Let's Talk Books

I've read 25+ books this year. I say 25+, because that's how many I can account for, but I know I've read and deleted many from my Kindle that I didn't put in my "read" list (ahem, DanielleSteelNoraRobertsFluff, I'm looking at you). And this is not talking about school text books because, let's be honest here, I only read for the first two weeks of class then skim for two weeks, and after that I just wildly guess what the instructor wants to hear and look up some scholarly articles that seem relevant to what I *think* we're talking about in class and read/skim/quote those instead.

Some of these books I've read in the actual old-fashioned book way, and some I've read on my Kindle. I love holding books, feeling the paper and turning pages, and even the smell of them. I also like to flip back a lot, to re-read certain phrases or jog my memory of who said what/when/where. That said, I am an ebook convert for sure, and will probably always have some such device near my person. My Kindle is so small and light that it fits in all my purses, even the non-ginormous ones, and I don't even notice it taking up space. So when I get stuck waiting for a bus, or plane, or in line at the grocery store, I can whip it out and be absorbed in a story. I don't have to wait until I get home and wind up binge-reading until 4am. Except I have a tendency to binge-read until at least midnight anyway, when I usually give up not because I'm so tired or because the book gets boring, but because I feel guilty about my poor husband sleeping next to me and I've still got a light on, and he rolled over and blearily looked at me and even though I'm 99% sure he's not actually awake and 100% sure that even if he WAS awake he wouldn't mind the light, so off goes the light.

ANYWAY. I've had book conversations with a few different people lately. I even put East of Eden back onto my reading list because it comes highly recommended, though generally speaking I'm not a fan of Steinbeck. But I did love Of Mice and Men so maybe I'll like that one, too. I'm pretty eclectic about what I read: high brow, low-brow, popular fiction, autobiographies, history, children's books, YA, fantasy, whatever. Does it sound interesting? Did it blow up in the news for some reason? Is there a well-touted movie based on the book coming out soon? Did someone recommend it to me? If yes, I'll read it. Is it free? Yes, I'll read it. I've read several fluffy romance novels this year because they're free and sometimes my brain just needs a break and a happy ending. Heh, happy ending. Seven of the aforementioned books this year were Harry Potter, five were Game of Thrones, and one was Pride and Prejudice. It was the second time reading the GOT books and the others I read at least once a year. P&P I often read 3-4 times a year, because I love it so much, and usually after I read it I jump straight into the Linda Berdoll fanfic "sequels" because I enjoy them too. Here are a few other books I can remember reading this year, with some brief reflections.

Serena: A Novel (Ron Rash) - Enjoyed it. Started off stronger than it finished. Read it because I heard about the movie, which features Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and may be released in the U.S. later this year. I like those two actors, so I figured I'd give the book a whirl before the movie comes out. I'd recommend it, but probably wouldn't read it again.

Horns (Joe Hill) - Probably falls into the category of fantasy, but I didn't really think about it that way when I read it. It's pretty dark and deep, and it's another one I read because I heard there's a movie coming out soon, starring Daniel Radcliffe. It was great in a terrible, mind-f*** kind of way, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story while fervently hoping nothing like it ever happens in real life.

The Fault in our Stars (John Green) - I'm not sure how I heard about this one first, but it's been on my list for a little while. One of my favorite bloggers (misszoot) wrote about it, it was in the news because of the movie, and so it was on my radar. Read it, loved it, reminded me a little of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I think mostly because they're both stories featuring young people with cancer more than anything. I knew it was a sad book going into it, and I sobbed while reading it, and I'll probably sob during the movie, too. If you like sad and beautiful stories about love and life, read it.

An Abundance of Katherines; Paper Towns (John Green) - I enjoyed TFIOS so much I started reading everything by John Green that I could get my hands on. I liked Katherines more than Paper Towns, but they were both quite entertaining and absorbing. I would probably re-read any of his books, and Looking for Alaska is on my to-read list as well. I'm #19 on the Army Digital Media Library hold list and I'm hoping the jerks in front of me hurry up, already.

Delirium (Lauren Oliver) - another YA book. I should say, another distopian YA book. I started reading it this week, and a few pages in started thinking I've read it before. I got a few chapters in before I was certain I'd read it before, but decided to keep reading because I remembered liking it and was enjoying the story again. It's the first in a trilogy, I've read all of them, didn't plan to read them again, but don't mind doing so now that I'm almost 1/3 through. The premise is that love is a contagious disease that the American government decides to eradicate.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Mary Roach) - I never in a million years thought I'd read a book about the science of dead bodies, but I did and I do not regret it for one second. It was hilariously entertaining and informative, though there were more than a couple spots that literally made me gag. The author was a travel writer and after visiting Antarctica for the umpteenth time decided she wanted to write about something else. I haven't read any of them yet, but she's also got scientific books out about sex and the human gastrointestinal tract, among others, and I definitely plan to get around to some of them one day! If you are even remotely interested in this topic, I cannot recommend it more highly.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - A beloved classic, another I read again every couple of years. If you haven't read it, read it. If you haven't seen the movie, watch it. {I haven't read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn again this year, but it's another classic American favorite that I pick up every so often. My great-aunt Velma gave me a copy of it before I was old enough to appreciate it, maybe 8 or 9 years old, and the copy is tattered and missing the cover but still bears the inscription in her glorious old-fashioned handwriting and I will love it forever.}

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) - I heard about the movie before I heard about the book, but of course the title piqued my interest. This one is amazing, and the movie did it justice.

The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel (Adriana Trigiani) - I read this one shortly before the movers came to pack us up for Italy, and the timing was perfect. It spans two continents and half a lifetime and made me think really deep and grateful thoughts about my life and relationship.

I think that's about it for the non-fluff books. As you can see, I read a lot and though this list is mostly novels, I'm open to any kind of suggestions so leave me a recommendation if you have a favorite you think I might enjoy!

Back to Florida

I'm back in Tampa for my first drill after moving to Italy, and so far it's been a good trip. My flights over were very smooth, but more on that in a second. I spent a nice Saturday with some of Tony's family, just relaxing and enjoying the company since our plans to go tubing down the river got rained out. It was worth the two-hour drive and I'm glad I went. Today I went to Davis Island to drill, and it was a very quiet 8 hours. I did a bunch of online training and went to a short presentation. And Tony called me! This is exciting because international calling plans cost a fortune, and we've only been texting and e-mailing and Facebooking since I left. He got a MagicJack and now we have an American phone number at our house in Italy! I have about a million phone numbers right now; Italian home phone, American internet number at home in Italy, American internet number for my cell, Italian cell phone, and American cell phone. Whew.

I got up at 5:30 on Friday, after only about 3 hours of terrible sleep; I'd been laying awake since about 4:15 and couldn't got back to sleep. This is a very frequent occurrence just before I travel, and mostly I'm used to it. We left the house around 6:30 and Tony drove me to the base, where I then caught the (free!) shuttle to Marco Polo Airport in Venice. It took just less than an hour to get there, which was great because it took me about 45 minutes to get my boarding passes and drop off luggage, and another 30 minutes to get through security. From there I flew to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, which was roughly 2 hours. I finished the book I'd been reading on that flight, and then got on an extremely crowded shuttle and went through Customs and security once we arrived. I'd forgotten how big that airport is, but it has some really neat things. I didn't have a huge amount of time before boarding my next flight to JFK: first trip on a double-decker plane! That flight was about 9 hours, during which I watched the latest Muppet movie and read another book. I did not sleep and I did not study, two things I'd been planning on doing. I flew AirFrance and they took really good care of me. Before the dinner service they came around with aperitifs so of course I had champagne. And one of my favorite moments of the trip happened on that leg of my journey too. When the flight attendant came around with dinner, he asked what I'd like to drink and I asked if he had red wine. He laughed and said, "It is AirFrance. We ALWAYS have red wine!"

Once I got to JFK it was pretty easy to go through customs; since last I traveled internationally through there they got these handy-dandy kiosks that make the process a lot quicker. My bag didn't take very long to come through, and I breezed through customs with no problems. I had to print a new boarding pass, because apparently our scanners are not compatible with the pass I got in Italy, and I learned my flight was delayed about 45 minutes. Something about trickle-down effect from earlier delayed flights. Eh, no biggie. I went through security again and got some food, and learned my flight also switched gates. Once we boarded that plane, the pilot told us there was a comms issue, and we were waiting on a part to arrive and get swapped out, and that we'd be delayed some more. Once all that was sorted out we started taxiing, and then came to a halt after only a couple of minutes. The pilot told us another aircraft was making an emergency landing and we all had to stand by and wait until they made it safely through. [They did.] Finally, we were off! I dozed for a bit and then finished up that second book. We landed sometime after 11 Friday night, and I'd been traveling for 24 hours at that point. Luckily, my bag didn't take very long to come through and there was only a very short line at the rental car counter. And at midnight, there's no traffic! It only took me about 10 minutes to get to my hotel, but I was annoyed because there was a bar/club attached that caused a parking lot issue. I had to park far away and walk in, after making 2 Austin Powers turns because of blocked off rows. And then once I got settled into my room, I realized I left my old phone (the American one) in the car and had to go back out and fetch it, since I didn't want to tempt/risk a break-in. Finally I was ready to sleep! I thought I'd sleep about ten hours, but six hours later I popped wide awake. I tried to go back to sleep but, failing that, took a shower and hit the road to hang out with Tony's family in Crystal River.

I fly again on Friday. My flight is scheduled to land around midnight, so I did the prudent thing and booked a hotel room. Saturday I'll drive to upstate NY and visit my family! I'll see siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and second cousins! Can't wait.

Sucky things about traveling solo:
1) No one to watch your bags at the airport when you have to use the bathroom.
2) No one to people-watch with.
3) No one to rest on while you're napping.
4) No back up toiletries or chargers if you forgot something.
5) No one to laugh with about the red wine.

Did I miss any?

Food Traditions

I often joke to friends that I miss Louisiana because it has my family, friends, food, and football. And if I'm feeling particularly witty and repetitive, I further joke that in Louisiana we have a tendency to measure our holidays by the food we eat. You know, Christmas Eve = gumbo; New Year's Day = ham + cole slaw + black-eyed peas; Mardi Gras = booze; Easter = crawfish bisque + strawberry shortcake (I prefer angel food over pound cake, sponge cake runs a very close second, and biscuits are a huge no-no). Already, you can tell I don't believe Louisiana is The South. Nope, it's its own place, own thing, own culture with its own vibe and you can bet your britches any of our grandmothers can outcook your grandmother any day of the week with one hand tied behind her back. I might have said that a time or two before today, too.

Oh, and don't forget the Salad. In our family, Salad definitely starts with a capital letter. This goes for regular Sunday dinners (which, truthfully, are more like what less-refined people call "lunch") as well as for the holidays. We don't eat without Salad. If Salad is late, we wait. (That rhymed!) Also, I've said Salad so many times in the last five minutes that it doesn't seem like a real word any more. Salad. Salad. Salad salad salad salad. Anyway, basic recipe is leafies + cheese + fruit + nuts + vinaigrette. Olives. Parsley. Lemon. Ginger. Now I'm just saying random things that sometimes show up in the Salad as guests. Mmm, Salad.

Now that I'm married, and far removed from my Louisiana roots, I'm hard core missing some of these traditions while trying to establish new ones. Our schedules have been really hectic since we met each other, and we haven't had too many holidays together. However, that didn't stop Tony from frying a turkey for Thanksgiving one year! Never mind that year we had Thanksgiving in October because stupid Afghanistan. We were together (married!) for Easter this year, but if I remember correctly we were living in a hotel, slept in, missed church, ate sandwiches, and watched a lot of television. And our next holiday together looks like it might be Halloween, which is not celebrated in Italy; or Veteran's Day, which will certainly be noted on the base; or Thanksgiving, due to miscellaneous as-yet-undetermined trips for both of us. Work, weddings, the usual things that happen when you're entrenched in your 30s. All of that to say we haven't worked out the fine details yet, but I can pretty much guarantee there will probably be a) wine and b) salad. 

And I will also lobby very hard for something chocolatey. Because chocolate wins. The end.

Cooking and cookies

Well hello there, June, and thank you for bringing a blast of heat with you. Last week Tony was in Slovenia and he said the weather was a lot like it was in Washington. Since it was warm here, he didn't pack any long-sleeve shirts or undershirts, and that was a decision he apparently regretted. One morning it was in the 30s! For comparison, when we woke up yesterday it was 83 and while watching tv in the evening it was 93 but "felt like 99." That's in degrees Farenheit, if anyone needed clarification. I just can't wait until July, when it really heats up! Methinks I need to get myself to the pool.

I don't know what on earth possessed me to make cookies in that heat...actually, fine, it was my sweet tooth. Teeth. Whatever. I had a craving. An "envie." A deep-seated desire to just have some dang sugar, already. As we didn't have any ice cream or gelato in the freezer (waaaah), and we were out of chocolate, I decided on a simple sugar cookie recipe. HA. Not only did my use of the oven heat up the kitchen to sweltering, hellish levels, the cookies didn't even turn out that great. They were soft and edible, but very thin and crumbly. I griped on Facebook yesterday that they came out more like pancakes. But that didn't stop me from eating...several...350 Farenheit is about 176 Celsius, for the record. With the cookies, that means I cooked three times yesterday. Tony started us off with a delcious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. The bacon was nice and smoky and the toast was toast-y, but the eggs were perfect. We've both noticed a difference in the quality of eggs here as compared to what we were buying back in the States. I'm still learning when it's more advantageous to buy produce on the economy versus in the commissary, but generally speaking it's less expensive here. Probably because just about everything is local and fresh. Italy has a requirement to prominently label the origins of all foods, and most everything is Italian. Not all, of course. A great deal is imported from South Africa, among other places.

For lunch I made a quick stir fry with cauliflower, zucchini, onions, carrots mushrooms, and chicken. And for dinner we had couscous. I had mine cold and Tony ate his warm...red onions, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, feta, chicken, and a quick vinaigrette. I got the stirfry leftovers and Tony absconded with the couscous for his lunch today. Yesterday was his first time eating it and he's a convert, so I call the entire day a successful one from a culinary standpoint. What? The cookies were edible, at least.