Pasricha are fun reads about the little things in life we forget to take moments to stop and notice. Both books have a page or two devoted to then explaining the reasons these things are so awesome. Some of my favorites from the two books: the other side of the pillow, when someone lands on a hotel you just built in Monopoly, finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday next year, waking up before your alarm clock and realizing you've got lots of sleep time left, picking up a q and u at the same time in scrabble, a long hug when you really need it, the smell and sound of a campfire, celebrating your pet's birthday even though they have no idea what's going on, the three-paycheck month, finding money in your old coat pocket, when it feels like the lyrics to the song you're listening to were written just for you, taking your high heels off at the end of the night and walking home in bare feet, when you open a book to the exact page you were looking for, seeing old people holding hands, the extra time you get when the clocks roll back, an inbox of personal emails when you wake up in the morning, the moment of anticipation before the first kiss, looking at the clock and seeing that it's 12:34, the airport pickup, appreciating the beauty of all your body's scars and scratches.

The last book I read (well really listened to) in November was The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates. I love Oates as an author and was drawn to this book as I also love Niagara Falls. The plot seems simple at first glance, but as with all of Oates' novels, is anything but. A bride marries and sets off on her honeymoon to Niagara Falls, her husband of one day jumps over the falls in the morning to his death. She then ends up staying in the fictional town in Niagara and marrying for a second time. The book is told from just about every characters perspective at one point or another. The story turns from being about the suicide to an almost Erin Brokovich story. It includes family relationships, religion, suicide, murder, and coming of age themes. I liked the book even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting. That being said though, Oates' doesn't give readers a clear idea of which character we are supposed to be rooting for. The protagonist continually changes and just when you think you like a character the author shows you as a reader why you shouldn't. It was tough to root for anyone, and just as I started thinking this I thought well okay you have to root for the children then, only the children are suddenly grown and also not so easy to root for. It's a bit odd to spend a novel not really liking any of the characters. The cool thing though is that after it ends it's clear on who the good guys and bad guys were, just a little odd to read through.