BOOK - BE FRANK WITH ME by JULIA CLAIBORNE JOHNSON (2016) (NO SPOILERS)

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5! 

BE FRANK WITH ME is DELIGHTFUL. It may have particularly resonated with me because I visualized FRANK (the main character) who is apparently "on the spectrum" as a replica of SHELDON in YOUNG SHELDON, one of my favorite half-hour TV shows. If you've watched THE BIG BANG THEORY, the main character is SHELDON as a grown-up.

It's the FICTION BOOK CLUB pick for later this month at our local Independent Bookstore. I love the books they choose since most are ones I've either not heard of or would not necessarily choose for myself. It won the AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE NARRATOR (2017). 

Anyway, IT WAS TIME for some LIGHT READING and this book "hit the spot". Only 287 pages, made it a breeze to read through and easy to pick up each day. 

Each of the characters (there are only 4) was quite well-developed. 

• FRANK - a 9-year old boy
• MIMI - Frank's mother - a writer
• ALICE - (the NARRATOR) - MIMI's Assistant to watch over FRANK
• XANDER - their handsome and charming "handyman"

I felt sorry for FRANK because of the bullying by his peers, yet I LOVED his creativity, his "reasonings" and his mind's ability to store ZILLIONS of FACTS.

I won't tell you any more - READ this for yourself and let me know how much YOU enjoyed it.

Here are just a few quotes to entice you.......

Pg 12

     I reread Pitched as coursework in Twentieth-Century Lit when I was a junior in college, soon after my mother died unexpectedly of undiagnosed heart disease. It was a different book to me then. That time it tore me apart. I confessed in class that I'd cried my eyes out when I finished.

     "You realize now," my professor commented drily, "that youth isn't wasted on the young. Literature is."

Pg 180

     "It must be exhausting to be so sure of yourself all the time," Mimi said. "Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Alice. Being perfect doesn't make people love you."

Pg 181

     I know from my time in New York that anger can be an exhilarating tonic that lifts some people over life's rough patches. 

Pg 206

     "So when I change my clothes, do I do it in a phone booth?" Frank asked. 

     "Nope. Backseat of the station wagon. We won't look."

     "Good. Phone booths are hard to find these days......"

Pg 279 - Frank helping Alice after she fell down 2 steps - scraped her knees

     "I'll get the Band-Aids from your purse," Frank said. By then the kid was as familiar with the contents of it as I was. Then he instructed me to sit on the toilet while he took off my shoes and socks. He held my hand while I stepped into the tub and sat down on its edge. "For once it's a good thing you were wearing shorts, Alice," he said. "Because if you'd had on long pants, they'd be torn all to pieces. That would have been bad. Pants don't heal the way skin does."

JOAN

QUARANTINE MUSINGS

When this PANDEMIC forced us to SHELTER IN PLACE, I created a list of things to accomplish. Do you remember that we were going to be STUCK AT HOME for about 2 weeks? Then it was stretched to an additional 2 weeks..... then it stretched to the whole month of MAY and most places only began to loosen their RESTRICTIONS in JUNE. 

Looking back, it was BRILLIANTLY staged for us. Who could have mentally accepted the idea of being QUARANTINED at home for MONTHS, if it were introduced that way back in MARCH? Baby steps...... 

I don't know about you, but I felt PRODUCTIVE early on. I cleaned out and organized several cabinets.  

Another quick PROJECT - I removed the upholstery from a chair and ottoman that I had reupholstered several years ago. I had never done it before and wanted to try. Treating it like an ART PROJECT, I was proud of the job I did without any lessons. But now that I'm redoing the decor in my family room, new fabric is needed to go with new colors. This time I'll send it out to a PROFESSIONAL upholsterer.  

I started an indoor HERB GARDEN that was a BIRTHDAY gift.

The HERBS inspired me do more cooking and to try a few new RECIPES.

 Dill Bread

Cabbage Soup

In early MAY, after "sitting around too much (and frankly EATING too much - ANYBODY ELSE??) and because I have one knee ready to be replaced (it hurts when I walk), I realized that I had to get some kind of EXERCISE besides the stretches I learned in PT.

I got motivated to research and buy a RECUMBENT STATIONARY BICYCLE to strengthen the muscles around my knees (darn arthritis!). I even put it together myself (it certainly wasn't brain surgery). Now, the hard part - making a bike ride a HABIT. It's been 46 days and I've been CONSISTENT (so far)!

Then for some reason it seemed that I started to have trouble focusing on the simplest of things - like when reading a book - I'd JUMP from one task to the next and to the next and to the next and then sit back down to read again - the same chapter over again. Aargh.

The next STAGE OF QUARANTINE - I couldn't remember what day it was (arguably, I still can't). But the DAYS began to pass more quickly and the MONTHS were behind us before I knew it.

A DAILY ROUTINE evolved early on - around 5:00 or 6:00 I'd pour a GLASS OF WINE and sit down to watch the DAILY CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE BRIEFING. That went on for weeks. So many UNKNOWNS and lots of SPECULATION. I was excited to learn what was new each day. It was something I looked forward to - new INFORMATION.

There was a time (maybe a day or two) when I felt a bit DOWN - I think it was early MAY - and a number of FRIENDS expressed the same was going on with them. It was part FRUSTRATION with continuing UNKNOWNS and wondering "HOW LONG is this going to last"? FACETIME with FAMILY and friends helped to bring back the HUMAN CONNECTION. And monthly ZOOM BOOK CLUBS were a GODSEND. 

FLOWERS started to BLOOM, giving the outdoors (and indoors) new color.  My grass was actually NEON GREEN!

One of my sisters lives in the neighborhood, yet our FIRST time together wasn't until over the MEMORIAL DAY weekend - an outdoor dinner, social-distancing on my deck (ITALIAN takeout from ALLEGRIA!!). We had both been VERY DILIGENT about QUARANTINING!

And then it was JUNE. 

Looking back, I noticed that in MARCH and APRIL I was blogging a lot, but in MAY and JUNE - NOT ONCE. I wonder what happened? Not really sure, but it's interesting to note.

Sometime in JUNE I began to LOSE INTEREST in the news (however, I didn't lose interest in my "DAILY 5'OCLOCK SOMEWHERE WINE".....). The CORONAVIRUS updates were over, GEORGE FLOYD was killed, PEACEFUL PROTESTS began but then outsiders swooped in and created CHAOS and DESTRUCTION with RIOTS and LOOTING. THAT was just too disturbing, depressing, and disheartening. I guess that's why I stopped watching the news.

I picked up TAKE-OUT FOOD only a handful of times. When outdoor dining became possible just a few weeks ago, I was thrilled to meet some friends out - deciding I'd try to do this perhaps once a week. 

We had our FIRST BOOK CLUB OUTDOORS with social distancing last week. It was HOT out and difficult to hear each other over the live music playing at the outdoor restaurants nearby. Although it was GREAT to be together in person again, I think ZOOM might be more effective and more comfortable. (DID I JUST SAY THAT?)

I'm RETIRED and I don't have to worry about MAKING A LIVING or RAISING CHILDREN. I'm thankful every day for how FORTUNATE I am - to be in this time of my life for this crazy PANDEMIC. I WORRY for those who have to tend to these responsibilities every day during this already STRESSFUL time.

Although this has been a DIFFICULT and CHALLENGING period of time (making the HISTORY BOOKS for sure), don't you also think it's been a good time to get mentally and soulfully centered, to count your blessings, to appreciate time with FAMILY and FRIENDS and to realize what you do and don't "NEED"?

How LUCKY we are to have our current TECHNOLOGIES, with INFORMATION (and ENTERTAINMENT) at our fingertips (literally) and EASY COMMUNICATION methods to stay in touch with friends and LOVED ONES? 

BLESSED to have food, air conditioning, clean sheets and towels, and a friendly neighborhood. 

BLESSED to have my GIRL CLOVER!!!, who keeps me entertained and who reminds me when I've been spending too much time on the COMPUTER. 

BLESSED to have my eyesight to read GREAT BOOKS, watch TV, search the WWW, and enjoy nature.

BLESSED to have thoughtful and helpful neighbors and friends. 

BLESSED to have good health and clean air to breathe, a beautiful home, and outdoor environment. 

This QUARANTINE time has been a time to REFLECT, LEARN, SLOW DOWN, SET GOALS, CLEAN HOUSE, and APPRECIATE all that LIFE has to offer. 

HOPING that you are faring well and have discovered many BLESSINGS in your life too. 

The QUARANTINE? This too will pass.........

JOAN

BOOK - THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG by MURIEL BARBERY (2006) (NO SPOILERS)

Do you think I liked this BOOK????  

Every once in awhile I read a book where the writing really GRABS me! This is one of those books. As you can see, I used STICKY TABS AND a YELLOW HIGHLIGHTER. I haven't used a HIGHLIGHTER on a book in a LONG time. But when I'm inspired to do so, that tells me that the story is really going to impact me. I LOVE and RESPECT a well-written book. 

The STORYLINE is quite simple, but it's written in a way that provoked much THOUGHT for me. 

The characters are well developed and each is so different from the others - QUIRKY - INSECURE - KIND - CONFUSED - INTELLIGENT - UNEDUCATED - SEARCHING - ORDINARY - REFINED - PREDICTABLE. The author certainly built-in an ARRAY that integrated beautifully.

She also challenged me with BIG WORDS - UNFAMILIAR WORDS - JAPANESE - FRENCH - ENGLISH WORDS, so that I had to stop and search for the definition. (Admittedly, I have a limited personal vocabulary.) I marked each word - there were 50 of them!! And on PAGE 117 alone, there were FIVE! 

• FRISSON
• SPATIOTEMPORAL DIMENTION
• ETIOLOGIES
• OBDURATE
• INTERSTITIAL IDIOPATHIC CYSTITIS (The main character, Renee's cat had this)

This book is RICH with TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION for any BOOK CLUB. Ours is later this month, which I'm preparing for now (if you want my outline, please ask). 

• POVERTY
• WEALTH
• FAMILY DYNAMICS
• THE UNEXPECTED
• INSECURITY and SELF-ESTEEM
• DESPAIR
• CURIOSITY
• SYNCHRONICITY
• TAKING A RISK
• ANTICIPATION
• COMFORT IN ANOTHER'S PRESENCE
• RITUALS
• PUNCTUATION, WRITING, GRAMMAR

Without telling you what the story is about, I hope I've INTRIGUED you enough that you'll give it your consideration. One BOOK CLUB member mentioned that it was SLOW to start and she put it down. When encouraged to TRY AGAIN, she jumped to the middle and by the end of the book, she enjoyed it enough to start at the beginning again. She gave it a 4 OUT OF 5, so I encourage you to STICK WITH IT.

I finished the book on Tuesday...... and the next day, I immediately started again at the beginning, reading full chapters and AT LEAST the paragraphs that I had highlighted. I give it a 5 OUT OF 5. But, fair warning - if you prefer a FAST-PACED, SUSPENSEFUL book, this is not that book. This is one to SAVOR.........

THANK YOU JOANIE LINDSTROM, for recommending this book to me. YOU never fail to suggest the BEST BOOKS!!!

JOAN