Sussex, England of the last century

I finished reading Neil Gaiman's book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, just yesterday. 

I'm not sure what to think of this book.  Labels do not easily fit.  It reads like a children's book, but the lessons are for so called "adults."  The book caused me to question my memories, and ask why I was given this day.  The story swirls with images and stabs at reality.  It is deeper than one expects, and should provide excellent discussion for any book club. 

I wasn't able to get any true fix on life in Sussex as there is truly no fix of time or place in the plot.   Instead, I feel like I will never look at a duck pond in quite the same way, regardless of whether it is in Sussex or at the end of my lane....

Enugu, Nigeria

I finished listening to Purple Hibiscus this afternoon.  I want to sit with it in my head for a while.  It is written by one of my favorite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  It is a powerful book full of universal themes that disregard borders.  Told with the voice of Kambili, a 15 year old girl living in a  house of wealth and tones of white - the book is about calculated brutality and uncontrolled rage from a beloved parent doing God's work.  It is the conflict of pride and fear a child feels for an abusive, yet successful father.

I am a fan of Adichie's work.  This is the least African of her novels because it is about a family that could live any where; the setting of Nigeria truly matters in only the last chapters of the book.  Then again, it is also the most African of her books.  The failures, whether the head of state or head of the family, bring painful growth and eventual maturity.  The family can serve as an analogy for the larger community and the youth of Africa's democratic self-rule.  The path to independence in an authoritarian state is no less dangerous than saying "no" to a bully of a father. 

The narration is fabulous by Lisette Lecat.  Her reading is slow and full of emotion.  She captures the shy hesitancy of Kambili.  She also narrates The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency audio books, so you might recognize her voice. 

At the end, I am grateful that I do not live in Nigeria and have had the gentle generosity of wonderful parents.

Train Trip to Fort Worth

Last Saturday morning, Sophia and I, along with our friend, Kristen and her daughter, Emma caught the 8:32 a.m. Amtrak train in San Marcos bound for Fort Worth.  The seats recline, the legs come up, and it is easy reading for hours.  There is an outlet for each seat so running out of juice is not a worry.  The coach area is quiet with most people napping, so nothing to disturb us except the occasional announcement by the conductor.  We ate lunch in the dining car, despite our better judgment.  We paid excessively for food opened from plastic bags and reheated in a microwave.  Nevertheless the travel was easy, inexpensive and convenient with bathrooms available throughout the train.  No need to pull over for a potty break.  We arrived in Fort Worth at 1:50 p.m., about the same amount of time it would have taken to drive that distance.

We rented a car from Enterprise which has an office in the Fort Worth train station.  We checked into our hotel, then headed out for some fun.  We did LOTS of walking over the weekend.  We visited the Log Cabin Village, watched the cattle drive and did the maze at The Stockyards, giggled at the baby gorilla "Gus" at the Zoo, watched a show on our solar system at the Planetarium, climbed the Water Gardens, strolled the Botanic Gardens, and hunted Pokemon on Pokemon Go.  We were very fortunate to enjoy perfect weather while there.  Despite the hours of activity, we were asleep by 9:30 each night and slept in each morning.  IT WAS GREAT!

Our return trip on the train departed Monday afternoon at 2:10 p.m. and brought us back to San Marcos at 7:30 p.m.  We learned from the earlier trip and brought our dinner on board with us from Montgomery Street Cafe, a destination all its own.  Yummy pork chops, butter beans, yeast rolls, and peach cobbler. Yum!  I finished reading Last of the Mohicans traveling down the tracks.

Three days, two nights of very pleasant company and a nice diversion from the routine.  I highly recommend this trip to anyone with kids or grandkids, or a good traveling buddy.

American Wilderness 1757

There are few books wherein the movie can compete with the novel.  Last of the Mohicans is one of these, but that is not to diminish the book.  The movie is that good.  Yet, they are wholly different. 

The narration of the book was aloof and disappointing at first.  It was omnipresent  and cast its spotlight on various scenes full of descriptive landscape, but lacking any emotional investment.  Readers only get to know the characters from afar, yet I grew to enjoy the book with each new chapter.  Because it was vastly different in plot and relationships than the movie, it was a revelation.  I picked up the book fully expecting a specific ending, yet the ending was not at all as I anticipated.  I did not know who loved who, who was friend or foe, nor who would live or die.  I read the last quarter of the book in earnest.

If you love adventure stories, this book will not disappoint.