The All-MJ-Unity-Sweet Honey Weekend

Saturday morning started with watching the funeral of Teddy Kennedy on CSPAN- a fitting tribute for a man who actually lived his life in the public eye on purpose. As I listened to all the speakers, many of them his children or grandchildren, I realized that his career completely encompasses my life-all 47 years-that was a slap in the face, wake up call-whatever you wanna call it. Then, I turned on the Michael Jackson music- the 29th was his birthday-number 51, that he did not live to see and I just cried... and sighed. Later in the evening, no lie, I heard his voice in my head saying-"It's okay, you can let go." I felt like Elliott in ET- "I'm right here." And I know that he is. The music is a living force in this world that we humans inhabit. I think one of the things we don't realize on a conscious level is that music is a part of the DNA of humans. We are effected in ways that we cannot begin to vocalise-that is why profane elements should really be considered before being released into the air...

As I continued in my MJ haze, I got a call about a FREE-Sweet Honey in the Rock Concert! What an amazing opportunity! They are amazing and just the right kind of vibratory wave I want to ride. Speaking of music, my daughter wants to join and acappella group and is coming over to talk song selection for her audition today-whew!

I know this blog is about books, but I also love film and today I saw one that made me think. It is called The Chorus. It is about a French orphanage(boys only) where punishment is the rule, not the exception. I would say it is like Oliver Twist, but stealing gets you put in the isolation cell:(. Into this bastion of peace and joy comes the new prefect, Clement Mathieu, a musician who cannot find a job teaching music. He decides, after many terrible incidences, to use music as the weapon of love. It is not easy and all the boys don't have an ear, but they thrive on the attention and the soul stimulation. One child, the class delinquent, is actually a musical prodigy. The story may sound simple, but it is not. Take some time, when you want to reflect, and watch THE CHORUS. It is in French with subtitles, but you won't need them with the music:)

September's Book

Last night was the book selection night. This is always fun and everyone brings there ideas for the year. We read six books a year together and there are always surprises. The selections this year are:

September: MRS.DALLOWAY-Virginia Woolf

November: CASE HISTORIES-Kate Atkinson

January: POSSESSION- A.S. Byatt

February:OLIVE KITTERIDGE-Elizabeth Strout

March: WHEN A CROCODILE EATS THE SUN- Peter Godwin

May: ADMISSION-Jean Korelitz

I am really happy we are starting with Virginia Woolf. I have never read her work really. I have seen THE HOURS and a film of Mrs Dalloway, but they are only treatments. Many other books were offered though and some really caught my attention:

MUDBOUND-Hillary Jordan: CUTTING FOR STONE-Abraham Verghese: THE HELP-Kathryn Stockett...
I have to stop right here and say that I wanted to read this book so badly I used an audiobook credit today and am currently reading/listening to it. It is really good and I think I like the listening, because there are at least three different actresses doing the voices-YUMMY!

NETHERLAND:Joseph O'Neill and THE LOST: Daniel Mendelsohn.

It is such a pleasurable experience to immerse oneself in the pleasure of a well-told story. You really don't want to come out at all and you want it to go on and on.
This kind of pleasure needs to be shared.

I belong to three book groups-one virtual and two real. I am very active in one of these, but I feel connected to them all because I love books. I cannot seem to pass by a book and I have decided that I might as well enjoy my obsession. I am not a snob about books and though I love to collect beautiful copies, the free rack is still my friend! I am a part of paperbackswap online which I think is the best thing ever! Trading books for the price of postage! I have been happily residing in my little nerdy book world for decades, but the other night when I was at a friend's, she described me as a "bibliophile." Is that what I am? A lover of books? A collector? Yes!!! I have books on the floor by the bed and sometimes in the bed. In my purse and the car and all around. I read everything my eyes see (this can be painful and embarassing sometimes:). I have tried to disect why this is so and I think it has to do with my heritage. I am a person of African descent-African-American: Black....this is also an issue:) (Do I even need to define myself in this way?). Anyway, I read for all my anscestors who were denied the right. I READ BECAUSE I CAN! I am going to use this blog to catalog my reading for while. I want to share with others the books that I love and even some that I don't. With the advent of the digital age, many people believe that books will become obsolete. I don't!