BOOK REVIEW: The Next Thing On My List

Jill Smolinksi - Three Rivers Press, 2007

What would make someone embrace the “TO DO” list of a virtual stranger as if it were their own?  In this case, GUILT!  In The Next Thing On My List, June Parker accepts such a list after surviving the car accident where her passenger, Marissa Jones, was killed.  Parker finds the list, 20 THINGS TO DO BEFORE MY 25th BIRTHDAY in Jones’ purse after the accident.  She does not return the list to the grieving family.  Instead, she decides to keep the list and complete it herself as the tribute to the woman she had met early on the evening of her death.

As the book opens, Parker is looking for a suitable “stranger” to kiss (#2 on the list) in a bar.  It’s the first task she will complete (Marissa completed 2 things before her death) and it provides an introduction to what has happened prior to this point (i.e. why there is a list, how she got it, etc).  The book continues through a variety of adventures and situations that Parker finds herself in as she makes her way through the list.

With the help of her friend, Susan, Parker established some rules for completing the list…

1. the tasks do not have to be completed in order.
2. she (Parker) has to obey the “spirit of the law” for each task
3. with each task, Parker must find a way to honor Marissa AND, in some way, make it her own

The rest of the book is an entertaining adventure with Parker, her friends, co-workers, assorted strangers and, eventually, Marissa’s family.  In some way, they all assist June with her mission to finish the list in 6 months by the date that would have been Marissa’s 25th birthday.  There is a happy ending but it is not a completely neat and tidy one.

Without a doubt, you will enjoy reading the book.  It isn’t long and is great for a rainy afternoon or a day by the pool.  It would have been very easy for Smolinski to focus on the guilt Parker feels for the accident, the life lost and the wasted potential of Marissa Jones.  She doesn’t do that, however.  Instead, she creates an uplifting tale about how the death of one woman changes the life of a virtual stranger and many others along the way.  When you are finished reading, don’t be surprised to find yourself making a list of your own.  Nothing would honor Marissa more!

A Dangerous Direction

News that the White House forced the chief executive at General Motors, Rick Wagoner, to resign makes me VERY uncomfortable.  Not because I believe he is being made a scapegoat or because I am worried that he won’t be able to make ends meet during his retirement years.  Not because I have some great opposition to there being a scapegoat in this situation.  Rather, it bothers me because I think it signals America’s move in a dangerous direction.  I don’t think it’s Washington’s place to decide who works where.  It should be up to Board members and shareholders to decide who is in charge of their business. 

It seems a particularly dangerous road to take because…

• It makes the success (or failure) of American companies, big or small, a political issue.
• It gives people with no specific business background (like President Obama) too much power to control an area they don’t really know anything about.
• It takes power away from shareholders (i.e. takes away incentive for investment) and leaves officials of American businesses wondering if (and when) they will be the next ones asked to step aside.  That is no way to expect leaders to run their businesses.
• It will make fewer and fewer people willing to be leaders.  Why would they when they know they won’t be able to operate independently of the government?

I understand that the government can’t play banker for all the troubled businesses in the country without expecting those bailed out organizations to “behave responsibly”.  Certainly, I don’t disagree with the government trying to keep track of where MY TAX MONEY is going.  I just don’t have much faith that the government’s intentions are quite that pure.  If they were, they wouldn’t be singling out GM as the company “too big to fail” while letting Chrysler hope for the best in courting an overseas partner.  In other words, the rules are not the same for everyone getting government (i.e. MY) money.  To my mind, that makes the administration’s motives suspect.

I don’t have any idea how to fix the American auto industry but that is not my point.  Maybe Washington and the Obama administration SHOULD have some part in the future of the industry.  Certainly, they should be paying attention to where the government money they have already committed is going.  But, frankly, it’s none of their business who is in charge at GM!

If you don’t like how GM is running their company, don’t lend them any more money.  As for the rest us, don’t make the rest of us follow this dangerous direction.  Otherwise, I fear we’ll all find ourselves so far down the road that we can’t turn back!

Good stuff I read this week…

Looking for work - Andrea Morabito

Life Is Good - Joan Anderman

Boys Book Club - Jennifer Moore

Who has to quit? - Diane Clehane

Whose in charge of car maintenance? – Gretchen @ Lifenut

FRIDAY FINANCES: Where’s George?

Check this out…VERY interesting!

Where’s George?

Taking Offense

I often watch cable news programs while fixing dinner.  Because most of those shows are anchored by decidedly liberal media personalities, I don’t expect to hear many conservative opinions (of the type that I would subscribe to) coming from the TV.  I watch because I like to be informed about current events; I have a fascination with politics that these programs feed; and I like the noise while I’m doing something else (i.e. I’m a “news junkie”).

Today, I was deeply offended by what I heard on Hardball with Chris Matthews.  Matthews and his guests, David Corn & Lois Romano, used almost an entire segment (The Politics Fix) to criticize Sarah Palin and Michael Steele for comments they made regarding the connection between their faith and political decisions.  I was particularly offended by the discussion regarding an interview Michael Steele gave to CNN.  Steele was asked if he was going to run for president.  He replied (my paraphrase) that he would consider it if God wanted him to.  After the clip of Steele’s response was played, Matthews and his guests giggled and joked about how ridiculous it was that Steele would answer that way.

ALL POLITICS ASIDE, I take offense to that whole discussion AS A CHRISTIAN.   I wholeheartedly believe that God directs His children (born again believers) according to His will for their lives.  I also know, from personal experience, that born-again Christians actively seek God’s direction and purpose.  We ask for God to lead us and we use His direction in the decisions we make regarding all aspects of our lives.   I don’t know anything about Michael Steele’s faith or relationship with Christ but I respect him for looking to God for guidance in the decisions he makes about his life.

Personally, I think its entirely too early to care who may or may not run for President in 2012 or 2016.  Obviously, Mr. Matthews feels differently.  So, to him (and his guests), I would say this…you don’t ridicule the people that leave God completely out of their decisions to run for public office.  At the very least, you should show the same courtesy to the people that do include Him in their decision making process!

A.M. Politics

Not sure why but I am awake VERY early this morning with some random thoughts about politics.  Take them for what they are…just one person’s thoughts!

• I just didn’t have the patience to sit and watch the President last night.  I think he’s been a little TOO visible lately.  As for his “message”, I know the recession will eventually subside.  Hearing him say that doesn’t make me think any differently about it, good or bad.
• Regardless of what you may think about the policies and actions of the Bush administration, you have to give President Bush (43) and Condeleeza Rice credit for getting out of the way of the public criticism of the new administration.  Both of them have said (my paraphrase) that they owe the new President their silence.  In other words, they are keeping their thoughts to themselves when it is in the best interest of all of us for them to do so.
• I haven’t been a fan of Tim Geithner from the beginning.  In fact, for the 1st time ever, I wrote letters to BOTH Senators from my state asking them to vote against his nomination for Treasury secretary.  You can see how much weight my opinion carried there!  After hearing part of his testimony to Congress yesterday, I am less of a fan than ever.  There is something about him that comes across as defensive and arrogant and I don’t care for that.  I get that he used to run the NY Fed and that he is a “brilliant financial mind” and that Obama wouldn’t accept his resignation even if he gave it to him.  That’s all fine and good but what difference do all those extraordinary things make if you don’t do something very ordinary like pay the taxes you owe?  I can barely do basic math in my head but I don’t have trouble finding out how much I owe the government every year.  If he’s half as brilliant as everyone claims he is, he shouldn’t have needed several years and a nomination to the President’s cabinet to figure his out!
• We better be careful before we run Geithner off.  I’m not sure there is anyone else around willing to take that job!
• All this talk about expanded power for the government to be able to take over non-bank companies that are failing doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.  What’s that?  Nancy Pelosi agrees with Geithner…now I KNOW it’s not a good idea.

Now, all this talk about politics has made me sleepy so I’m headed back to bed!

BOOK REVIEW: The Jane Austen Book Club

Karen Joy Fowler – Penguin, 2004

“Each of us has a private Austen.”  Thus begins this most interesting book about other books and the people that read them. 

At first, the group assembled to read and discuss the works of Jane Austen (and only Jane Austen) seems mismatched.  Jocelyn is the “founder” of the book club and she is the person that selects the members.  She has never married but raises and shows dogs.  Bernadette is in her late 60’s and very colorful.  She is impulsive and always up for an adventure.  Prudie, a high school French teacher, is in her 20’s and is married without children.  Grigg, the only male member, is in his 40’s and is much comfortable reading science fiction than literature.  Sylvia, recently separated from her husband of 30 years, is Jocelyn’s best friend.  Allegra, a lesbian, is Sylvia’s only daughter.

 The book details the group’s monthly meeting and their personal lives through the works of Jane Austen.  The book discussions, some only “loosely” based on Austen, provide enough common ground to keep the group together.  Fowler does a nice job of weaving the lives, past and present, of her characters together.  Also, she includes lots of Austen details and information.  Even readers who are not Austen “scholars” are able to read and enjoy this work.

Overall, I enjoyed the book even when I found some of the characters underdeveloped.  Specifically, Sylvia and Allegra seem very surface.  Throughout the book, they are dealing with their troubled love lives.  With a subject that personal and intense, I found myself wishing their characters possessed more depth.  Sylvia’s separation and possible divorce is obviously a source of stress and pain but its significance isn’t always adequately conveyed.  Likewise, Allegra’s presence in the book is due to a major conflict with her lover.  The conflict is alluded to several times but it seems like a part of the plot that is never fully resolved. 

If you are reading it with your own book club, it contains some helpful information regarding Austen’s work and discussion questions.  Certainly, it would be a great book to talk about with others!

 

Good stuff I read this week…

It’s spring break and I have not read much of anything.  I did run across these few tidbits in my short time online, though.  Enjoy!

What was I going to say? – Mona Charen

What your husband isn’t telling you - Ian Kerner

Recycling and the Recession - Valerie Streit

Barbra Streisand Interview - Newsweek Magazine

FRIDAY FINANCES: Real Stimulus

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article in the Mobile (Alabama) Press-Register  highlighting Danny Cottrell, an Alabama business owner that created his own version of an economic stimulus.  As I see it, the plan contains 5 principles that can be implemented anywhere.  Remembering and practicing them would go a long way toward helping all of us make it through these difficult economic days.

1. TAKE ACTION – This guy didn’t wait on anyone to make the first move.  He spent his time and energy thinking about something he could do with the resources at his disposal.  Nothing more, nothing less.
2. LOTS OF MONEY IS NOT NECESSARY – Cottrell gave his employees envelopes containing $2 bills.  Full time employees received $700 and part time workers were given $300.  His total investment was $16,000.
3. CONFIDENCE IS CONTAGIOUS – When interviewed for the newspaper article, Cottrell said that he wanted to do something to let his employees know that their business was not in jeopardy.  Having employees that arrive for work knowing that their job is secure makes them focus on their daily tasks, not their concerns about whether or not they will have a job tomorrow.  It also makes those same people more willing to spend money in other businesses in the community because they are not worried about not having money down the road.
4. CREATE A PAPER TRAIL – Using $2 bills allowed people throughout the community to track the stimulus money.  Because this denomination is not common, everyone is able to see the stimulus money flowing through the economy of this town.  Not only is the money easily accounted for, but it’s a real-life, real time economics lesson!
5. REMEMBER OTHERS ARE HURTING – Cottrell asked that recipients donate 15% of their money to “someone needy”.  If my math is correct, that means more than $2000 CASH went straight to people in THAT community who needed extra help.

We are STILL waiting to see what the results of Washington’s  ARRA will be.  Thank goodness for people like Danny Cottrell that are creating REAL STIMULUS right now!  What about your community?  Can you do something to stimulate the economy where you live?

BOOK REVIEW: The Impartial Recorder

Ian Sansom – Harper Collins, 2004

I don’t buy very many books.  On one hand, I don’t have storage space to keep all the books I would LIKE to buy.  On the other hand, I don’t re-read many books.  When I found a copy of The Impartial Recorder at the dollar store, I decided to give it a try.  At that price, how wrong could I be?

As I read, I was pleasantly surprised.  Set in a small town, his narrator’s perspective is thoroughly entertaining, even when it deals with real, sometimes unpleasant circumstances that we all face.  While the name of the town is never specified, Sansom does a good job of describing it and the buildings it contains.  We know the location is not in America, but it very well could be.  In fact, it could be “anytown” in any number of places throughout the world.

Sansom uses the weather as a constant backdrop for the story.  In many ways, the weather described at the beginning of each chapter further describes and illuminates the human flaws of the variety of characters (residents) we meet in the town.  In spite of difficulties and shortcomings we all recognize (and relate to), Sansom doesn’t always handle his characters’ most obvious issues directly.  Instead, we often see the more humorous eccentricities of the townspeople.

Sansom uses descriptive phrases as chapter headings throughout the book.  Additionally, he creates a footnotes as a matter of description.  Often, the footnotes reference the local newspaper, The Impartial Recorder, and their coverage of certain events and people in the town.  Of the footnotes, Sansom explains, “When we were growing up, my mum and dad…pointed out interesting things when we were on long car journeys.  Perhaps this explains the footnotes.”  I enjoyed them and I am certain their presence added something meaningful to my understanding of the book and the people in it.  As you read, you will smile, laugh out loud and, probably, wipe a tear from your eyes.  It’s funny, sad and entirely human all at the same time.  If you don’t “meet” someone in its pages that you recognize and enjoy, you need to get out more! 

As for my book collection, this one is staying in it.  I can’t say for sure where the town I read about it located but I am sure I’ll want to go back there someday.