Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

I am currently finishing up my first Haruki Murakami book, Norwegian Wood, and am totally loving it. The only other Murakami I have read was his memoir on running, which I liked, but this is of course much difference. Have you read any of his? What one should I read next?

My son is extremely chatty, which is normally just fine, since I love to hear what he has to say, but I absolutely loathe it when I am trying to run on the treadmill and he keeps interrupting me. The other day I gave him three cards and said that he could "spend" each of them to tell me something, but when he was out I was going to ignore him until I was finished (unless it was an emergency, of course). He used the first three in twelve minute and I ignored him for the remaining twenty. I'm curious to see if he ever becomes more strategic with them. 

I had really wanted to start a summer book club with some of my teacher-friends but I completely dropped the ball and, weirdly, lost motivation. If you're reading this and I initially contacted you I'm sorry. I suck. I still might? Maybe the end of July? I'll decide asap.

Someone suggested that I listen to Judah and the Lion since I love The Strumbellas so much, and I am totally into their album Folk Hop N'Roll right now. It's so much fun. 

I just finished listening to The Habitat podcast and I really loved it. The eight (or something like that) episode series follows a group of people locked in a habitat in Hawaii for a year, meant to simulate what will happen to astronauts if we ever send any to Mars. It looked at their daily routines, their interactions, challenges, and what happened to them after the experiment. It was fascinating, and the host, Lynn Levy, was delightful. 

As this posts, Sawyer and I should be headed up the coast for our little trip. We're planning to go to Hearst's Castle, Big Sur, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I'm so excited! 

Bookish Banter- Ian McEwan's Machines Like Me

Recently Julie from JulzReads and I both read and virtually discussed Ian McEwan's latest, Machines Like Me, a sci-fi love triangle that asks some serious questions regarding humanity and society. She and I have been blogger friends for years and years, so this truly was a long time coming and I'm sad we live half a continent apart and can't meet up in person (some day, some day). Read on to see what our thoughts were:

Julz: Considering we both went into this with pretty low expectations, I think we both enjoyed it.  Because the man can write!  I thought his character development was great.  Even as a robot, Adam was a dynamic figure.  What did you like best about it?

Christine:    I agree, I really didn’t have high hopes. It’s sort of the same with how I feel about Metallica- their old stuff is where it’s at and recent attempts seem to fall pretty flat. That being said, once this picked up momentum I was totally into it!

I think one of my favorite parts about the book was this idea of how we define personhood, and whether or not that definition is fluid. Do our definitions need to evolve as science does? The juxtaposition of this sort of innovative scientific perception of consciousness versus the traditional sort of political component of the story, as well as the quintessential “Adam/Eve” naming, was also well-done. I loved how he took so much liberty with history and science in his timeline. 

Julz: That is such an English teacher response!  And your feelings about Metallica match my feelings about Dave Matthew’s Band.

I think my favorite aspect was the whole Alan Turing alternate history thing.  What a world it would have been had he lived!

The night Adam went missing and the Prime Minister was assassinated, I was convinced Adam was the culprit for a few pages there.  Did that at all cross your mind?

Christine:  I never even thought about Adam being involved, but I totally see how they would have crossed your mind

Julz: How did you feel about Miranda taking justice into her own hands with Miriam's rapist? 

Christine:  I had really mixed feelings about Miranda’s actions, as well as Adam’s, which of course was McEwan’s intent. At the end of the day, I appreciate the orderliness of law/rules, and I think that if we don’t adhere to some sort of process society would become even more chaotic. But it bothered me deeply that he’d get away with raping and hence causing a suicide- the abhorrent misogynistic act of this sort of violation is never permissible. Her vigilante way of taking care of it was a risk, and I think she handled it well. I just wish there had been another way to honestly bring about justice in her friend’s name.

I found myself often annoyed with Charlie, his work ethic, his lackadaisical approach to the slightly-frightening robot living in his house (although I get it; Adam became more and more human-like, therefore harder and harder to easily turn off), etc... What were your thoughts on his character?

Julz:  In some ways I could relate to Charlie it two respects: getting by in life with minimal effort and true love being his driving force.  But I would have taken advantage of Adam as a slave way more than he did.  That’s right, bitch, I’m never doing the dinner dishes again and my house will always be immaculately clean.  Why spend so much money on Adam if you’re still going to do your own washing up?

Otherwise, I thought he was pretty harmless.  I didn’t feel strongly about his character one way or another, but I did enjoy witnessing him falling in love and how that matured him.

Christine:  Also, what did you make of McEwan’s use of the little boy, Mark? I thought it was an interesting, useful little side-plot. 

Julz:  I hate to see kids born into bad situations.  Mark’s parents were garbage and that was no fault of his.  So the idea that Miranda and Charlie could be his saviors was really moving.  And it was a sub-plot I was not expecting.

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I had SO much fun doing this and I can't wait to do it again, hopefully later this year!  

What's a Feminist to Do?

I recently read The Farm, Joanne Ramos' very buzzed-about book of 2019. The premise for this book is that mostly poor women are recruited as "hosts" for the the wealthy's embryos. The women are compensated generously at various stages of the pregnancies, as well upon delivery (bonus if you forego a c-section!). The women have pristine living conditions, have their health monitored meticulously, are provided with the prefect pregnancy diets, and aren't expected to do anything but grow their babies. Basically, it's like a nine-month stay at a wellness spa, except the fact you're growing someone else's baby and have little control over your own body. Oh, and all of your communications with the outside world are monitored and you have very little privacy. 

My knee-jerk reaction is to bristle severely at the prospect of using these women like animals on a farm. Their freedom is restricted, they're constantly monitored, they're censored with outside communication, and their bodies are being used for the wealthy? Disgusting. 

But.... Is it? Completely? They were completely aware of what they were doing, had everything spelled out contractually, were compensated handsomely, and were living in luxury. They made the choice to become "hosts" and would benefit financially from the agreement. Sure, some of them were hesitant, but no one dragged them in against their will- they signed up for it. Assuming the women were of sound, body, and mind, is it actually an antifeminist concept? Or is the idea of using your body how you choose actually an act of feminism? 

This dilemma is much broader, if you think about past this literary example. Is surrogacy a problem? That's basically what these women were doing, although with more strings attached and more money to be gained. Most people see surrogacy as a beautiful thing. And what about sex workers? If a woman is empowered and doesn't feel that selling sex is her only option, is that a crime (think about the connotation between the words "prostitution" and "dominatrix"). The list continues- porn actors, skimpily-clad cocktail waitresses, strippers, etc... If a woman makes a conscious decision and is fine with what she's doing, who are we to judge? We use our talents to gain money all the time- artists, writers, hair-stylists, accountants, lawyers, chefs,... But, is she really fine with her choice? Will she be in ten years? Is she extremely young? Does it matter? Are we allowed to make our own choices? 

What's a feminist to do? 

There's no standard, one-size-fits-all rule that we can apply. At the end of the day we have to trust each other, but we also have to look out for each other. 

Two Audiobooks and Two Podcasts

Over the years I've moved into someone who only listens to music in the car to someone who now splits the time with podcasts and audiobooks. When Sawyer is in the car with me we stick to music, since I can't focus on much with all the chatting, but when he is not I often to listen to what he calls my "talking books." Here are a few things I've listened to and enjoyed lately that I thought I'd pass on, in case you've missed them:

Slow Burn, Season 2- These nine episodes take a deeper look into the Clinton impeachment, focusing on Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp. I was in high school when all of this originally went down, so I knew the basics, kinda sorta. I blew through these in just a few days, mostly on my solo trip from Vegas to Zion and back. 

Armchair Expert, Experts on Experts: Elizabeth Gilbert- I wasn't exactly a huge fan of Eat, Pray, Love, or Big Magic, for that matter, but I loved the idea of an author being on the show, so I listened. She was absolutely delightful and fascinating. 

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb- I listened to this audiobook about a therapist who went to therapy, after a sudden breakup. She discusses her own experiences as a patient and on the other side of the couch, both sides equally insightful. This book really caused me to do some reflection, and, long story short, my decade-long desire to go to therapy is even stronger now (I am too cheap to pay weekly copays, have no time, and am intimidated by the process of finding one). 

So Here's the Thing... Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older and Trusting Your Gut by Alyssa Matromonaco- I listened to her first book about her time working for Obama and absolutely adored it, so I couldn't wait to listen to this one. She didn't let me down- her candor, humor, and insights on being an independent woman are spot on. She isn't preachy, she isn't trying to be a self-help book, and she doesn't self-promote. Basically, I want to be her best friend. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

When I was driving in Vegas last week I saw a billboard from a hospital that announced births as they were happening, and then when I was back in town I saw one for a local college congratulating specific graduates. Such positivity and happiness! I love it (especially the baby one... it's like the hospitals that have special chimes when a baby is born- so many warm fuzzies).

I know people are totally into grocery delivery services or curb-side pick up, but I'm way too old school for all of that. I like to go in and select my own produce, compare prices, find new products, etc... Maybe if I was injured, elderly, or had a new baby I'd feel differently, but I'm going to keep hoofing it in to shop. 

I've finished two books in the last few days, one on running and the newest Ian McEwan book. It feels good to get some momentum going, since I want to get through fifteen books this summer. I've taken Sawyer to preschool the last two days and have made sure to dedicate some specific chunks to sitting on the couch in quiet, away from my phone, to read. It makes all the difference! 

The running book, 26 Marathons, by Meb Keflezighi, was incredibly motivating. I don't have any real running plans right now, other than fitness, but just hearing him talk about perseverance and he finds the bright side in tough situations was such a great message. For a few weeks after I read book like this I always notice that I have an easier time sticking out runs, improving my posture, and adding mileage. I guess I need to just read a running book each month! 

I made this lasagna recently and it was so, so, so good.

Scott and I watched Always Be My Maybe on Netflix and I thought it was super cute and reminded me of the good ol' romantic comedies from my youth. I know people love Ali Wong's standup, but I HATE standup. Ugh. I've tried, but I just can't.  

My Fitbit Versa strap has been in the process of breaking and the warranty replacement from the company finally arrived. I went to change it yesterday, and two mangled thumb nails, four hundred f-bombs, a few tears, and one husband who couldn't do it either later I had to drive to a jeweler for help! I was desperate! It took him two minutes and he didn't even charge me. For someone like me who is incredibly co-dependent on her tracker, it was a much-needed happy ended.

Sawyer and I are off to the beach today! It's cloudy and cool, which is fine by us! He will play with his sand toys while I read, we'll take a break for a picnic lunch, and then get back to the reading and playing before we beat the traffic home. I love that he's old enough to make this so easy now.