Summer Page Turning: New(ish) Books

Summer is officially upon us and we all know what that means . . . BOOKS!!! 

No? Well, you may be slightly cooler than me, but it's undeniable that a good novel on the beach/in the park while turning lobster red makes for a great summer day.  I'd like to share a few that I've read recently that may make your summer just a tiny bit better.  This is the first edition post, which will be the NEW(ish) must-read books . . . I'll let you digest them before I get into the classics.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver - This novel follows the life of a Mexican/American boy from his job working under eccentric artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, to his emigration into the USA during the McCarthy Trials. It's a really excellent book that covers an incredibly wide range of topics without ever losing the reader's interest.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergeese - Another epic that chronicles the lives of a set of Indian twins living with their adopted parents in Ethiopia.  Their parents work in a fistula clinic and you get to learn the ups and downs of Ethiopian culture, while delving into the the lives of the boys while they grow up, fall in love, try to find their birth parents, and withstand a continental divide.

What is the What? by Dave Eggers - Valentino Achek Deng allows us to peek into his life as a Somolian victim of war as he and hundreds of other "Lost Boys" wander the desert of Africa searching for a home. IT goes through his life in refugee camps, his eventual move to the USA and his attempt to make a life for himself.  This book was amazing; I can't think of anything that could be so horribly sad and uplifting at the same time.

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz - A great novel from an Australian author!  Every character in this book is utterly engaging, from the emotionally unavailable, but brilliant father, to the golden child turned misfit uncle, to the beautiful girl nicknamed, "The Towering Red Inferno."  The nutty arguments, home hidden behind a labyrinth, and millionaire scheme's made me hope that Toltz follows up with another novel ASAP!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Read it before it comes out in theaters!!! A perfect book club book - fitting that Oprah is playing the lead role in the movie.  This book talks about being a maid in Mississippi during the civil rights movement.  It's the perfect example of the dichotomy of the South.  Sometimes I want to move there, eat fried chicken with my best girlfriends, and laugh til my stomach hurts and other times I can't even understand how people can be so resistant to change and progress . . . or not be able to get over the Civil War!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safron Foer - A tale of precocious young boy  who loses his father in 9/11 and continues on in the tradition of their scavenger hunts by searching all over New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key found in his father's closet.  It's surprisingly endearing for such a dark subject matter - it reminds me a lot of Foer's Everything is Illuminated.  

The White Tiger by Aravind Andiga -I was laughing out loud while reading this book, although, it too covers a dark subject matter.  The author writes about the struggle of being in the bottom of the Indian caste system and how the main character, Balram, overcomes this problem by murdering his employer and stealing his money.  The novel is all in letter form, as Balram writes to give advice on "social entrepreneurship" to the Premier of China.

The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea - This story of Mexico's St. Teresita made me want to find out more about her and her amazing life.  Although Teresa is long gone her strength and compassion live on in Mexican folklore and Urrea allows readers to see her as she saw herself: a normal woman that was given a calling.  She was tortured and the Catholic church denouced her as a heretic, and yet she was always ready to forgive her oppressors.  This is a great chronicle of a pre-revolutionary Mexico.  Viva la Teresita! 

For all of you ladies who just need some "chick-lit" to perfect your poolside reading, I have the perfect author.  Rebecca Wells.  Read The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Alters Everywhere, or her newest: The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. She is a true Southern woman, just as her characters are - strong and steadfast, an amazing friend, sweetly domineering wife, midnight skinny-dipper, but above all always a perfect lady.  Good luck not wanting to travel down those muddy Mississippi waters after reading these!

Mayor Daley is milking me dry.

I recently said how much I love Mayor Daley and his free concerts.  Well, I'll pay for a concert if it means that I don't have to spend $300 a month in parking/traffic fees!!! While in the Gold Coast on a rainy Chicago morning, I noticed Lovely Rita, Metermaid, ticketing cars. The meters start running at 8 am and one guy got to his car at 8:02 to already have a $60 fine.  I've had my car towed, ticketed, etc. but I just had my first run in with the dreaded Red Light Violations. I received two of them in the mail on the same day and they're $100 a pop!!!!

Here is a map of all of the Red-Light Camera Intersections in Chicago, so that you can either avoid them or drive like Mother Teresa for a block or so.

Red Light Camera Intersections