back in the u-s-eh?

Howdy, pardners. Coming to you live (not really) from the bowels of the Toronto airport. I've been in Canada this week for a work event, and I'm ready to get home. It's easy to slip into the idea that Canada is just an extension of the US, albeit totally incorrect, since most people speak English, they sound a lot like us (except with an upwards inflection at the end of nearly every sentence). I will admit there is a certain energy in the country right now, even though the Olympics are hundreds of miles away. I even watched the hockey game last night in a Canadian restaurant with Canadian beer and lots of intense Canadians rocking the official hockey jersey, complete with Olympic rings. Thankfully, there's not much to understand about hockey other than the puck goes into the net. Oh, and Canada LIVES for it.



Any time I am traveling, it's imperative that I am armed with a book. Well, I am, and I've got a couple of reviews for you as well. The last book I mentioned on this blog was The Book Theif by Marcus Zusak. It was recommended to me by one of my literary soulmates, my dearest Claire. And as she put it so eloquently, "this book is not a page turner, but a book to be savored." So true, Claire. I was practically entranced by the beautiful language the author uses to illustrate the life of young German Leisel Meminger. While on a train to meet her foster parents, her brother dies right in front of her, his lifeless face haunting her dreams for years. At his burial, Leisel picks a book up from the snowy graveyard, thus the title. The Book Theif is a truly captivating story of childhood, WWII Nazi Germany, love and loss. Don't worry if your local bookstore has this one in the teenage fiction section; I still can't figure out why it's there. Seriously, it's wonderful.


This certainly has never happened in the epic history of this blog: I bought and read a second book before I had a chance to review the first. That's basically all you need to know about this next one. I have a policy that if a movie I want to see is based on a book, I read the book first. So when I saw the previews for Shutter Island, and after hearing the rave reviews from Harris, I picked up a copy and practically devoured the thing over the course of one weekend. It's one of those books where you don't realize you're reading fast until you look down and you've finished 60 pages. I really hate to say too much about this one for fear of giving anything away. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm dying to now.


So, it's on to the next selection: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. It's always a good sign when every bookstore I enter is completely out of copies of a particular book. Lemuria in Jackson finally got some in (signed!), and I got one just in time to leave on a jet plane. If you're not familiar with the story, here's a quick run-down: Neil White was a successful magazine publisher, who after some shady finanical dealings, is convicted and sentenced to prison in Louisiana...which just happens to also be a leper colony. His relationships with these "outcasts," as well as fellow inmates, becomes more and more important to the author as his life on the outside crumbles. It's really well-written, and I'm all about supporting a Mississippi author (he lives in Oxford). Review to come soon! Thanks for the recommendation, MK.


On another note, my sister Harris has re-entered the blogging world! If you love all things beauty (and frankly, who doesn't?), you will love her blog. She's a great writer with lots of cool tips and trends to share. Check her out!


I started this post in one country and finished it in another. Glad to be home to my little family! Happy Friday!