A Bookmark and Five Great Literary Knockoffs

Hola dear readers,

Well, the boy and I are back on the road after four adventurous, yet rainy days in Alabama. Gee and Joe Joe (my grandparents) were fantastic hosts, as was their gloriously squished-face pug, Winston (apologies for not providing a picture). 

Today is a bright, sunny day with good prospects. We're now traveling to Atlanta to visit the boy's family and play the role of tourists. The Beatles are playing in the background, while bright beams of sunshine mirror my image onto the iPad. I see my black, oversized sunglasses peering back at me. I see my long brown hair braided back and neatly tucked behind my right shoulder. I feel like a child discovering her reflection for the first time. 

Before I began writing, I was reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Discovering America on the Appalachian Trail (review to come later). When turning a page, my grandmother's bookmark fell out. I stared at it for at least a minute, my heart heavy and eyes beginning to well.

The bookmark.

My grandmother (my father's mother) died in September of this past year. Her name was Verla and she was an avid reader. No one could devour a book with more speed or excitement than her. Each turn of the page was sheer delight. She wasn't a picky reader either; she would read cheap grocery store romance novels; murder mysteries and thrillers; or works of nonfiction that inspired her. Almost always though (at least as far as I can remember), she would use the same bookmark to seal her place. 

I have that bookmark now and I treasure it. It is made of golden string and skillfully woven into a Gothic-esque cross. It is light to the touch and simple but beautiful.

This bookmark is one reason I prefer physical books to digital ones. There's no anticipation or excitement in simply running your finger across a glass screen (cool, yes, but not exciting). But don't we all love the feel of a page in our fingers? Or the soft swish as it turns? I do and I love marking my place with her bookmark. 

Bookmarks are essential to me, but so is the idea of honoring something old with something new. In keeping with this idea, I want to recommend five books I love (and I think my grandmother would too) inspired by literary classics. 

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Drawing from Bram Stoker's Dracula, this novel is adventurous read brimming with the supernatural, romance and some (albeit) far-flung conjectures about the real Dracula (Vlad the Impaler). I loved it and The New York Times hated it. Whatever. Bite me, Henry Alford.

 2.  The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Beautiful. Engrossing. Classic Margaret Atwood. Read if you're a fan of Greek myth or in the mood for something short and sweet.

3. Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle

Any literary geek or English major's dream come true. Yes, indeed dear readers—literature, puns and hard liqueur all in one book. I've also provided and example recipe, just to tantalize your inner nerd. 

An instant classic.

Too good to be true.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahme-Smith

OK, we all know this one. But hey, I love Jane Austen. Why not add some zombies into the mix?

5. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields.

A non-fiction read, Mockingbird is a book I'm currently reading and adoring. It's like drinking sweet tea on the porch during a rainstorm: refreshing and tranquil. As always, review to come shortly.

A Road Trip and Mindfulness

Hullo readers,

I'm writing to you from the passenger seat of my boy's 2010 black Mazda. We're driving through Alabama and I'm balancing my iPad on the open glove box, while typing on my wireless keyboard. For me dear readers, this is technology at its finest. 

As I look out the window, I see swaths of green. Lite tinkles of raindrops amass on the windshield before slowly forming rows of water that resemble shooting stars. There's also something lovely and delicate about the grey of the sky that makes me smile. Who knows, maybe it's just because I love road trips?

For me, there's something magical about being a traveler. It happens only every once and a while, but is the perfect time to escape into a new book or magazine. I've just finished July's Wired and wanted to share an article with you (for Guilfordians or fans of Eric Mortensen, this should be particularly intriguing).

July's Wired cover.

"Enlightenment Engineers" by Noah Shachtman brings Zen Buddhist philosophies like mindfulness into practice inside the infamous technological hub that is Silicon Valley. Big business names like Google and Facebook now offer meditation classes and rooms to their employees. Here, individuals can practice breathing exercises and other techniques that help to eliminate smaller, insubstantial stresses to increase overall productivity and happiness. And, as well all know, happy workers make happy companies.

When I first read this article, all I could think about was a class I took my senior year of college called Zen and the Art of Zen. It doubled as a Religious Studies and Art class, and was one of the most interesting classes that I've ever taken. Not only did we learn all about Zen Buddhism, but the practices that can inspire mindfulness in everyday life. I couldn't help but think that it doesn't take big whig companies with gazillions of dollars to inspire their employees. Mindfulness encourages empathy and compassion. Who doesn't need more of that in their life?

I used to meditate more often. It wasn't easy and for a long time I faked that I could feel "something" happening. Then, one day, I did. I felt at ease and time seemed to slow down. Small annoyances melted  away and a weight was lifted. I haven't meditated in almost a year, but this article reminded me of the good that can come from taking chances. 

I'll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite TV characters: Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. As she would say, let's all take chances, get messy and make mistakes.

Ms. Frizzle and Liz the Lizard.

 Until next time dear readers, adieu. 

Down Home Goodness

Hullo dear readers,

As I write this to you, I'm sitting on my mother's front porch in a rocking chair the color of honey mustard. The air smells of rain and some lingering drops fall deftly onto the blooming hydrangeas and lantanas. There's nothing better than a good summer storm; the claps of thunder and gentle lull of rain provide an almost perfect ambiance to read and write.

Now, anyone who knows me know that I love the South. I wear the pearls, I say my "y'alls' and "oh, Lords" and I mind my manners (most of the time, anyway). But what I love most about the South is Southern food, especially desserts. Well, it being the 4th of July and all, my mom decided that we just had to have a dessert to go with our lunch. The problem quickly became that between my petite mom and diabetic stepfather, realistically no one would touch whatever it was after I left tomorrow for Alabama. 

Marcus (my boy), then slyly suggested that Rice Krispy Treats would be the perfect solution (being easily portable and his favorite). My mom (wanting to please my boy and wanting to create a more festive dessert) suggested a spin on the classic.

Instead, of Rice Krispies, she used Fruity Pebbles. I was appalled and Marcus was elated. 

Needless to say, my worst fears were confirmed about an hour later. We had created an abomination; it looked like a bad acid trip and tasted like diabetic nightmare. 

The abomination.

However, a bit of good luck fell into my lap when our neighbor Ms. June came a-knockin'. A few days before I had brought her some zucchini and yellow squash from my dad's garden, along with two pints of the most beautiful blackberries I had ever seen.

In return, Ms. June brought over homemade blackberry cobbler for each of us. It was heaven by the spoonful and, more importantly, it saved me from the monster my mother had created.

The best blackberry cobbler.

Spoonfuls of sugar and Minnie the (bitch) cat.

Ironically, my reading today was also all about food. I recently purchased a cookbook titled The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook: 100 Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Table. It's brimming with Southern fried vegetarian goodness that I've craved ever since moving to Missouri. The married and adorable co-authors, Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks, are also the creators of the food blog, The Chubby Vegetarian.  

The cookbook.

I haven't quite cooked enough recipes from it to give it a thorough review, but damn does it all look fantastic. The book features everything from Fried Green Tomato Po' Boys to Dry Rub Memphis BBQ Tofu. For veg heads like me, it doesn't get much better than that.

'Til the cooking commences, take a gander at The New York Times glowing review.

Now dear readers, I'm off for a margarita and some fireworks. Good night and happy dreaming.